Graduation

First, thank you teachers and families for making this moment possible for us. Thank you to our custodians and lunch ladies for keeping us fed and our school clean. I’d especially like to thank the staff for standing in harsh winter weather this year before school to show they care about us.  

Over four years of high school, I did not join very many clubs. I didn’t hold any leadership roles, and I didn’t win many awards. Instead, I’ve spent the last nine years of my life alongside my mom mopping floors, scraping gum off of tables, and sleeping on the floor to the sound of a vacuum cleaner. 

After years of kneeling down to the trash can full of shredded documents, rotting sandwiches, and chewed gum, I’ve memorized every office. Many are similar - mahogany shelves, small plants, a pile of books, paperwork and picture frames with faces of children my age. I often caught myself staring at those pictures. I knew those children slept in warm beds while I was scrubbing their parents’ coffee spills from the carpet. 

For years, I carried shame. Then, I began to understand that despite everything, my mom was teaching me the value of education and hard work, not by telling me— but by living it. 

When I was thirteen, my mom signed me up for Facepainting classes so I could make a little extra money and learn something new. Seeing kids’ eyes light up as I turn the mirror to show them their reflection is magical. I’ve learned how to talk to kids, how to make them feel seen - even if just for a few minutes. This is how I first discovered that I love working with children. 

That understanding followed me to my enlistment ceremony when I swore in for the Army National Guard. Swearing in as a combat medic wasn’t just a career decision, it was an act of commitment to serving those in need. But I want to take that further. I want to become a pediatrician, not just to treat kids when they’re sick, but to be someone who listens and notices when something is wrong. I’m determined to make sure no child grows up feeling like sleeping on a floor is where they belong. 

For the last three months, I’ve had the privilege of being a certified nursing assistant working with some of the wisest people I’ve ever met. For the next six months I’ll spend my time with my face in the sand getting yelled at by a drill sergeant. 

But recently, I’ve spent most of my time with the question, “Have I done enough?” 
I don’t think I’m the only one who’s felt that, especially today, unless I’m totally projecting right now. 

It’s easy to compare yourself and minimize your abilities — but the truth is, no matter where you’ve come from or what you’ve accomplished this far, everyone has earned their place here.  

Life didn’t pause just because we had an assignment due. We all had different schedules, different pressures and different expectations but we all decided to keep going.  

The future will look different for all of us. Some of us have a plan, others are still figuring it out. But the fact that we’re here is proof that we’re more prepared for the future than we probably give ourselves credit for.  

If you’re still carrying that doubt, leave it right where you’re sitting. You did enough. This moment is proof of that, and you can take that with you into whatever comes next. I know each and every one of us is capable of achieving greatness. Congratulations to our Class of 2026! 

When I started freshman year I realized high school was a big step up from middle school. 
 
There was so much more homework and the tests were way harder. 
 
Every week I would be thinking the same thing. 
 
I just have to make it to the weekend. 
 
I just have to get to Saturday and all my problems will be fixed. 
 
I’m sure some of you had similar thoughts. I did this every week until the start of my junior year, when I took a different approach. 
 
During my time at SLP I changed a lot, sometimes for the worse. Sometimes for the better. 
 
But I want to share one of the most important things I learned.. 
 
So, junior year, I had this switch click in my mind. 
 
When I started working at my first job I realized that I couldn’t rely on the weekends to be my escape anymore. My Saturday’s couldn’t be my time to mess around and forget about all my worries because now I had more responsibilities. 
 
I started to think that maybe instead of trying to escape my life every week, I had to start living it. 
 
And that’s what I want for all of us, to stop trying so hard to survive your life, and just live it. 
 
A lot of people nowadays live with what's called a survivor mentality. 
 
Each day is just another challenge and the only goal is to survive until the day after, and then the cycle restarts. 
 
Isn’t that so boring? 
 
We have this whole amazing world and we decide to just keep our head down and only focus on tomorrow. 
 
We forget that today is the “tomorrow” we were just looking forward to yesterday. If you're always trying to run to the next big thing, you’ll never realize how amazing it is right now. 
 
So, I think the best way to start living life, is to start noticing. 
 
Our brains are designed to ignore anything that's considered unimportant, so we can be the most efficient, we can be the best at our job and we can make the most money. 
 
Sometimes, though, that can block out what's actually important. 
 
I’m sure we’ve all heard that life is made up of the little things. I personally think that's genius. 
 
I tried, during my senior year, to start noticing all those little things. Maybe it’s feeling the wind blow, or hearing the birds sing, or watching a colorful sunset. 
 
It was a little weird at first to try and be so interested in such small things. But the longer I took to really consider them, all of those things have a lot more meaning then we give them credit for. 
 
There is so much beauty in the world that we ignore every day. 
 
If you're ever feeling stressed out or anxious, step back for a second and just take a deep breath and notice what's around you.  
In the words of Ferris Bueller “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it.” 
 
As we all go off into whatever's next - whether it’s college, or joining the workforce, or whatever is next for you. If life ever gets too much, and you start to feel like you are only just surviving, I hope you remember life isn't about just making it to the next day, but really living each day. 
 
Thank you, congrats to you all, and I hope you live amazing lives – every day. 

Before anything else, let's take a moment to look around. Look at the people who have shown up for you today, the ones who have cheered you on to get here.  

Sometimes we don't realize how much the people in our lives have done for us until the hard work is said and done. Maybe there were early morning car rides to school. Or, consistent encouragement while balancing school, work, and extracurriculars. And importantly for me, the mornings I got called out of the first hour to get that extra 30 minutes of sleep. Thanks, mom. There are so many sacrifices we don't see, so today more than anything, let’s remember to stay appreciative to the people who have shown up for us along the way.  

The path to get here was different for each of us.  For me, an unwavering obstacle was the loss of my dad. For a long time after that, so many different aspects of my life came crashing down. I struggled academically, mentally, emotionally, and became a version of myself that was shaped by pain, resentment, and self pity. I asked myself, "Why did this happen? Why now? Why me?” And I think, in different ways, we all have asked similar questions. We become trapped in the fallacy “it is what it is.” I convinced myself that nothing will or could change, that I was powerless to the unpredictability of an unfair world.  

But I think, that saying “it is what it is.” is wrong. It is what we make it.  

Perspective.  

Perspective is so many complex things. Perspective is power. Perspective is a choice. It can turn hardship into purpose, setbacks into stepping stones, loss into something that still carries unconditional love. It is a lens that colors every moment of our lives.  

As life took its course and time went on, purpose filled the deep hole I dug myself into. I found the light inside of me that I had always known was there. I found my purpose through my passion for the medical field and earning my EMT certification through Opportunities in Emergency Care. It was there that something shifted. What once felt like effort, turned into drive. I found a determination in me to keep pushing forward, keep going.  

With my newfound drive, and the support of my family and friends, I finally began living a version of myself I was proud of, a perspective of the world I once didn't have.  

I think all of us have faced our own silent battles, waiting for life to slow down or get easier. But sadly, life won't change. Gladly, we can. I believe now that we are given the beauty of life because we are strong enough to live it.  

These last four years may be coming to an end, but our story is just beginning. We get to decide how it's written. Our past will either be our prison, or a new perspective. Take this as you will -- loss and pain would not exist if love and positivity weren't so persevering.  

If you are fortunate enough to have your family here, tell them you love them. To my mom, the strongest person I know, thank you for showing me what it means to be unbreakable. And to my sister Ashley, thank you for being my best friend.  

And lastly, to the class of 2026, what I have, and what I know a lot of you also have, is the opportunity to make a choice. Two people can walk through the same storm, yet one ducks for cover while the other learns to dance in the rain. Perspective doesn't erase the hard things, but can shape us to be stronger because of them.  I believe we know this, because we are here today. And, when the storms come again, I hope we all are dancing. Congratulations; we did it!