IVANA OKARO

Sir Winston Churchill High School

... Many make the mistake of moving past this milestone (of graduation) and becoming mechanical, doing whatever it takes to survive. The rhythm of their heart fades into the background of their day-to-day routine and life begins to lose its colour. It is all too easy to become indifferent towards the good in life and desensitized towards the bad.

Like the rest of humanity, we will all find ourselves longing to surrender to pessimism and judgment, but I believe what we have witnessed in these past months has set us apart. We watched as our lives were stripped of everything we had once directed all of our attention towards. Schools were closed, jobs were lost, all individual pursuits were completely interrupted.

Compassion began to bloom in places where competition had once dominated, as the world was softened by tragedy. Each day, the lives lost were presented to us in the form of statistics and percentages. It became necessary to continually remind ourselves that people are not numbers. Within each percentage was a person; a person that had once been filled with life. They laughed, they cried, they touched and saw, just as you and I still do. Some were young, some were middle-aged, some were elderly, but all were beautifully human.

In the end, those the world lost in this time are remembered not for the years in their life, but for the life in their years. If we have learned anything from them, it is that to merely exist on the face of the Earth is not enough. We must live. Live generously, live openly, live adventurously and freely, without fear of what others will say or think. We must remember that life does not have to be a fight for the best job or the nicest car and that some days a slow exhale and a warm embrace are all you can manage, and all you need.

Our graduating class is marked by incredible resilience and perseverance ... We have won together, lost together, and thrived together. There is so much pride to be felt in who we are, what we have endured, and the principles we represent as a student body.

As we move forward, may we stand out on the global stage not just for our brilliance, but for our empathy. May the adversities we have faced cultivate wisdom within us. Lastly, may we be individuals remembered for how intentionally and gracefully we carried out our lives.