Graduation Speech : My Experience Essay

Starting middle school was a mixture of anxiety and excitement. There was a brand new campus to explore, but we were also nervously anticipating the academic program that was about to begin. Most of my grade had been together since the age of four and by this time there were clear social divides. There were the girls who were seen as popular, and then there was everybody else. You could say that I was part of the popular crowd, though at the time I didn’t notice myself standing apart from the others. As a group of friends we got on well, we’d hang out, go to the cinema, have sleepovers, all the usual things friends do. Then things gradually started to change.

As a child, I had always been the outcast. I often found myself hiding in the bathroom during recess to avoid the embarrassment when kids wouldn’t let me play with them. During lunch I ate at a table with a group of kids who, with me, were rejected by the others. No one wanted me in their cliques. My peers would make fun of me because I had a speech impediment or because I looked a lot chunkier than the average fourth grader. Everyone avoided talking to me, unless they wanted to make fun of me. My teachers were my only friends, which made people poke fun at me even more, calling me the “teachers pet”. I will admit I seemed very awkward as a child, but regardless I was a child who felt abandoned and worthless. I didn’t look or talk how everyone else did. Because I looked different, I was rejected.

I never thought I would be labeled an outsider, a misfit even. As I trudged my way through the halls of my small town high school, I would endure the gazing pairs of eyes, that belonged to my peers, followed by whispering and often times some laughter. I always used zone out during those repetitive speeches and commercials about the effects of gossiping and rumors; never did I imagine that one day I would be on the receiving end of of the everyday potshot. Growing up I was always the center of attention, the one everyone yearned to be friends with, never was I the antisocial child in the corner with nowhere to turn… not until high school. They say high school changes you. They say high school accounts for some of the greatest years of

I was one of the tallest people in my grade, and was super skinny. With my mild Cerebral Palsy, I had speech problems for a long time. Due to all of this, I didn’t exactly fit in. Every day as I walked in the doors, I would completely shut down. My grades fell, and I blocked most of the world out. I could here the “popular” groups whispering and giggling every time I walked in the hall and notes would be passed around in class. I sat at a table in the corner by myself, I didn’t have any friends in

Once it was as a freshman, just my overstuffed backpack and me experiencing an environment radically different than anything I had been exposed to ever before. Later it was as a junior, frustrated with a lack of self-confidence. I was plagued with social anxiety, paranoid over the smallest issues and mortified by the prospect of being approached by someone in public. It was painful to check out of a convenience store by myself, let alone meet new people or strike up a conversation with strangers. I used to think that this was going to be my life; every social encounter would be like walking on glass. Finally, towards the spring of my junior year, I clawed my way out of that pit, and I realized that the world wasn’t out to get me. I forced myself to get outside of my comfort zone, and I’m incredibly proud of myself for making that leap. And with the encouragement and support from my friends at school, I ultimately learned that hard work and initiative are two of the most important virtues on the path to success. And this all stems from the personal connections I’ve made with my peers at school, with these relationships dictating the way I have matured and developed mentally.

My whole life I’ve felt like an outsider. When I was younger dealing with a learning disability, I have had a hard time making and keeping friends even to this day. I struggle with being a follower instead of a leader. My own adoptive father verbally abused me growing up and I also had kids in fifth-sixth grade who constantly bullied me. I still am reminded of an instance when the first day of fifth grade approached: I got on the bus and these older girls started making fun of my pants saying, “She’s wearing high-waters.” I was humiliated in front of my peers every day since than during those two years. After being bullied for so long I made a vow to myself to never forget the pain inflicted upon me on a daily basis.

Months later it was time for school to begin and for me to experience public schooling in the suburbs for the first time. Going into the bus I wasn’t worried about any stereotypes or bullying, but I sure was wrong about that. Everyone kept looking at me like I was a shiny diamond. Many kids thought I was a foreign student with no knowledge in English. In school teachers were a bit nicer then the kids on my bus, but I still didn’t feel welcomed. I remember everywhere I went I always had eyes watching me. In class I never got picked to answer a question; even when I raise my hands, I suppose that the teacher didn’t think I understood the question. At the end of every day I realized how much I really missed my city. As the years went on I changed myself to become more likes in the suburbs which really helped a

I was a new freshman in the Fall of 2014 starting at Mountain View High School, short, shy, and oblivious. The bus pulled up a few blocks away from my house I was nervous and unaware of what the first day would be like. I got on the bus and made it to school at the exact time the bell rang, when I got inside all I could see was a sea full of students. I thought to myself, here's to new beginnings, would the people be approachable? Would it be easy for me to make all new friends? I was stressed out and nervous about what would happen when I made it to that hallway, I didn’t even know where to go and who to ask for help. I finally found this teacher in the hall and I approached her and she helped me to my homeroom class that started at

Kids naturally avoided me and it hurt to be an outcast. My social life besides my interaction with my family was stunted and my reputation didn’t help at all, but I knew I was a good kid, probably even nicer than all of the kids at my school. I didn’t talk bad about people. I didn’t bully others. I was merely a curious child that wondered if safety scissors could cut off someone’s fingers. I even had a willing experimentee, but I was still the one getting in trouble. After all that’s who I was to everyone, nothing but a problem child, that no one talked to, and no teacher cared enough about to

When I was younger, I learned to fit in wherever I went. My family was disjointed for about four years until I finally got settled in high school. My parents divorced and I was pulled out of my first elementary school and sent to one closer to home after fourth grade. This was about the time that my bullying started. It crushed me to be different from the rest of the children whose parents were still together. Other students didn’t understand anything that went on and they made fun of me for it. Moving around a lot gave me the experience necessary to combat the harsh comments of others.

When I was in the third grade I felt as if I didn’t fit in anywhere. During the third grade I always felt very different than the other kids. I remember begging my mom not to make me go to school because I didn’t want to feel out of place. I had gone to three different schools before going to East Somerville Community School. My parents were trying to find the town that had the best education system. I didn’t move for my parents job or anything like that, just simply to go to a better school. I normally didn’t have a problem making new friends, I usually made a bunch of friends just on the first day. I usually adapted to the school easily.

It was junior year of high school Akrita and I had gone so far together academically growing and so motivated. Although we had our successes we weren’t the life of the party not very outgoing when it came to socializing. We’d been friends since 8th grade always by each other’s side no matter what. We had familiar lives and we were basically each other’s support systems as well. We had so many high hopes for each other and although that was the case we still wanted to enjoy ourselves and have fun as teens. It was about time we had some fun.

I am very fortunate to be employed with Columbia Public Schools in Columbia, Missouri. Our city is located in the middle of the state of Missouri about 2 hours away from Kansas City, Missouri and 1.5 hours away from St. Louis Missouri. I am currently on assignment at Battle High School (BHS) the newest of three high schools in our city. The building completed construction three years ago and only has academic data for one year. Our high school services 1,400 students from grade 9 to 12. Our staff have an average of 8 years of experience, with more than half with an advanced degree. The teacher – student ratio is 1:18, total teachers are approximately 78. The demographic of students include 5% Hispanic, 30% Black, and 56% White. The other 8% include Indian, Asian and those whom are bi-racial and choose not to identify with only one group. The overall attendance rate of our students is 76% and 48% of our students are eligible for Free or Reduced lunch.

Graduation is an exciting time in a person’s life, especially a high school graduation. When I think of family and friends gathering together to celebrate a joyous occasion, I feel I accomplished my strongest goal. It never occurred to me that graduation would be the end of my youth and the start of adulthood. Graduating from high school was an influential event that gave me an altered outlook on my existence. Life before graduation, preparing for graduation day, and commencement day overwhelmed me for reality.

Welcome fellow graduates and honored guests to the sixtieth anniversary of commencement for Stoll Community College. For those graduating, this day marks the culmination of a period of courage, commitment, and accomplishment. For these reasons, I am greatly honored to be chosen as student speaker for this outstanding class of graduates and I hope that my words will give a measure of justice to the significant event that has brought all of you here tonight. Hopefully, we will laugh a little, perhaps cry, and give some much-deserved praise.