Graduation Speech: Welcome To A Community College

I went to preschool and always felt like the outcast but now I know I was different in my own little way.I started 1st grade scared out of my mind of what was to come but little did I know I would have a bunch of friends that would always have my back.

When I was younger, I would often return home to a familiar question: So, what did you learn today? My answer would always be "nothing" or "stuff." As I look back, I never lied, yet, I never told the whole truth. Many people think that you don't know anything with only 18 years of experience; I think they're wrong. I've learned a lot about myself and others from the relationships I have built throughout the years. I believe my most important lessons were "people" lessons. Those are the ones which could never be taught out of a book or in a lecture; you have to go out and experience them for yourself.

Five long years ago, I was a seventh grader in junior high school. I hated almost every minute of it. I was picked on and was subjected to the “out” crowd, but honestly, that was important to me.

WOW! So much has happened since June. The SV FFA and ag department had a rough start to our year losing three of our students who were on the FFA officer team to other schools. Even with this bump in the road, the four officers that remained visited Mt. Shasta City and had a blast bonding and learning more about each other at their officer retreat in August. Once school started we found three new officers and attended COLC (Chapter Officer Leadership Conference) where the entire team learned about their diverse leadership styles and were able to bond together as the official Surprise Valley FFA Chapter Officer Team for the 2017-2018 school year. If you see them around, congratulate President Cindy Hinze, V.P. Maddison Seely, Secretary Maya

She was unapologetic about treating her students, especially her honors ones, like adults. She was strict about plagiarism and demanded our full efforts. Within our social studies curriculum, she found ways to infuse valuable life lessons and talk

It’s hard to believe that we are actually sitting here in the auditorium for the last time as students of Kheradmand High. But we are! We made it through four years of high school. Now we are teetering on the edge of the rest of our lives, having to grow up and head out into the “real” world. That thought might scare some people, but we are ready. After all, if you decide that you don’t want to be a part of the real world, maybe, you can always come back to Kheradmand High and maybe they will let you be a teacher.

My time spent in elementary school was filled with new and exciting experiences. Starting public school meant being able to meet new friends and teachers, and learn about the world around me. I was nervous to begin school, but once I was comfortable in my new environment I created many great memories I hope to cherish for many years to come.

At the age of 5, I was placed in a charter school. I was actually really lucky to be in the school because I, along with about 50 plus kids, were picked out of a raffle and I had been one of the last 5 to be called on. I clearly remember my name being called and looking up and noticing my mom had this massive smile on her face while speaking to her friend who had also come with her daughter. After everyone was called I met my kindergarten teacher and at this age, I barely knew English besides what I learned from watching morning cartoons so I had difficulties talking and answering the questions I was being asked by my teacher, Ms. Luis. I would look at my friend who would translate the questions into Spanish and I would answer them in the English I barely knew. For the next 9 years, I would be at Lawrence Family Development Charter School (LFDCS) until I graduated at the age of 13.

I was in 7th grade and didn't know everything was about to change. My mother wanted to get a job and this meant she wouldn't be able to be my teacher anymore. My parents decided, after three years of homeschooling to send me to public school. This was so it would be easier for my mother to get a job and not have to deal with being our teacher as well, because that would be too stressful. I didn't know very many people and wasn't used to being with large amounts of people for long periods of time. Eventually, I got settled in and started to make friends.

I once read that life is well represented as a pearl deep within an oyster. The pearl symbolizes each person's potential, or the things that are going well for them in life. Just as a mere grain of sand that enters an oyster can grow into something of great worth, there is a fragment of excellency within every one of you that over time can be shape you into an individual who will make a difference in the world.

Leaving elementary school I wanted to go to a middle school that all my friends were going to, but of course my parents wanted a better school for me than the ones that were available. So I end up going to a completely new charter school with people I didn't know. This school had very different rules than the ones I'm used to you. My first year at a new school and in middle school didn't go so well, but so far this school has proved to be a positive decision.

The only year in elementary school I enjoyed was fifth grade. This school year was full of encouragement and kindness from my teachers. Their constant motivation and kind words gave me the confidence to improve my grades in school and interact more with my classmates. After fifth grade, my entire class and I left our old school, and relocated to the middle school. This change was not the easiest for me either. While elementary school was a tame and controlled environment, middle school gave students more freedom and was less strict on students.

Our graduation is our coming of age, our right of passage. As we walk across this stage we are writing the closing pages to our Chapter I and heading into the great unknown. It's kinda scary -- but hey, don't you cry, even though high school is over, the times we've shared and the friends we've made will never be lost. The clock is ticking, time is fleeting and nobody lives forever. But true friendship is something we can count on never dying. I hope wherever we go in life it will be happy and even if we all move to remote island countries we can all count on the memories and laugh at all the stupid things we did.

Hello, we would like to welcome and thank all of you for being here with us tonight to celebrate our high school graduation . It truly is an honor to be surrounded by so many significant people who have impacted our lives immensely throughout our highschool years. We would like to thank the wonderful people here tonight that we have the privilege to call our parents. Whether you are a mother a father, grandma or grandpa, or an aunt or an uncle; we are here, graduating today because of all of you.

Good [Morning/Afternoon] Senior Administration, parents, students, and of course my fellow 2017 graduates. We made it. We survived school. All seven hundred and ninety days of it. Every math test. Every QCS test. Every Assembly. We persevered, through the support of those around us. Whether we needed help on an assignment, or just somebody to talk to, we never needed to look further than the people in this room. To all of you, thank you.