Heritage Academy

Good evening parents, administration, teachers, our special guest, Ms. Liliana Flores, and most importantly graduates of the class of 2021.

Like all of you, I too am praying for this speech to be over soon. My name is Luis Constancio and it is an honor for me to be standing before you as this year’s valedictorian for the class of 2021.

Look around. Everyone looks so cleaned up, nicely dressed, big smiles. It is because tonight we gather for the last time as one graduating class, to celebrate a journey. For many of us we have been dreaming of this day for years, the day we leave childhood behind and achieve independence into adulthood. Kind of scary, right?

It was 12 years ago when I met many of you at different schools. Destiny has a funny way of bringing people together because somehow, we all ended up at Heritage Academy. Now it is time for us to follow our dreams. How did it all go so fast?

I am flooded with many memories: our trip to Fiesta

Texas, our soccer games, the stress of passing those dreaded STAAR exams, waking up extra early to get to school on time,

talking way too much in many of our classes, to the point of driving our teachers crazy! And just as we were preparing to be the upperclassmen, the seniors on campus – COVID happened. Even though our senior year was not as we had hoped, we as a class managed to stay together as a family. I believe that is what makes us so special. The bond we share is unbreakable. No matter where our future leads us, I know we can count on each other.

I would like to recite two of my favorite quotes. The first is by a man who inspires me, Elon Musk: “I hate when people confuse education with intelligence. You can have a bachelor’s degree and still be an idiot.” The second is by Bill Gates: “I failed in some subjects in exam, but my friend passed in all. Now he is an engineer in Microsoft and I am the owner of Microsoft.” There is more to life than proving you are the smartest person in the world. Some of us will go on to college, others will go straight into the work force, but whichever path we choose, never stop challenging yourself and make it the best.

I would like to thank the parents for their unconditional support and love. Without them, we could not have reached this milestone. To the teachers: Thank you for your dedication. To my friends: Thank you for always being there for me. I am also thankful to God for granting me the determination of achieving this huge accomplishment. I would especially like to recognize and give thanks to my mother – Por ser mi motor en la vida. Gracias por todo, y mirame ahora. Si se pudo! Lo logramos!

As I come to the end of my speech it hurts to think of these memories and then realize this time period in our lives is coming to an end, but this is part of life and growing up. Class of 2021, please close your eyes with me for a moment, and imagine your first day of school. Does it not feel like it was only yesterday? Enjoy this moment, because we are about to become graduates!

One final message to my fellow classmates: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, which somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Honestly, this is the best graduating class! This is it! Class

of 2021, we did it!

Luis Constancio is the valedictorian of Heritage Academy’s class of 2021. He is planning to attend Texas A&M San Antonio, where he will be studying to be an engineer. Starting his junior year, Luis started taking dual credit classes at Southwest Texas Junior College. He played basketball and soccer and volunteered to meet and greet dignitaries at LAFB during the air show. He also volunteered in many other community activities.