Graduation Speech - Original Writing Essay

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.

Nine years ago, I never could have imagined I’d be writing this essay. I was a senior in high school, and, like the rest of my classmates, I was apprehensive about the future. Unlike my classmates, I felt like I had missed the proverbial “you need to get your life together” message. I watched my classmates apply to colleges, their majors already decided and their future careers mapped out. While I was an above average student, I felt I lacked the decisiveness my classmates seemed to have. I did not feel passionate about a career or even a field of study. I felt defective. This was compounded by the financial strain I knew attending college would have on my family. It seemed wasteful to try to “find my passion” at school while squandering

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.

Edgar Allan Poe once said, "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."

I was excited about orchestra because playing the violin interested me. Unfortunately, all we did in class was talk about procedures. My final class was art, but we did the same thing as all the other classes. When my final class was done, I had to go find my bus. I couldn’t find my bus number so I had to ask one of the teachers outside helping the students. “Could you help me find my bus? It’s number 312.” She replied, “Your bus is all the way at the front of the line.” I thanked her and went on my way. When I got onto the bus, it was nearly full which was weird because in the morning there weren’t many people on the bus. I decided to take a seat next to a student in my math class named Randy. I said, “Hi Randy. How was your first day of school?” He replied, “It was super boring.” We talked until I arrived at my stop. I got off and went to my house. My mom greeted me at the door. “How was your first day of school?” she asked. I replied, “I accidently went to the wrong class, but I made some new friends. River Trail Middle School wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. I guess sometimes new things aren’t always

It was a beautiful early september day before the school year started. I was still nervous no matter how perfect the day was. It was my first rehearsal with the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony I had just been admitted into. I looked for familiar faces in the rehearsal room. Only one girl who played violin looked familiar. Nervousness began to take over as the new faces crowded into my head. I looked around and found a group of guys with trombones, the instrument that I play. Not sure how they would respond I decided to go join them.

Students, faculty, family, friends, on this exciting day, I speak to optimism, laughter, and grins.

The Class of 2012. How long have we heard these words applied to us? Long years starting with broken crayons in kindergarten to inside-out sweatshirts in middle school to late English essays — 13 years of learning from the simplest counting to complicated algebra and calculus, from reciting our ABCs to reading Shakespeare. Imagine, us coming out of our respective middle schools into this monster of a campus. With three times as many people — people who drive. People who have cars and are legal adults. We’ve been here for four years. Count the quarters: there are 16 of them.

Well Class of 2012, we did it! We are graduating. All the hard work we have done to graduate has paid off. All the final exams, the many steps we've taken up and down Gadd High's halls, to the gym for practice, up to the cafeteria to connect with friends, down to the library, up to the playing fields -- they're all over. After today, our lives will be changed forever. Before that happens, let's take a look at the last four years of memories and even go back to those memories from our elementary and middle school years and collect them into a book; our own book, our book of life. If, some day, people could read our individual book, what would they learn from them?

When I think of my past four years of school, I have a lot of memories, more good than bad. I've been trying to think of what I have learned in high school and what has meant the most to me. A lot of people that I have met along the way have left me with pieces of wisdom. I am guilty of having a one-track mind, and sometimes that has hindered me from fully benefiting from all the wisdom I have been given. But, I try my best to see other's reasoning for things and their point of view, though at times I find it very difficult. I am young, and sometimes claim to know it all, but at least I'm honest, right? So, back to what I have learned and tried to apply to my daily life.

I want to thank my family for giving me the opportunity to receive a private education and for encouraging me to always do my best. Thank you to my friends and their parents who have loved me and believed in me. Most of all, I want to say thanks to God for giving me the gifts He has and for loving me unconditionally; for without Him, I am nothing.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the 2012 graduating class of County High School, I would like to welcome you to our commencement ceremony. As valedictorian of this class I would like to speak to you, and my fellow graduates about responsibility, but first I would like to tell you a little story

We wrap up the last full week of October, thrilled about this week's highlights! If you haven't heard, our school nurse Caren Etling and our educational technology specialist, Mike McQueen were both recipients of educational grants from the Clayton Education Foundation. With congratulations to them both, submitting creative and innovative proposals which benefit our school as a community, we are even more excited about the start of the work they will be pursuing. Caren Etling will now be able to expand the work of our Garden Club, continuing her partnership and support of Tom Sprengnether and science by ensuring all students have an opportunity to actively engage in gardening. Soon, Meramec will be the recipient of an indoor tower

Well, here we are. Sitting in this stuffy gym wearing these unflattering robes, while the band is poised and ready to play “Pomp and Circumstance.” We’ve always known this day would come and, whether our teachers, our parents or ourselves are prepared for it, here it is. We’re about to take that giant leap in just a few minutes and after that, it’s time to make our own choices. No longer will our biggest decisions entail which person to ask to prom or which period would be the best to TA during. Now our choices will begin to revolve around which bills we need to pay and what job we want to be doing 20 years from now. And whether you choose to earn a degree, get a job certification or immediately start working, there are some universal

As long as I can remember I 've never been good at writing essays, especially under a time limit. There 's just something about the pressure that makes me freeze up and I end up writing barely anything. I’ve struggled with it for the longest time, and I’ve tried to get better, but it’s a challenge for me.