Revised/approved Jem Lugo valedictorian speech

Springstead High School's class of 2009. Look around you. This is it.

Ever since I learned what the letters GPA stood for, I have striven to be a part of this ceremony, presenting this valedictory address. Yet, I stand before you tonight, speechless. Here I am; having accomplished everything I had ever hoped to achieve in high school, and I cannot think of a single thing to say that may remain with you throughout your life. What is there left to say that has not already been said?

The most important thing that I could think to tell you tonight is to remember where you came from. You were once an eagle. Stay true to who you are, and who you have become throughout the past four years. Do not conform your values or your personality for the sake of anyone else's. We have all matured tremendously into unique, educated individuals, each with a strong sense of self and a firm grasp of reality. Do not relinquish your individuality to correspond with the common standard. When you do, you will begin to lose your grasp on who you are, and everything that has contributed towards the creation of your exclusive singular being will start to erode. Four years ago, we showed up for high school, short, naïve, and innocent, completely baffled by why there were classrooms with the same numbers, and amazed that the water fountains were gold. Then in our junior year, after we had become more knowledgeable and grown taller (well, some of us), those numbers we had become familiar with were completely rearranged, forcing us to be just as lost as the incoming freshmen. As seniors, we roamed the hallways with pride, as the crowning glory of our school. And here we are today; surrounded by those same kids with whom we first began our daunting ordeal with. What is Springstead going to be like without us? The academic world is going to be missing some of its top performers; the sports will suffer without some of their best players. Theatre productions will seem stale without our dramatics, and the hallways will seem bare devoid of our presence. Frankly, Springstead is going to be a lonely place without us.

But the time is ours. Right now, this is the most important moment of your life, the pinnacle of everything you have worked for over the past 13 years. You will walk out of this stadium tonight as a changed individual. You have scaled the mountain, overcome the obstacles, won the game. However, in 30 years, when you look back at this moment, it will be nothing more than a distant memory, shrouded in foggy details and forgotten quotes. By then, you will have already encountered countless other challenges, some easier than others. There will be trials that, just like today, you will undertake and accomplish. There will also be those times where you will not succeed, but I urge you not to become discouraged. Instead, grow. You will learn that the obstacles you face will never cease to test you, and avoiding them is inconceivable. However, there is always so much more out there that we have yet to experience, and it is up to us to go out there and tackle life.

Now, graduates, take a moment and look at the student sitting to your right. Where will they be in 30 years? You are now surrounded by more potential than you have been in your entire life. We are the doctors, lawyers, and scientists of tomorrow. Perhaps one of us will climb the political ladder, reaching towards a future presidency. The possibilities are endless. In the final analysis, life goes on. We are going to leave these hallowed halls, and we are going to live our lives, no doubt about that. The introduction to our story has now been completed, but the chapters have yet to be written. This is not something we have done before, such as another essay, or a response to an FCAT passage. This is our future and it is finally in our own hands. It is now up to us to seize the pen and start writing. The truth is, everyone wants to be remembered. We all want to leave our mark, our legacy upon the world. Whether we realize this desire or not, it festers within us all. Tomorrow will begin the first chapter of our lives, our first chance to lay down our own lasting impressions, to prove that we really did exist. The way it will be written is up to you. How will you be remembered?

Congratulations class of 2009, we did it!