Good Afternoon,
On behalf of the Holmes High School class of 2020, I would like to thank all of the people that make Holmes High School special. To teachers and faculty that come every day and strive to provide us with a tremendous education despite our unwillingness to learn. To the staff who work day in and day out to coordinate our events while also supporting the faculty and us students. We thank you and we love you. Additionally, I would like to thank the people who have personally motivated me and played a crucial role in my success throughout high school. Before I begin I would like to state that in no way am I an advocate for public speaking, so please bear with me. I stand before you as the Valedictorian of the graduating class of 2020. I decided after my junior year that I would do anything and everything to get the position of valedictorian. I worked hard every day, stressed. I got it. It felt so good to get the call that announced I was valedictorian, for a couple of minutes at least. To be honest, I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe I thought that this wave of satisfaction would run through me. Maybe I thought that this would make up for all of my struggles and would validate all of my accomplishments. But it didn't happen. This is not to say that I regret putting such efforts to accomplish my short-term goal of being valedictorian, but I wonder if putting so much effort into something that is at the expense of my happiness was worth it. I would be lying if I stood before you and said that I was chosen as valedictorian solely for my intellect and hard work, I would only be lying to myself, because I have studied alongside those who were as talented as me, if not more. Because as I said before, while everyone was building relationships, I was climbing the ladder of our ranks.
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I would like everyone listening to this speech to take a moment to imagine something that you have strived for, something that you thought over the past 4 years would make you truly happy. This could be academics, sports, social media, or popularity. Maybe it’s getting into your dream school. How do you feel now? I say this because, despite the work I have put into my academics up to this point, I am not truly satisfied. Despite the fact that I am valedictorian and I did get into my dream school when I look back on this time, I realized that my priorities have inhibited me from being a real teenager. While everyone else was hanging out with friends, going to parties, or other social events, I was at school, at home studying, or I was at work. You may see this outlook I have of my life as positive. It is true that throughout my high school career, I have not gotten into any trouble, I’ve had perfect attendance, and I’ve never fallen from an A in any area of study... but to me, this has all been a missed opportunity. I have now realized that this recognition and my 10-minute speech were paid for at the expense of the relationships that I could have built. I know that so far this speech has been utterly downing, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. For many, how we feel about the loss of a true senior year seems frivolous. People are dying, savings are lost, and families are grieving. Maybe it is superficial to be sad about losing our prom, senior dinner dance, senior picnics, our last day of school, yearbook signings, and a true graduation… but I don’t care.
As a generation, we are faced with the weight of many issues, unlike any other. Serious mental stress haunts the daily lives of teenagers today. We are told on a day-to-day basis by society that we do not truly experience mental illnesses but are just dramatic and emotional. This common misconception shows that despite the long-term coverage of mental illness across the globe, adults continue to disregard the health of their children. Health issues may even be caused by biological factors stemming from themselves. Or maybe they've stemmed from various psychological or social factors that we’ve come across. No matter the reason that caused these mental illnesses, teenagers today are often alienated and destructive with no help of recovery. We feel that no one cares about our true feelings or our opinions. We are left to take responsibility for the pain that we did not cause. We are pushed away, only to be told that we are at fault. You don’t see the worlds we hide and the emotions that we bury. We are seen as weak if we struggle, which is why many stories are kept quiet. But we are not weak. The wounds that have kept us occupied and this black cloud hanging over our heads have continuously inhibited us from trying to reach our goals, but you know what? Here we are. Graduating class of 2020. Despite all that we come across, we have been able to persevere. Through the success of our efforts, we have been able to rewrite the area of our lives where we believed that we could not flourish. These numerous dimensions truly reflect the identity of the class of 2020. We are beyond the expectations that society has created.
To end my speech I am going to take the graduating class of 2020 back to freshman year, December 8th, 2016. On this day a young life was lost, and his name was Hunter Wade Tomlin. When I was writing this speech, I felt like there was something missing, this is that something. Before we enter another chapter in our lives, I want to commemorate Hunter’s life, because if not for this loss, he would be graduating with us. I think doing so will in a way be a sense of closure, not only for myself but also for this class in general. We all entered high school together, only to finish with missing pieces. I don’t think it would be right to leave this place without bringing him with us.
I will now share the thoughts, memories, and lessons learned by my fellow classmates on Hunter. In order to truly share their stories, they will be anonymous, I want to take this time to make sure that Hunter hears these messages as they are real. The messages read (1) I just want to say that I love you and congratulations because you are a part of the class of 2020. We will hold you in our hearts and throughout our journey’s forever. (2) Never take your friends for granted and enjoy all of the moments you spend together. (3) Hunter was always the one person I looked forward to seeing when I got to school in the morning. Hunter was one of my best friends, seeing his smile always made me so happy. He was so contagious, I loved him more than he could ever imagine. All of the moments we spent together are memories that I will never forget. (4) I miss how we used to hang out and joke around every day. I will never forget you and you’ll always have a special place in my heart. (5) I’ll forever appreciate all of your kind words and love. You knew how to make anyone smile and laugh because you had the sweetest heart. Love you forever Hunter Wade. (6) One thing I remember about Hunter is that he was nosey, but I loved him for it. The last thing I remember him saying to me is that I could always trust him and this always stuck with me. It’s sad that he cannot physically experience this with us but it’s okay because he will always remain with us. No one can take our memories together away. (7) Hunter was always fun to be around. He was a great friend to all of those around him. He made friends with everyone and was truly a good person. (8) Since he couldn’t be here, I named my precious baby boy after him in loving memory. I’m blessed to say that I was friends with such a kind, giving, and passionate soul. (10) His greatest accomplishment was the smile that he would put on everyone’s face and the love that he had for his family and friends. To Hunter’s family, I’m sorry that you couldn’t watch him walk across this stage, and hope that this speech was able to truly commemorate his life. I am truly grateful to be a part of this graduating class. Though today, as valedictorian, I am being glorified, I would like to say to my classmates that even if no one else notices your growth, I see it and I’m proud of each and every one of you. Thank you.
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