by Kaghen Burns
Ladies and gentlemen, faculty, family, friends, and most importantly, graduates,
Let me just say, congratulations! You did it! And let’s be real—this day has felt like it would never come. It seemed like it was just yesterday we were high-fiving the graduates in the halls outside our 3rd grade class. Yet here we are. We were on the other side of the high-fives.
Before we dive deep into some life-changing wisdom you’re all dying to hear from me, let’s reflect on the last few years. Let’s remember the whole school somehow fitting in McDonald’s after a game or the immaculate vibes during football season. Or who could forget those days of walking into class pretending like you were ready for the test, even though you hadn’t opened the textbook in days? We all know that feeling. But here’s the thing: It’s okay. You learned. Maybe not the exact facts, but you learned that Google, Wikipedia, and “studying on instagram reels for 4 hours” at the last minute can get you far in life.
There are so many things I wanted to say in this speech but due to everyone anxiously waiting to hear that one name called I’m going to let some of my favorite artists speak it for me. J Cole said in one of his songs “To appreciate the sun, you gotta know what rain is.” So To appreciate graduation, you gotta know what sleepless nights are. To appreciate graduation, you gotta know what the stress of procrastination feels like. To appreciate graduation you gotta know what it has taken to get here.
But seriously, you made it through sleepless nights, endless assignments, and projects that felt like they were made by an extremely unhealthy dose of caffeine. But here you are, sitting, proudly in caps and gowns, surrounded by people who love you so much and who are so proud of you .
Now, as you step into the world beyond this campus, remember this: Life is like a graduation speech. Sometimes, it’s awkward. Sometimes, it’s funny. And sometimes, it leaves you wondering, “Did that even make sense?” But what matters is that you’re in it. You have a cool looking piece of paper, a crippling red bull addiction, and a vague sense of what you want to do with your lives—but you also have something much more valuable: experience.
8736 hours 49 minutes 32 seconds. Last year’s graduation I started a stopwatch. But as soon as Mr. Dickerson opened his mouth today. I stopped it. 8736 hours 49 minutes and 32 seconds of growth and change through the experiences we faced through the scorching August practices or the 40 pages of The Plague you have to read at 10:30 at night. Yet once again, you did it. You all have changed and done amazing things, so what are you going to do with your next 8736 hours 49 minutes and 32 seconds? I urge you all to LIVE each one of those seconds and make the most out of them. And do so for the rest of your lives.
You’ve experienced growth, whether you wanted to or not. You’ve grown through confusion on what a split infinitive means. You’ve grown through stress when you forgot to study in Bowe’s class. You all have grown so much through the influence of our teachers, and I speak for everyone here, thank you for all the lessons and impacts that you have had on all of our lives.
But here’s the thing: the key is adaptability—life is unpredictable, but that’s what makes it so much fun. So don’t be afraid of stumbling. We’re all trying to walk, some of us just happen to trip a little more often than others. But you’ve got this. Like Lil Wayne once said Let It All Work Out,
As you reflect on your senior year, look back and realize all the good that has come with it. Don’t focus on the mistakes but learn from them. One of our first assignments in Srholec’s class was finding inspiring role models and the lessons we can learn from them. And I think I have found one of my favorite role models yet. All of you, every single one of you has touched someone’s life, whether you know it or not, and that is the most inspiring thing and I look up to all of you for that.
Here’s some advice for the future but take it with a grain of salt because I’m clueless too:
Just remember this: You’ve got the rest of your life to figure it out. You don’t need to have it all together now. Life’s not a race. It’s more like a long hike. A really really long hike. But trust me, the best hikers don’t always know where they’re going, but that’s when you see the best views. And like Kanye said, reach for the stars so if you fall you land on a cloud.
So here’s to you, graduates. Congratulations again and thank you for all the amazing memories and lessons you taught me. And one more thing before I finally stop talking, remember the good times, live in the present, and look forward to the future because if you are always staring in the rearview mirror you’ll miss your turn.
Thank you all God Bless!
