Did That Just Happen?

Good afternoon everyone, to our family members, teachers, friends, and our mentors- thank you. And to my fellow graduates- we made it. Today is something bigger than all of us, as we stand here in our caps and our gowns surrounded by applause, cameras, fear, excitement, and a little bit of sweat- because these things are so hot. But beneath all the tradition today marks not only the end but the beginning of the rest of our lives. 

This speech is kind of ironic because it is called a ¨commencement speech¨ and commence actually means ¨to begin¨ so while for the past 4 years we have all been working towards this moment, this diploma, this walk across the stage, it’s not just the finish line to high school but a starting line for our lives. 

Today is the day we have all been waiting for since that first awkward day of freshman year. Looking back at ourselves and saying ¨why did I look like that¨ or ¨why did I do that, that is so embarrassing¨. For many of us we have memories that we are not ready to let go of from our high school years. But we don’t have to. The best part about having memories is that you can never have too many, and you will never run out of space to make more. Most of us remember that time the pipes burst, or a mouse in the classroom, or that one sub who was always sneaking snacks from the teacher’s desk. 

Right now it might feel like everything is changing- and it is. Some of us are starting jobs, going to college, and some of us don’t know. This can seem scary but beginnings usually are. The truth is life is not made up by one big moment but a thousand little moments that have made us who we are today. Life is not about where we go but what we do when we get there, it’s not about the achievements we make but how we show up for the people we care about and ourselves. 

We will make mistakes, take detors, and many of us might choose a whole different path than what we thought we would walk on. But with those detors we will also grow and evolve. We will learn things we never knew before making us stronger as individuals, we will learn what we are capable of. And what is the best part you may ask? Well the best part is that it is just the beginning. 

Unlike the beginning of freshman year, most of us are adults. Yikes. Like what do you mean I can vote in the next presidential election, no thank you. Part of me wants to go back and redo high school all over again, fix some of the mistakes I have made, fix my GPA, and fix the fact that I went to summer school for one day to do Membean. That was definitely one of my lows. But if I were to go back right now and fix all those ¨mistakes¨ I would not be where I am today, and I would not have the stories that make me who I am. 

Instead of walking out of here today saying ¨we just ended high school,¨ let’s say ¨we are about to start the best years of our lives. Let’s go write stories we are proud to tell, make memories we will never forget, and do things that might scare us a little because these are the things that are going to help us get through our new beginning. Let’s go do things that are not expected of us because this is not the end, it is the start. 

As we start our new beginnings and as we embark on our new journeys may we all remember the time we had here at Oak Hill High School. Remember everyday when we walk into the school with that boring brick floor that really just brightens up the room. Remember all the classes that we sat in bored out of our minds, and the ones where we were not. Remember the time when the locals around the school called the police on us for reckless driving. And most of all remember all the things we have accomplished thus far to become who we are today. We are graduates. And once again most of us will become freshmen, but we don’t have to do things the same way we did in high school. Because this is a fresh start to the rest of our lives. And don’t forget if you don’t like your major you can change it. Congratulations to the Oak Hill class of 2025, the best is yet to come. Thank you.

“getting started empire avenue” by tammikibler is licensed under CC BY 2.0.