Grads now prepared for the rest of their lives

I am SO happy to be here tonight. We made it! I think I speak for everyone when I say it’s been a long four years, and I have never looked forward to anything more than this graduation ceremony.

It hasn’t always been that way however. I used to hate the springtime because it meant that one of my six older siblings was probably graduating. For me, this meant putting on a stupid dress and sitting for several hours in a hot and crowded gym on hard bleachers, listening to boring speakers and lists of meaningless names.

It didn’t take me long to figure out that shortly after the graduation ceremony, my siblings inevitably flew away for college. In fact, it was when I was eight years old, getting ready to attend my third graduation when I realized something.

“Dad,” I said, “How come I have to go to everybody’s graduation? Everyone is going to be out of the house by the time I graduate, so nobody’s gonna’ have to come to mine!”

My dad, seeing the hurt this realization brought to my eyes, bent down to me and said, “Well, Mom and I will come to your graduation sweetie.”

I looked at my ancient daddy and stated what seemed to me to be the honest truth, “Uh, Dad…you guys will probably be dead by then.”

So, Class of ’09, I’m glad we made it. And I’m glad my parents made it too.

Remember entering school as a Freshman? Four years wasn’t really that long ago, but when I think back on my life at 15, I feel like I’ve learned a lot since then. I’ll never forget my first day of high school. I came over from Colony Middle School, so I had to work hard to gain new friends.

I remember walking in the doors and thinking, “There are SO many people here!” And I immediately began to identify cliques, to decide which people I should become like.

I tried out for the volleyball team, but learned quickly that I lacked the coordination that to Hanna, Rashayne, Mikaela, Zoe, and Jordan, just came naturally.

So I changed my plan and joined the swim team. I was impressed with Tannere and Laura’s swimming talent, but after three years, I realized that I would never be as fast as they were.

Then I thought I should try my hand at art – but my creativity doesn’t hold a candle to Cat Dossett’s photos or Kiersten’s Dahms bleach portraits.

The more I tried to fit in, the more I didn’t know who to become. In middle school I had been decent in science class…but Scott Roy was the science boy here. I considered becoming the high school’s best Alto singer, but Madison was really incredible…and then I found out I’m a soprano. I couldn’t be the best instrumentalist because I was blown away by the talents of Rachel and Christa. I noticed how friendly and nice Katie Griffiths always was, but I knew I could never be so cheerful in the mornings.

Class Clown, nope that’s Becky Sorensen’s job. Resident Rubix Cube Master? Already taken by Jacob and Richard. The one with the cutest clothes? That’s Delci Haskins. The activist- Caitilyn Gette-King. And how could I even think about being a Student Government Kid with fabulous people like Kevin, Daniel, and David running the show?

A few weeks went by, and I realized I still hadn’t found my “spot” in high school. At lunch, I didn’t know whether to sit next to the music kids or the English nerds. Having no identity really started to bother me, until I finally figured it out.

One day at an FFA meeting, I watched a speech by a National Officer named Angela Browning. In it, she said, “Until you stop comparing, you will never grow.”

I realized then that I had spent the majority of my time in high school comparing myself to others. And it was time that was wasted! I wish I had learned earlier to appreciate the good in others but to stop comparing myself to them.

A few other people have figured this out as well.

• “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” ~Judy Garland

• Oscar Wilde said: “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”

• And for the rhyming types, “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” -Dr. Suess

This year, as a senior, it seems to me that what always could be decided later, had to be decided now.

Everyone and their mother’s dog wanted to know what my plans were for the summer, where I was going to college, what I was going to major in…basically what the roadmap or my life would be for the next fifty years or so.

I hate to admit this, but I’m unsure about what I want to do when I “grow up,” although I’ve given it a lot of thought. Right now I want to study “Ag Journalism,” but I’ve also contemplated Special Education, Medicine, Pschology, Law, Broadcast Journalism, English…and then sometimes I think maybe I’ll just come home in a few years and start a farm. I don’t know exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life. To me, it’s more important to know who I want to be.

I want to be me. I want to stand up for my beliefs. I want to be a good friend. I want to follow my dreams, even if they aren’t the most popular ones.

Each person in this room: there is only one you in this world. Whoever you are and whatever you do best, embrace that. Others have incredible talents, let them inspire you, but never compare yourself to anyone else.

Take your talents and run with them. How boring would our generation be if this room were filled only with future dentists? Instead, I hope this room is filled with BPA members excited to start their own businesses, French students who want to become ambassadors and singers who we may see on American Idol someday. I hope I see Jake Hillis in the NBA and Dan Contini in the NFL. Follow your passions- do what makes you, you. If you are Eric Hale and you love Ag Mechanics, fix trucks! If you’re a Madelyn Peterson who loves English, study English.

I have learned from each and every one of you this year. Thank you all for being yourselves. It got you through four years of high school, and it will get you through the rest of your life. Good luck graduates!