I did not get to know many of you. So, I cannot be certain of how you feel, but, as for me, this year has been, by far, the most enjoyable and eye opening one of my high school career. Enjoyable because of the new, interesting friends I've made and of the fun times I've had, and eye opening because of my being forced to look towards the future. Not just day dreaming and imagining about the rest of my life, but finally having to sit down and make some definite decisions concerning it. For me and many of you, colleges have had to be applied for and decided on and scholarships filled out. Some of you have been looking into vocational schools or the military, while others will be going straight into the work force. Whatever your case may be, we've all had one thing in common in that we've been planning for our futures. Since the decisions we make now or soon will impact the rest of our lives, I'd like to take this time to share some advice with you all. The most important advice I believe I can share is to do what you want to do. Don't be pressured into some life career because it's the most respectable or because it would make your family the proudest. Happiness is the greatest goal in life and is self-contained. The happiness of others will not satisfy you in the long run. If your fondest wish is to become an Atlantic Puffin breeder in northern Maine, then go for it. Don't allow anyone or anything to stop you. Also, many of you must fully realize how much time of your life a job will take up. Not just working, but preparing for it and the thought that will go towards it daily. In fact, for most of you, your life will revolve around your job. Where you live, who you see everyday, will mostly be dependent upon the job you choose... ... middle of paper ... ... So, don't think that just because you're not starting college right away or not going to college at all, that you're bound to not get what you want out of life. It takes work, but, if you're determined enough, you can usually achieve your goals. Though you cannot expect to achieve all the goals you set for yourself, don't ever be afraid to at least try. Failure is one of the greatest ways to learn in that although you have failed, the new experiences you have gained while trying to achieve your goal will make you aware of new possibilities and allow you to form new goals for yourself. So remember, don't conform into exactly what society wants you to be. Do what you want to do. And if you don't know what that is already, find out. Don't be afraid to try different things. Be a risk taker. Live your lives for all they're worth because they won't last forever!
Introduction- In order to succeed in life, you have to be open to trying new experiences, even if you know you might fail. If you do fail, you have to persevere and try again if you want to reach your goal. To become better than you are, you must be exposed to new ideas and moments of failure and doubt.
To the County High School Class of 2012: As you sit in front of me, I know what most of you are thinking at the moment. There are those who are already pondering about what life without high school will be like; those who are debating whether or not to tell your crush tonight about your whispers of adoration you’ve secretly held for four years; some simply want to get out of that ungodly chair, get that thing that isn’t really a diploma but only tells you when to pick up the thing, and then be the first one on the green bus to the grad party — you know who you are. And the rest, well, the rest aren’t even paying attention, you’re thinking, “Great, here comes one of the valedictorian speakers. Next up: a boring speech straight out of the pits of scholarly hell.” And it’s OK, I don’t mind — that sort of thing comes with the territory. But tonight, I ask that you give me a chance to break that stereotype so that I may address you in the full splendor that you deserve after 13 grueling years of work. I do not want to be known as your “valedictorian” as I stand here, c’mon guys, there is no time left to place labels on people anymore, instead I ask that you accept me as one of your peers — and as a man who will enjoy becoming a graduate alongside you.
When I was in elementary school, I loved to read. I was a total nerd back then ... okay maybe I still am, but one thing has changed. Now I don't so much like reading. My favorite poet was Shel Silverstein, who wrote "Where the Sidewalk Ends." He seemed like he was a total hippie, but that's cool because I like hippies. My grandma is a recovering hippie. I like her too. Anyway, Shel Silverstein wrote about the coolest things. He wrote about magical erasers, eating whales and a boy with long hair flying away from people who were taunting him. He captured all of the things that I loved without knowing that I actually loved them. Now you may ask, how does this hippie relate to our graduation? Well, he wrote a poem entitled "Traffic Light" and this is how it goes:
"Achievement was all very well, but it was the process, not the goal, that was most important" (Sotomayor 92) – I live among these lines. You learn more over the process of your goal than the goal itself.
Over the past four years, we have grown from insecure, immature freshmen to successful, focused and confident young adults. This incredible transformation has been the result of our entire high school experience. Everything from that first homecoming game, to late night cramming, to the last dance at prom. These experiences have pulled us together as a class and we have learned to love and respect our fellow classmates.
Are we there yet? Have we reached our destination? We've been traveling for 13 long years. We've only had a few brief rests along the way. We're tired and we're cranky and we just want to know, are we there yet?
Someone very special in my life once told me, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off of your goals." Upon entering high school four years ago, the majority of us had one goal and only one goal in mind, graduation. Many of us have heard people say that high school is the best time of our lives, so we better enjoy it. With that in mind, we thought that the next four years were going to be a breeze and before we knew it we would be out of here. Well, that is when reality hit us ...
Ever wondered what it’s like to have a job? First, you have to find a job that you like and fits you well. Not only should you choose a job that fits you but also a job that you will love and have fun with. Even though there are millions of jobs out there to choose from, you don't want to get stuck with a job that you don't like, do you? Thats why you need to be sure you get acceptable grades and go to college. Getting a job requires lots of responsibility; therefore; you need to get prepared and have an idea on what you want to be or do. A job also requires strong work and determination if you want to keep a job. Having a job that fits your personality will help you pick a job that you will most likely love. The majority of the great paying jobs requires you to have an A-B average and a college degree of some sort. You need a job to receive money so you can buy the items you need on an everyday basis. If you are planning on having a good future, then getting a job is probably your main priority. The job I chose was to be a zoologist. I want to be a zoologist because i've always loved working with animals, and I love caring them, helping them, and making sure they live an excellent life. Zoology requires a bunch of responsibility like the majority of jobs, but I don't mind that because it will be a job that I will love.
Learning is based on the effort one has. Setting goals sets us in a position to work hard and dedicate ourselves to meeting that standard. A famous quote says that we first have to allow ourselves to fail in order to succeed. Making mistakes allows us to learn and to achieve experience. Working hard and putting effort into something even if it means failing is a way to learn because it allows you to try new strategies and ideas. In
Today is both an end, and a beginning. After thirteen long years we have finally concluded our Kutztown education. It’s been a bumpy road, filled with defeats, victories, and surprises. We’ve learned a lot along the way, and not just science and math and English, although our teachers have made sure we picked up plenty of that too. Seeing the same people day after day has taught us what friendship is—and isn’t, and we’ve learned that life is not always fair. We’ve also developed some interesting skills, like how to dodge buckets—or freshman—in a crowded hallway on a rainy day. Or how to fight off heat stoke in the sweltering science wing and hypothermia in the over air-conditioned English classrooms. Even so, we still managed to scream the loudest of any class at every pep rally since our freshman year. We’ve survived social dramas and standardized tests and finals. And now, after all the homework and the late nights studying and the 14,580 hours of sitting in class, yes I did the math, we’re here to celebrate the fact that we’ve made it.
This was the lesson I learnt from my father, an unceasing learner and a person who would never give up no matter how many and how difficult the obstacles may be. Having understood from him that success is a moving target, the years of my life with my family have inculcated in me a desire to achieve perfection.
Good evening parents, teachers, honored guests and soon to be graduates. My name is Ed Burrower, I'm the senior class president. A few weeks ago, I was told that I would be speaking at graduation. I was asked to put together a speech for tonight -- I've become experienced at speech writing over the past couple of weeks. The speech that you are hearing is the fourth one I've written, the recycle bin needs to be emptied at home and I need a new highlighter. Thank you, Mr. Mier, you get an "A+" for your help as my speech teacher but an "F" for saving trees.
Failure happens when something isn't successful. Failure is a thing that all people can learn from. Failures can be used as lessons so that the failure will not be repeated again. One of my greatest failures in life that I've experienced and learned from would be from the time of my first grade year. I didn’t take school seriously when I was in the first grade and made terrible grades. After this failure, it made change the outlook on school and I started trying. I learned that I need to take school serious or else I will do bad in school. This failure lead to success in school and I started making good grades which will help later on in life.
Throughout college a student thinks and dreams of a career. We declare our major based on what we “think” would be fun, what pays a lot of money, what we think would be interesting. In the months upon a college graduation, the student begins to think seriously about a career. Some people have jobs to start right after graduation, and some have to begin the job search. This is a time when people start defining themselves by their careers. People ask what you do, you immediately respond with a job title. This is what it means to define yourself by your job. There is an abundance amount of pressure placed on the college graduate. Everyone wants to be successful in their careers. Your peers will talk about how much everyone is making. You will begin to compare yourself to others and think you’re not making enough or your peer is not making enough. All these thoughts are normal but the real question, are you finding meaning and purpose in what you are doing? Are you living your life’s purpose? Once you find your life’s purpose the next step is connecting this purpose into you career and being committed to whatever that life purpose is. Take responsibility for managing your own career. No one else will. Avoid the trap of getting caught up in the expectations of others.
There can be no success without goals or targets. This is because success is relative to a set target and whether we have achieved it, or at least making steady progress towards attaining it. For you to succeed, set a goal, a measurable target that represents what you envision: that is what you want or where you see yourself in future. A goal should be measurable so as to enable you to monitor your progress and help you know whether you are on track or you have gone off.