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I’d like to begin by thanking everyone
who has made this day possible for me and my fellow classmates. For a
graduating class of only 33 this full gym shows just how much we are
loved. We are thankful to our family, friends, teachers,
administrators, and above all God. For we would not be where we are
and who we are today without these individuals. Seniors, look
around...we are truly blessed.
I thought for a long time about what I
should say today. Do I talk about the past 13 years and all the
memories that we have acquired? Do I talk about the future and how we
need to go forth and make our mark on the world? Do I say that
although DeLeon is a small town it has made us huge people with
wonderful talents that will in some way benefit those around us? Or do
I say that in the times we have spent together we have forged
friendships that will remain in our hearts forever? The list went on
and on about what I could say but then I realized that it doesn’t
really matter what I say up here.
It doesn’t matter what is on this piece
of paper because in a month, a year, or ten years from now you will
not remember what I said today and it won’t matter to you. What
matters is that piece of paper right there. For that single piece of
paper contains something that you will remember the rest of your life.
It contains 18 years of experiences that you have gone through to get
where you are now. It is the 13 years of homework, sports, band
competitions, theater, broken hearts, silly arguments, laughter,
tears, and memories that we, the class of 2007, have endured together.
This is what truly matters: taking everything we are today to become
who we will be tomorrow.
In the morning we will no longer be
students at DeLeon High School. We will not walk through those
familiar halls, go to the classrooms, or sit in our desks. Never again
will we sleep through Coach Wygle’s economic lectures, wander the
halls aimlessly, and never have the privilege to park in the “senior
parking’ again. Gone are the days of games, pep rallies, bonfires,
sitting on tailgates at the S-curve, and the random trips to
Stephenville to eat at Montana’s. We will no longer be the Senior
class of 2007 but the graduates of 2007. We are not just DeLeon High
School alumni; we are the leaders of our generation.
As the saying goes: as one door closes,
another door opens. We have closed the door on our past. Tucked away
are life lessons we have learned and the friendships that we have
developed. We have the choice as of now to open the next door, the
door to not only our future but to the rest of our lives. None of us
know what to expect or what we will encounter along the way, but the
motivation to excel in life should be the driving force in all we do.
Don’t be discouraged at life’s curve balls, for we have everything we
need instilled in us; it is just a matter of whether or not we will
use it.
We all have our dreams, and it is up to
us to pursue and achieve them. For our dreams and our accomplishments
are what makes life so worthwhile. My Grandmother gave me a bracelet
that I wear daily. It is inscribed with a quote from Henry David
Thoreau: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, and live the
life you’ve imagined. That is the thought I would like to leave you
with today.
Congratulations, Class of 2007. We
finally made it! |
