LUKE HUYGHE
Bishop Grandin High School
Well, we did it. We survived high school. Coming out of adolescence, we’ve grown and matured through our experiences, leading to this milestone achievement. Having reached the ending to this chapter in our lives, I think it’d be appropriate to turn back a few pages and remember the first days of high school.
It’s safe to say most of us were at least a little bit nervous, wondering what our teachers were going to be like, running to meet familiar faces in the hallways, and worrying about how we were going to make friends in this new, big place.
But, after a little while, we adjusted ... After moving past the initial fear of what was to come, we learned to embrace opportunities ahead of us, and made the most out of our high school experience.
We persevered and, through that perseverance, have come to the finish line: graduation. Think about all that you’ve been through at Bishop Grandin — making or losing friends, getting closer to finding your identity and cramming for that test that you didn’t study for because you forgot about it until the night before. Sorry, teachers.
The point I’m trying to make is that none of this would have been possible if it were not for the will to continue. Every one of our successes has come about because we decided that we wouldn’t give up, and we stuck it out to the end. But even with the dedication to keep pushing through adversity, things don’t necessarily go as planned.
... I believe that nothing you try hard for, regardless of the outcome, is really a failure. Success doesn’t come easy, so any time you put effort toward a goal, you are training yourself for success. The true failure is giving up, because you resign to adversity, and don’t learn the courage to continue.
We wouldn’t be here if we had resigned ourselves to failure, and accepted defeat at the hands of difficulty. So, let’s take what we’ve learned at Bishop Grandin, about the true value of giving your all even when it feels impossible, and burst into the world full of vigour and ready to succeed even in failure ...
... Thank you in advance, Class of 2020, for becoming the next generation of successes, and carrying on a legacy of courage, to always face adversity with a smile and, even after falling down countless times, having the strength to stand up again and continue. Thank you, and remember to seize every opportunity to try your hardest, because regardless of the outcome, you will be a success.