By Sara Wang
Hello Class of 2014! And hello, and thank you, to all the people here today at this graduation: the supportive teachers and administrators, the loving parents and family members, and of course, the little sibling who is probably playing 2048 not-so-discreetly in their lap. Thank you for being a part of this pivotal moment of our lives.
Several weeks ago, in the throes of senior slump, when I decided to ask for the honor of speaking with you all today, I thought a long time and finally decided… NOT to write a speech at all. Instead, I set out on something I’d always wanted to do: to deliver pastries to the hungry teenagers of Newton South. I figured that by May 20th, 2014, it was probably time to get to know some more people in my fairly large graduating class before graduating in oh, less than 3 weeks. Maybe it was also time to kick off the ultimate goal every college freshman longs to achieve: the freshman fifteen.
Armed with a bag of chocolate chip cookies and a smile, I set off. That week, I talked to a huge assortment of seniors more varied than the initials on the window at Johnny’s– tall, short… male, female… cat lover, dog lover… friends, or somebody I had always been too scared to talk to. It didn’t matter who they were– they were all slumping, they mostly liked cookies, and they all had some important piece of advice to share with all of us. I figured that since, I alone would not be able to speak for the class, the class could speak to, and for, itself.
So, class of 2014, I asked us a question. Here is our answer:
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On the cover of this year’s yearbook, below the line stating “class of 2014” is the phrase “everyone has a voice”. That statement, for a class as eclectic as ours, absolutely holds true. All of us have our own unique opinions, experiences, and view on life to share with the world, and we have the right and the responsibility to speak. We all have truly amazing things to say: both in these interviews, and to the world, and we should say them.
But just as important as speaking out is listening to the voices of others. By listening, we can learn. We may be done with high school now– during the school day, we’re more likely to be at Chipotle than in a classroom– but even as we exit the doors of this school for good, we will never stop learning, both from our own experiences and those of others. Listening to the words of others can help us to better understand our own view of the world. So listen to those around you. There will always be a voice speaking out for you to hear.
Class of 2014, each one of us up here today is not as wise as we think we are. And yet, we are also not as insignificant as we believe. We all have some wisdom to take from others, but also some wisdom of ourselves to give. Let’s appreciate this vivacious and beautiful community we are a part of. Let’s share what life we have with others, and receive back just as much. In this way, after we have taken our solitary walk across this stage, we will never face the world alone. Thank you, and congratulations to the class of 2014!
