Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

The time has finally come. Fellow seniors, we are now on our own. It's time to take down our parking permits and clean out our binders one last time. Tonight is our graduation - a time to celebrate an end to a journey. Tonight is our commencement - the beginning of a new course. We've said goodbye to our teachers, signed yearbooks, paid our fines; now we celebrate 13 years of progress and friendship and we look forward to achieving our goals as we embark on a new odyssey. We've seen our last dance. We've yet to experience our first college lecture. We've heard our last announcements, now we eagerly look forward to making headlines. We've played in our last football game (in the Tacoma Dome), and now we are ready to start this game of life. Of all the institutions that structure American life, none are viewed with the combination of alarm and affection that high schools are. We invest them with tremendous and, perhaps, contradictory hopes: that they will nurture individual achievement as well as social development; that they will be havens from an often heartless world as well as preparation to enter it; that they will be sites of hard work as well as personal pleasure. We have finally gained our independence, and with that comes the opportunity to do anything we choose and head in any direction we wish. But with our newfound freedom comes anxiety and fear, sadness and reflection. Though our individual experiences at Sulzer are as unique as ourselves, we've all gained the fundamentals necessary to influence those around us. We shouldn't be afraid of what lies ahead because at 18, we can create our own destiny. We should look forward to the opportunities we how have as graduates. Though the world may seem unsettling, u... ... seen our last Mr. KHS and Gong Show, danced at our senior Prom, and acted in our last spring musical, but we have so much more to do. Though we are all reluctant to say goodbye to the friends we've made, we must look forward to the opportunities of the future. We have acquired traits during our tenure at Sulzer that will undoubtedly be useful in our future endeavors. We've been made great mathematicians, accomplished scientists, renowned writers, and famed actors. As first class students, we must seize the day, leave our footprints behind, and always reflect on our time and experiences shared at Sulzer. For those of you who still feel unprepared for the future, Dr. Seuss can reassure you. You have brains in your head; you have feet in your shoes; you can steer yourself any direction you choose. Thank you, congratulations, and happy father's day.