There is nothing you can't do when you set your mind to it

Hello, how is everyone this evening? I’d like to start off by saying some thank yous; I know listening to someone say thank you to people other than yourself is not the most exciting thing, but the people I would like to thank deserve the recognition. In no particular order:

I would like to thank Mr. Kamilos for letting me hang out in his room so much this year. I am lucky to have gotten to know you so well, people such as yourself are a bit of a rarity, and you will be one of the teachers I always remember.

To my manager at Blockbuster, Nicole, thank you so much for the work. I don’t believe a seventeen year old could have gotten much more fortunate in landing a job with such a supportive and willing manager. I’ve learned some skills from this job I know will help me further down the road, so thank you for that as well.

I want to thank my best friend Rebekah Ruzicka. Even though I’ve never lived in immediate access to her she’s always been there and held more optimism than any person I know.

One person who deserves so much more than I could ever convey in words is Sue Allen. Thank you for sharing with me an interest few people ever experience. Running the Jr. Iditarod for three years without you wouldn’t have been the same, and without you I wouldn’t be standing here graduating a year early. I will never forget the knowledge you have given me, and when I’m in need of any inspiration I’ll always have you to think of.

I would also like to thank my brother, Colter, for flying all the way up from Washington and missing two days of class for this. Waking me up last night at 1:00 am is probably one surprise I’ll never forget. I want you to know I would have had a lot more difficult time in high school without you there telling me not to worry and that everything eventually turns out OK in the end. I wish I could have seen that as a freshman. Though it might not have been apparent, I love your magic and really missed it this past year.

For my dad, I look back at all the teachers I have had, and though you do not have a degree in teaching you have taught me things that I could never have learned in any AP or honors class. Some of the best education does not necessarily come from sitting in a class; I’ve realized that now.

Mom, you’ve always told Colter and me that anything is possible, and you have always been there to support us, yet you often remark that you are far from the best mom out there. With Colter just finishing up his first year of college and making plans for the next, and me standing up here ready to receive my diploma I think it’s safe to say you’re one of the best moms out there. You and Dad willingly let me go a year early, although for all I know it might have been too willingly, and I feel confident everything will shape up the way it’s meant to.

As for the seniors this year, I realize many of you have no idea who I am, so coming up with something to say that would stick with you was a little difficult. Many of you will not even remember my name in the fall, but that’s not exactly what I’m after. I’ve personally always liked to hear what other people had to say, because everyone’s different and has their own advice. Being seventeen there’s not a lot that’s happened that has given me enough knowledge to give you guys much advice. From personal experience I can tell you that nothing is ever set in stone. Be willing to go outside your comfort zone, because you never know when you’ll find something you like. If I could leave you with something to think about in the future it would be that there is nothing you can’t do when you set your mind to it. This time last year if you told me that I would be standing up here in a year making a speech I probably would have laughed and said you’re crazy. If you told me I was going to be attending University of Montana in the fall I would have said what happened to Montana State? Right now I’ve got so much going for me, but I can’t say I didn’t work for it. I had to give up some things to get here, but making a few sacrifices here and there can be so worth your while. So maybe you guys got something out of this, I’m not sure. If so, I’m glad I took the time to speak up here. If not, maybe you’ll get something from someone else in the future, either way, it’s your own life, so have fun with it.