Graduation Speech :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Will you be who you were meant to be, or will you be who everyone wants you to be. It is up to you to decide your destination, but it is the events along the way that shape the final outcome. As we sit here at graduation, having suffered and prospered through four years at County High School, it is hard to forget the memories we've shared. At the same time, it is easy to see how the past four years have shaped who we are today and impacted our future forever. Who can forget being a freshman: finally out of middle school, we took on the world in a school of 1,400 that was only suited for 900. We've sat in not only moldy portables but also condemned bleachers, seen rusty water, squished together in the gym to display our spirit and learned what it means to truly work hard. We took the challenge presented to us and chose to succeed in one way or another. Whether on the playing field, in the classroom, with an instrument or in the community, the launching of our high school career began our journey and began the adventure to become our destiny. And who can forget the friendships we've made along the way? Some will last a lifetime, and some will last no longer than tomorrow, but either way, it's okay because we will forever be impacted by it. As a class, we've laughed together, cried together, skipped class, failed tests, aced tests we forgot we were taking and now, we're graduating together. Whatever the event, we did it as a whole. Through all of this, there were the teachers of Arlington High School. Of the finest quality, I doubt anyone would argue they are masters of making us mad and then being our biggest ally. Remember the sodium bomb in chemistry? How about the career search, the I search and the scholarly paper in English? We are now masters at finding the slope of a line courtesy of the math department, and who hasn't had the quadratic formula engrained in their mind? All because of the teachers who have supported us through these past years. Without them, our outcome in life would be dismally different. They taught us to be who we are and proud of it at that. And now - guess what - it's up to us. We are the beholders of tomorrow, and we determine the future.