Valedictorian Speech 2000

(Even though I wasn't valedictorian...in was an English assignment.) June 8, 2000

I'm sooooooo over high school.

It could have been worse. It could have been longer. It could have been filled with more self-esteem crushing crossword puzzles to prove that my education level is lower than that of a fourth grader: but it wasn't. I have made it and I am here, finally graduating and having no clue as to what I could possibly write about. I am not the Valedictorian of my class, nor do I wish to be because I would have to write a real speech about my/our experiences and make some kind of sense so those listening would understand. Even though I have had ample time to contemplate the profound words of wisdom I could type onto this screen, I must be honest and say that this was a very last minute job. So far, I am fairly proud of my work here, as well as the fact that my classmates and I are finally graduating and I will not need to write something like this again for quite a while. Now that I have completed my random ramblings stage I can talk about the real reason I am here; to graduate. Oh yeah, and to tell you about how everyone seated before you has progressed from their childhood to the young adults they are today. Until today, I did not have the slightest inkling of where I could go with the whole idea without sounding like the typical graduation speech. In my AP English class today (the one I happen to be writing this for!), my teacher passed out our daily reminders of how astoundingly dumb I am (those darn crossword puzzles) with a newspaper article copied on the reverse side (did you catch how "reverse side" was a more intellectual substitution for "the back," I TRY to sound smart sometimes.) It basically discussed how the class of 2000, just like any other, was born into a world with horrible events constantly occurring. As if the reminder of all these unpleasant occurrences was not bad enough, I realized that I was totally oblivious for the first 15 or 16 years of my life. For me, things happened last year, when in reality they were happening in 7th or 8th grade. Where was I?

I was out in my own little world of Barbies, My Little Ponies, Zoobalie Zoo, dance classes, best friends and my oh-so-loving cats that shredded my arms and legs daily. Instead of even bothering to know what went on in the world around me, I was busy imagining what it would be like to be a famous dancer or gymnast. Everyday was a practice day for each of my dreams: how I wanted my future to be. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Judging by the way I have been setting up the next steps, I would have to say that childhood oblivion is a wonderful thing. By focusing on my dreams (even though I never would have guessed they would be real), I have had the opportunity to pursue such dreams through my college decisions. With that, I hope that the rest of my classmates have been able to follow up on at least one of those seemingly absurd dreams. That's really what life is all about. Fulfilling dreams, for the most part, is the only way to be happy because your dreams are the things you want most. If you cannot live at least one dream or do one thing that makes you feel truly happy then you are probably missing out. When I say dreams I do not necessarily mean the dream to be a rock star or the dream to be a hero to the world; I mean anything little or huge that would make each day that much more bearable and special. Dreams come in different sizes, shapes and colors. It is up to you whether or not you choose to follow any given number of them. I guess I have strayed slightly from the whole growing up idea, but as I have said, this was a last minute job. Luckily, last minute was the best choice because I was able to read that article about all the troubling events over the past 17 years. It made me decide to stay away from the usual contents of a graduation speech: you know, events over the years- blah blah blah. Also, my late completion of the assignment it made it impossible for me to technically plan each paragraph like I would for a research paper. This speech is the real deal and it just so happened to get onto the topic of one of my favorite words - DREAMS (so naturally I could go on forever). Where would we be without that word and all it does? In caves. Now before I start rambling about the progression of man in general I will conclude this mass of confusion by saying only this little bit to my class and all viewing the ceremony today. When you sleep - DREAM. Dream about those things you really want and if you happen to run into a nightmare here or there, just wake up and try again. When you wake - DO NOT FORGET. Write it down if you have to, it is so important. When you realize - FOLLOW, BE HAPPY and HAVE FUN with the rest of your lives.

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peggys@eden.rutgers.edu