Victoria's Class President Speech
©2010
Good evening friends, family, teachers, administrators, and fellow graduates. Congratulations, a thousand times over! Tonight is an evening that has been more than four years in the making- the journey that led our graduating class of 2010 to this moment has spanned a very long and challenging twelve years, far beyond our terrifying first day of high school, all the way back to an even scarier first day of kindergarten. We’ve gone from learning how to read and write and share, to learning how to drive, and mastering the fine art of articulating desires for an extended curfew. We’ve traded in our pudding and marker stained Power Ranger t-shirts and blindingly bright Lisa Frank back-packs for some rather ridiculous hats and goofy gowns that to me, quite frankly resemble something straight out of Harry Potter. But, through all of this growing up, despite all of our fears, tears, triumphs and failures from kindergarten until now- we’ve made it. We are here, with the people who love and care for us the most in this world, waiting to embark on a journey that will span the rest of our lives.
But before we can embark on the next chapter of our journey, it is my duty to formally acknowledge the truly incredible accomplishments and growth of this class, and to thank the people who made it all possible. Without the love and support of our families and friends, who pushed and encouraged us to succeed, we would not have made it here this evening. Without the teachers and coaches who cared so deeply for their students, and without the marvelous administrators, whose unending support provided us with amazing opportunities, we would not be here tonight. And so, from the bottom of our hearts, the class of 2010 thanks all of you.
Because of this endless support system, Eau Gallie High school’s class of 2010 demonstrates an amazing diversity of talent. These students, whom I am very proud to call my peers, have gone above and beyond all expectations and precedents, achieving true greatness.
Within Eau Gallie High School’s class of 2010, you will find students whose leadership abilities have carried 55 clubs and groups such as the Beautification Club and Best Buddies, to new heights. These students are driven and determined, and only they could have helped in cultivating Eau Gallie’s AVID program into a nationally recognized one. This graduating class has students with such immense personal strength that they can battle lymphoma and win. In this class, you will find students with truly incredible talent: They can perform and produce musicals with as much attention to detail and finesse as a Broadway production. You will find musicians who have performed in the world-famous Carnegie Hall and with the London Symphony Orchestra, which I should add, is arguably the best Orchestra in the world. Furthermore, only the class of 2010 could pioneer academic programs like the Cambridge Program, and have five students achieve an international honor by earning the title of Cambridge Scholar within a few short years of the program’s inception. And only in this class will you find students who have challenged themselves to achieve the status of National Merit Scholar, and to be accepted to some of the most selective institutions in the nation and world, such as Georgia Tech, Ithaca College, and the highly prestigious Juilliard School.
These truly incredible accomplishments prove that the class of 2010 has great things ahead of them. We will heed the advice of our class motto and refuse to “follow where the path may lead…[we] will go, instead, where the is no path and leave a trail”. We have demonstrated that no matter what obstacle is placed before us, we can persevere and achieve truly remarkable things. One the most brilliant writers to ever live, Dr. Seuss, summed up the point I’m trying to make quite nicely: “Oh! The places you’ll go! Kid, you’ll move mountains. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way.”
Now, I have a few questions for the class of 2010: What mountains will we move? What will we achieve? What new things will we pioneer? And, to what great places will we go? Tonight, as we go our separate ways, we embark on a journey to answer these questions. Although our pursuit to answer them will be an immense challenge, we, as class, must refuse to believe that this night will symbolize our greatest achievement. Because for us, Eau Gallie High School’s graduating class of 2010, the best is yet to come.