speech...
ha, i've found it after like, a year! so i'm posting it just in case i lose it again...
“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” -Winston Churchill
We were destined to make it here today. We may have chosen different paths along the way, but we all ended up at the same place, graduating together, Class of 2007 from Austin High School.
I’m not going to assume that everyone had the same experience I did- but I know everyone had an experience over these past years. Whether it seemed long and difficult or over too quickly, whether it’s seemed tough or beautiful - or both - it’s been an experience.
For me, it was spectacular; I couldn’t ask for more. Was it all perfect? No. But that’s how I’ll choose to remember it - perfect - that’s my truth.
Last week, I walked into Mr. Fernandez’s classroom, and it hit me.
That, “This is it” feeling- and I wanted to cry…
When I walked in there, I saw that room four years ago…
A room full of freshmen just getting to know each other, feeling each other out…
Eventually mingling and evidently loving each other…
I saw Miki’s impressions, I heard Connie’s singing,
And I remembered Henry’s bright personality that made all of us smile.
I’m sure everyone had that time and that place freshmen year that felt like the beginning of your journey that is now coming to an end…
Some of us got so much closer since, and some of us drifted apart,
Some people changed and some people we wouldn’t change for the world,
Some people came into our class and some people left,
But when we lost Henry, we all felt it-
Hopefully it taught us something- not to take each other for granted… and as I know he’ll always be with us, I hope we learned to always be there for each other…
Because the truth is, whether good or bad, it’s always better to share things with your friends…
This year, you may remember during a parent/teacher conference when the Golden Knights were supposed to parachute down onto our field-
If you’ve forgotten, I don’t hold it against you-
I had every intention on missing it myself…
But some of my friends had every intention on catching it- they brought food and camped out on the track by the scoreboard-
Christina, Mandy, Laura, Norman, Sal, and Luz…
I thought it was ridiculous and I was prepared to leave-
But Luz stopped me-
She reminded me that it was our senior year, and that any time we spent together would be treasured memories…
She was right, and I stayed.
At that point I realized that it didn’t matter what we were doing, as long as we were sharing it with friends.
I tried not to forget that for the rest of the year, to make the most of every situation -
Like I said, good or bad - it’s always better to share it with friends.
I’ll try to carry this idea, this truth, with me for the rest of my life, as I hope you will…
I know “the rest of our lives” seems like a long time, but when I was little, I thought 2007 seemed so far away; I thought I had all the time in the world, but it turned out, it went by in the blink of an eye…
Though freshmen year seems like just yesterday, so much has changed…
What you remember is your truth…
As for me I think back to good times, the fun times-
The things that made our years special:
The airband performance our freshmen year, the FIRST time Ronald dressed up!
Our sophomore year when we beat Chapin in football, and everyone rushed the field!
Winning the Claw Game ALL FOUR YEARS…
Having a supreme court justice visit our campus…
Having a group of guys make the day before spring break a little more interesting than usual…
And then there are the things that happened just this past year that made our senior class special…
How many other senior classes do you know had their Homecoming dance on the football field with fireworks that just happened to be going off in the background…
Not every senior class had the STORM OF THE CENTURY where they got to stay home, when it didn’t even snow, let alone RAIN! And then when it DID actually snow, we were AT SCHOOL, and we got to have snowball fights…
Not every class got to share all of these moments with the seniors you are all sitting next to
This is how I’ll remember it, my truths, my journey.
I know it’s been a journey for everyone…
The family that’s supported us since before we even started school,
Our teachers that taught inside and outside of the classroom,
our older friends who’ve watched us grow,
our younger friends who look forward to their day,
and our fellow graduating seniors from other schools, sharing this momentous time in our lives, despite the fact that they live on the wrong side of town…
I think we all know that the truth is, we couldn’t have done it without their support, so thank you to everyone joining us today…
And we also know we couldn’t have done it without each other…
I feel fortunate to have the small class we do…
It has given me the opportunity to meet most of the graduates here before me today, and I couldn’t be happier with where I’m at.
That’s the truth.
Not every person gets to keep friends from freshmen year to senior year,
Not every person gets to keep friends from middle school to high school,
Not every person gets to keep friends from their first years of school to their last,
Not every person gets to keep friends from their very first day in pre-k to graduation day… but I’m proud to say I have.
We now must go our separate way. As close as I’ve gotten to those I’ve met since pre-k, and even to those I’ve just met this year, it only makes it that much harder to leave.
As much as we’ve been warned that we’ll probably never see each other again after today, I have every confidence that we will reunite throughout our lives.
I’ll now leave you with some final words by Goethe:
“The little that is done seems nothing when we look forward and see how much we have yet to do.”
I wish all the graduates the best: health, success, and prosperity
On your terms and your terms alone.
Take care, be safe.
Congratulations Class of 2007.
“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” -Winston Churchill
We were destined to make it here today. We may have chosen different paths along the way, but we all ended up at the same place, graduating together, Class of 2007 from Austin High School.
I’m not going to assume that everyone had the same experience I did- but I know everyone had an experience over these past years. Whether it seemed long and difficult or over too quickly, whether it’s seemed tough or beautiful - or both - it’s been an experience.
For me, it was spectacular; I couldn’t ask for more. Was it all perfect? No. But that’s how I’ll choose to remember it - perfect - that’s my truth.
Last week, I walked into Mr. Fernandez’s classroom, and it hit me.
That, “This is it” feeling- and I wanted to cry…
When I walked in there, I saw that room four years ago…
A room full of freshmen just getting to know each other, feeling each other out…
Eventually mingling and evidently loving each other…
I saw Miki’s impressions, I heard Connie’s singing,
And I remembered Henry’s bright personality that made all of us smile.
I’m sure everyone had that time and that place freshmen year that felt like the beginning of your journey that is now coming to an end…
Some of us got so much closer since, and some of us drifted apart,
Some people changed and some people we wouldn’t change for the world,
Some people came into our class and some people left,
But when we lost Henry, we all felt it-
Hopefully it taught us something- not to take each other for granted… and as I know he’ll always be with us, I hope we learned to always be there for each other…
Because the truth is, whether good or bad, it’s always better to share things with your friends…
This year, you may remember during a parent/teacher conference when the Golden Knights were supposed to parachute down onto our field-
If you’ve forgotten, I don’t hold it against you-
I had every intention on missing it myself…
But some of my friends had every intention on catching it- they brought food and camped out on the track by the scoreboard-
Christina, Mandy, Laura, Norman, Sal, and Luz…
I thought it was ridiculous and I was prepared to leave-
But Luz stopped me-
She reminded me that it was our senior year, and that any time we spent together would be treasured memories…
She was right, and I stayed.
At that point I realized that it didn’t matter what we were doing, as long as we were sharing it with friends.
I tried not to forget that for the rest of the year, to make the most of every situation -
Like I said, good or bad - it’s always better to share it with friends.
I’ll try to carry this idea, this truth, with me for the rest of my life, as I hope you will…
I know “the rest of our lives” seems like a long time, but when I was little, I thought 2007 seemed so far away; I thought I had all the time in the world, but it turned out, it went by in the blink of an eye…
Though freshmen year seems like just yesterday, so much has changed…
What you remember is your truth…
As for me I think back to good times, the fun times-
The things that made our years special:
The airband performance our freshmen year, the FIRST time Ronald dressed up!
Our sophomore year when we beat Chapin in football, and everyone rushed the field!
Winning the Claw Game ALL FOUR YEARS…
Having a supreme court justice visit our campus…
Having a group of guys make the day before spring break a little more interesting than usual…
And then there are the things that happened just this past year that made our senior class special…
How many other senior classes do you know had their Homecoming dance on the football field with fireworks that just happened to be going off in the background…
Not every senior class had the STORM OF THE CENTURY where they got to stay home, when it didn’t even snow, let alone RAIN! And then when it DID actually snow, we were AT SCHOOL, and we got to have snowball fights…
Not every class got to share all of these moments with the seniors you are all sitting next to
This is how I’ll remember it, my truths, my journey.
I know it’s been a journey for everyone…
The family that’s supported us since before we even started school,
Our teachers that taught inside and outside of the classroom,
our older friends who’ve watched us grow,
our younger friends who look forward to their day,
and our fellow graduating seniors from other schools, sharing this momentous time in our lives, despite the fact that they live on the wrong side of town…
I think we all know that the truth is, we couldn’t have done it without their support, so thank you to everyone joining us today…
And we also know we couldn’t have done it without each other…
I feel fortunate to have the small class we do…
It has given me the opportunity to meet most of the graduates here before me today, and I couldn’t be happier with where I’m at.
That’s the truth.
Not every person gets to keep friends from freshmen year to senior year,
Not every person gets to keep friends from middle school to high school,
Not every person gets to keep friends from their first years of school to their last,
Not every person gets to keep friends from their very first day in pre-k to graduation day… but I’m proud to say I have.
We now must go our separate way. As close as I’ve gotten to those I’ve met since pre-k, and even to those I’ve just met this year, it only makes it that much harder to leave.
As much as we’ve been warned that we’ll probably never see each other again after today, I have every confidence that we will reunite throughout our lives.
I’ll now leave you with some final words by Goethe:
“The little that is done seems nothing when we look forward and see how much we have yet to do.”
I wish all the graduates the best: health, success, and prosperity
On your terms and your terms alone.
Take care, be safe.
Congratulations Class of 2007.