Graduation Speech: Our Next Big Climb

Class of 2012, we've finally made it, but not without the help of our parents, teachers and mentors along the way. Maybe what they did for us was that they were a good rudder and we're the ship, and they got us to the sea where we remember who we are. Because we all get in that fog, where we forget who we are or what we're about, we get overwhelmed. I mean I've been there plenty of times in my life. But we're not going to remember most of our lives until the end. But we will remember certain moments. Maybe it's our first 4.0 report card, maybe it's our first 100 percent biology test, maybe it's our first homerun, our first touchdown. Whatever it may be, it will stay with us forever. Many of us have been together through elementary, middle and high school, and we have all had to work hard and remain focused to be where we are today. All change happens in a minute. Your life changes in a moment. Something triggers you and you finally make a decision and it all shifts. As years go by, your body is going to change, your relationships are going to change, your attitude is going to change. Change is automatic, but progress is not. Our progress has brought us here tonight, and tonight will become one of those moments that we will cherish forever.

I have been in the martial arts for about 12 years now, and I remembered my martial arts instructor, Mr. Charles Pearson, sitting everybody down during a black belt testing and telling us, "Earning a black belt is very much like climbing a mountain. You work hard, and eventually you'll work your way up to the top. But once you're there, your journey is not over; it simply has just begun. And you realize that there are other mountains for you to climb." As I now reflect back, I realize that school is very much the same.

Our first mountain was a long, yet a fun, 12-year climb. Like all of the other unforgettable moments, this climb, in about 90 minutes or so will come to an end. We have finally reached our high school mountain top, and for a lot of us our next big climb may be to go to college. And for some of us, our next big climb may be to get a job, to travel around the world, start a new business, or even a career.