Principal Yencer, members of the school board, parents, and the class of 2011: it is an honor to be able to speak in front of you today.
Twelve years ago I can remember holding my Barbie backpack and stepping onto the massive yellow bus I had seen swallowing my brothers and then somehow regurgitating them again at three o’clock every day without fail. I was terrified. Watching me slowly but surely climb up the bus stairs, my parents had bright smiles on their faces. I had taken those first steps that began my education as a student.
Today is really not much different. Our parents are smiling and taking pictures just as they had our first day of school many years ago. Granted, the Barbie backpack is not with me, but just as I had to take a chance and trust that I was going to live through that bus ride, once we embark on our endeavors as adults, we will all be faced with risky decisions.
Being an avid reader, I take this quote from Mark Twain to heart: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Twenty years from now? I can’t even fathom being 25 yet! But really... doesn’t it seem like just yesterday when we were all sitting in the elementary gym for our own 6th grade graduation? Time flies, so don’t waste your chances to be risk takers. Looking back on my life, I don’t want to have regrets because I took the easy way out. I want to look back and think how my life had changed for the better because I decided to step out of my comfort zone.
So, my fellow classmates, my challenge for you is this: During your lifetime, don’t be afraid to take a risk! Branch out and see where life takes you. And always remember; a ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships were built for. Leave the safe harbor and sail into unknown waters. Thank you.
Twelve years ago I can remember holding my Barbie backpack and stepping onto the massive yellow bus I had seen swallowing my brothers and then somehow regurgitating them again at three o’clock every day without fail. I was terrified. Watching me slowly but surely climb up the bus stairs, my parents had bright smiles on their faces. I had taken those first steps that began my education as a student.
Today is really not much different. Our parents are smiling and taking pictures just as they had our first day of school many years ago. Granted, the Barbie backpack is not with me, but just as I had to take a chance and trust that I was going to live through that bus ride, once we embark on our endeavors as adults, we will all be faced with risky decisions.
Being an avid reader, I take this quote from Mark Twain to heart: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Twenty years from now? I can’t even fathom being 25 yet! But really... doesn’t it seem like just yesterday when we were all sitting in the elementary gym for our own 6th grade graduation? Time flies, so don’t waste your chances to be risk takers. Looking back on my life, I don’t want to have regrets because I took the easy way out. I want to look back and think how my life had changed for the better because I decided to step out of my comfort zone.
So, my fellow classmates, my challenge for you is this: During your lifetime, don’t be afraid to take a risk! Branch out and see where life takes you. And always remember; a ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships were built for. Leave the safe harbor and sail into unknown waters. Thank you.
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