Speech On Graduation Speech

Some people have asked to read the commencement address I delivered this morning to the 2013 graduates of Butler University. So here it is.

FYI-JoAnn and I had a conversation this morning, as I am extremely concerned about the number of DAY (TUG) students that are wanting to enter the SPS program only to find out that their intentions are to proceed back to the DAY (TUG) program as they get closer to finishing their program. Case in point, I have a Caroline Womble who has applied to SPS and is cleared to do so, but from information told to me, she walked last spring but needs 5 more classes. So would she be considered a SPS grad or DAY (TUG) graduate when she finishes? There is also Haley (Hedgepeth) Canovai who while at the moment has an account balance, plans to enter the SPS program for BA Liberal Studies, but wants to transition back to DAY to finish as a Communication

To begin, I attended Borel Middle School in San Mateo, Ca. The first year was really hard because I was in sixth grade and didn’t really know anyone but my friends that I went to Elementary School with. All throughout my three years at Borel I strongly believe that I would be going to Aragon High School. My final year at Borel was the worst year of school in my life! Most of my teacher were expecting us to do a minimum of at least three hours of homework every night. I would never have time to do anything with my family, even on the weekends I would spend at least an hour of doing homework. Then I would have to study for at least three or more tests a week. I never had any time to enjoy my life. Thats when I started to hate school. I would wake up and never want to go. I would be paranoid that I did not do something or get something wrong and the teachers would yell at me. The only teacher that I loved being with my my spainish teacher, Mrs. Pietri. We had the best relationship ever! Everyday at lunch I would go to her class and help her out with anything and just hang out with her. I would tell her all of my struggles and she would try to help me through them all. So then by the end of the year, teachers started to attack us with work. On the last week of school I had to write a paper on this topic and it was worth half of my grade so I could not mess up on that project. Even during winter break and spring break I had things to do. I hated school. But then as the year

As result of creating and implementing this artifact, I realized that the most effective lesson plans are those which initiate with the final assessment in mind. So, I applied a pre-test at the very beginning of my lessons with every different group I would be teaching to measure a starting point or the amount of pre-existing knowledge on the topics to be taught. Based on this, I planned the instruction to deliver and how to differentiate it.

Welcome all to the graduation of the Hadley 8th grade class this year. I want to begin by saying a big congrats to the graduating students of 2017 for making it through all the bumps and swerves in this winding road we have had in these past three years. As I begin, the thoughts run through my head of how our time here had one terrifying beginning, memorable end, and a middle consisting of lots of late nights, rushed mornings,different kinds of distractions, and tests many forgot to study for. Every year I spent here I gained a little more independence, and became all that much closer to who I am today. So today we are celebrating us, and all the milestones we have achieved in our adventure here at Hadley Jr. High.

That’s good. I know about the P.T. because when I was in Postal school they made us do P.T. with the AIT students, talk about getting smoked with the young kids. That’s good to hear that you have the highest average in your class, when I reclassed to 42A I made the list for Honor Grad right before the Unit deployed back in 2014. I wish you the best of luck on making Distinguish Honor Grad. I’ll keep you post on anything that’s going

II. Main Point (state as a single declarative sentence): The progress that I have made helped me lead up to writing well-developed essays. The main reason I believe my essays are improved because of the time I take on my pre-writing.

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, faculty, staff, graduates of the Class of 2012, families and friends.

Attention Grabbing Step: After years of writing papers, doing homework, taking an occasional pop quiz, and of course taking countless exams, it is that time that we all anticipate…Graduation!

Writing this commencement speech for you tonight was hands-down one of the most stressful things I have ever done. For days, I toiled over what to speak about, worried that as you sat there anxious to graduate I would bore you, or say the wrong thing. I tried to write a witty and funny speech designed to entertain you, but a lack of ability ultimately forced me to give up. This speech is the culmination of hours of brainstorming, three rejected rough drafts, editing galore, and finally me just putting my heart and soul on paper. It, as practically all commencement speeches do, contains all the expected words of praise and well wishing. It does not say anything that has not been said in the past, or that will not be said in the future, save

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.

I agonized over writing this speech for a long time, because I felt like nothing I could say would make a difference, first because I don't know if what I could say would be good advice, and second because I don't know if advice about things like being true to yourself and setting goals and all that is actually helpful. How can I give advice that I can't even follow in my own life? And even if you are mesmerized for my two minutes, you would walk out of here and your life wouldn't be any different. Or maybe you'd be inspired for a day, and then forget. But still, the speech had to be written.

Today is the day that I have been both eagerly and anxiously awaiting since the first day of freshman year: my valedictorian speech. I am sitting among hundreds of other students who are equally as prepared to receive their diploma and start their college careers as I. I am well aware that the last thing over four hundred teenage students want to do on a scorching summer day is sit and listen to my fifteen minute speech. I soon hear my queue from Mr. Joven, the principle, and begin to head towards the stage. Within the thirty seconds that it takes to rise from my seat and pass through the twenty other students in my row to the end of the aisle, a sensation of panic consumes my body. I feel my pulse bounding at every possible location, my hands sweating, and my legs trembling. Nothing is scarier than feeling that you are going to pass out. In this moment, it is difficult for me to decipher whether this panic attack is due to my enormous fear of public speaking, the heat, or a combination of both. I decide that it is a combination of both, but continue heading towards the stage as there is nothing I can do to escape. In an effort not to fall, I slowly walk up the five steps to the stage while tightly gripping onto the handlebar. I finally get onto the stage and walk towards the podium where I lay my speech. I look out to the audience, which from the stage looks more like a pool of a million dots, than it does people.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honour to address you on this special occasion.

English class seemed to be the most dreadful to take within school. Writing essays for most of my grade in a class is not what I was looking forward too. When I entered college I knew that it would be one of many challenging classes I would have to take. Starting from the lowest English class to moving on up, the writing assignments became longer and more thought out. The time came when I got into this class that I knew more work was going to have to be put into essays and thus brought out what I had not seen before in my work progress.