ETHAN WINTERS
Bishop O’byrne High School
We are here today to celebrate just how far we have all come. Many of us have probably taken the time to reflect upon our journey to this high point where we all stand today. This helps us realize all we have experienced and how far we have really come.
There may be some of us who once feared that this goal would never be reached. I know that when I started junior high, I was filled with doubt. I am a student who lives with Asperger’s, a form of autism, which has caused me to experience learning struggles throughout my entire life.
My struggles were shadowing my view of the future. Many of us can relate to a point in time where this was true for us; a moment that caused us distress and weakened our hope because of our own self-doubt.
My challenges often blinded me to my own abilities. My work felt to be in vain, as I assumed right from the beginning that these struggles would prevent me from succeeding. I believed there was some trick I didn’t know that would grant me the key to the door to my future.
I believe we can all relate to a time when we felt like quitting. Where the situation caused so much doubt that we felt we wouldn’t make it through.
I was nearly ready to give up, until one day the love and support of my teachers and friends came into focus in my life. When I needed support, be it academic or mental, they were always there to guide me down the path, to bring the darkness into the light, relieving me from frustration.
Without the presence of these selfless individuals, I may not have reached my full potential. They encouraged me to move forward and beyond my struggles. The fact that individuals of this nature exist in our world brings immense hope into my own heart.
The hard work and dedication of our teachers encouraged us to reach our full potential, not only academically, but also spiritually ...
We are in a very unique time in history, being the only graduating class in Bishop O’byrne history to be living through a pandemic.
... These conditions placed many challenges before us that had the potential to cause us setbacks. We endured these extreme circumstances and overcame these obstacles with great success, being able to maintain our academic focus, our faith, our work ethic and, most importantly, our connection to one another ...