| wow, so now that i'm officially done with high school, i can't believe it. i really can't. i used to always just take the seat back and watch as all my other older peers and upperclassmen each left the world and bubble of high school. i never thought that one day, my own underclassmen would look at me and watch me leave. it's amazing how far i've come.. to have survived 12 years excluding kindergarten and preschool of schooling.
i wonder what is to come in the future? i guess those of you who know me know that i change my mind often..lol so don't ask me what i'm gonna be cuz i really don't know...
in the mean time, grad party season is really killing me. it's like... you have to fast during the week and eat during the weekends so that you don't gain weight (hehehe).
alright, i know some people who don't go to my school have asked..they wanna know my grad speech..so here it is....
LIVING THE DASH
A Nike ad once printed, "All your life you are told things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." Today is the day when we say yes; the day when all the doors of opportunity open before us, and we are able to take control of our lives, and make our own decisions. Today is graduation day. But what exactly is graduation? To some of us, it is a great milestone in the journey of our lives that has finally arrived. To many, it means freedom and moving on to bigger and better things. For others, graduation simply means not having to wake up early and go to school at 7:15 every morning. Whatever graduation means to each of us, it all comes down to the same thing: a chance to venture out into the real world to become successful, and to make a difference.
Reflecting on freshman year, we worked hard together and built a Homecoming float that took down the then-senior’s 3-year streak of winning 1st place. Sophomore year, we supported our school by wearing shirts that whited-out our opponents as we played our way into football state’s semi-finals. Junior year, we walked in on the first day of school acting like freshman in our newly, renovated building. In fact, even to this day, I still get confused about which stairs to take going down to get to where I want to be nearly all the time. Now this year, our senior year, we can finally blame our slacking off to a disease called senioritis. Despite the incurable, lazy symptoms of senioritis, however, we have worked hard and come a long way.
By now, we have taken 8 semesters worth of classes and have learned tons of information and skills that will stay with us long after we graduate. However, it’s how we use the knowledge we have gained that will influence our future, and determine the level of our success. Among the classes we’ve taken, those we really liked or really resented are the ones we will remember the most. I admit, when I was in Mr. Fritz’s geometry class, I learned absolutely nothing geometry wise, but instead, learned the importance of being on time, and that I shouldn’t wrestle an orangutan. And now, armed with knowledge and a dash of curiosity, we have the chance to let the world hear us and to make a difference.
Recently, I asked one of my friends what she wanted to be when she grew up. Surprisingly, she didn’t reply back with the usual career name. Instead, she replied, “I want to be someone who, when I die, others will remember me not for my name, but for what I have done.” And I believe that that is what we all strive for. To become a person that is so great that those who know of us will remember us not for the birth and death date on our tombstones, but for the dash in between. Some of us want to become doctors, others—lawyers, musicians, politicians, counselors, teachers, engineers; it doesn’t matter what career we take on, we have already started to make a difference and will continue making a difference.
They tell us to turn our heads to the left, and to look to the right. They say that most likely, we will never see those we sit next to for the rest of our lives. I say that it doesn’t matter whether we see each other later in life, but what matters most is WHO we become; what matters is WHAT we say YES to. As we graduate, we take all that we have learned combined with all our memories and carry those with us for the rest of our lives. But for now, let’s celebrate; life the present life. Graduate proud. Let the world hear us. We are the class of 2006.
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