San Clemente High School Scholar of Scholars Speech, class of 2015
When I look back at freshman year—yeah, let’s skip that. Sophomore year, too. All I can say about junior year was that it was traumatizing, especially if you took a bunch of Advanced Placement classes, so I did that, too.
Senior year, yeah, baby, that’s what’s up. All of the years pale in comparison. This was the year where we reigned supreme, got to relax and finally have some well-deserved fun.
Well, that’s what I heard, anyway. I was stuck in my room studying the entire time for this. Unfortunately, this was also the year where we had more than our fair share of hardships. There was our third bomb threat that we had to survive, our outstanding principal was torn away from us, and loved ones—lost, but never forgotten.
We are the class that has been through the most, endured the most and persevered through the most like none other before us. We are a massive class of over 700 students who are all incredibly diverse, but we all have differences in our own ways of life.
Yet, when we encountered those hardships, these differences became inconsequential. When fate decided to challenge us, we stood together and supported one another every single time.
That kind of grit and fortitude to stand by one another and band together as a community in a time of crisis is our most distinguished quality as a class. That is what makes us stand out among the rest; that is what makes me proud to be a member of the San Clemente class of 2015.
Each of us has gone through our own hardships and struggled in our own way. It is through those struggles that we grew stronger and learned lessons to help us throughout life. You are the only ones who can understand those lessons. You don’t need this unbelievably handsome young man on top of this stage to tell you these things. All the wisdom you will ever need to know is already in you waiting to be discovered.
The things you can teach yourself, your life experiences will provide you with the personal tools needed for whatever path you choose. Just take a moment and step back and reflect on your experiences and you’ll realize that you’re more prepared for life than life is prepared for you.
So venture forth with the same grit and fortitude that you all exhibited this year. Venture forth with a community at your back and a future to challenge.
Class of 2015, venture forth and let’s show them what we got.
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