Graduation Speech

To give a speech can be one of the most nerve wrecking events a person can experience in their life. It is said that next to death, public speaking is the most dreaded fear of many people. I was the salutatorian of my 2008 graduating high school senior class. This was a great honor form me, but also one that required me to give a speech on graduation day. I remembered how nervous I was before the graduation ceremony. I would walk around in circles and take deep breaths as I watched the clock draw closer and closer to the moment of truth. I slowly walked up to the stage and took my seat. As I watched the opening ceremony, my heart raced faster and faster until finally it was my turn to give my speech. At that point all that was going through my head was projecting my voice, enunciating, and trying to relax. I looked past the bright stage lights and saw a multitude of students and parents and other family members waiting to hear me speak. After I started giving the speech, my nerves calmed and I was able to finish the speech with confidence. As soon as I finished, I was finally able to relax and enjoy the rest of the ceremony. Looking back at my graduation speech, I realized that the experience had taught me a lot and helped change my outlook on many things.

Giving my graduation speech made me realized how quickly time goes by. As I stood on that podium it felt like it was just yesterday that I was a naive incoming freshman. The experience made me realize that I was indeed growing up and that I would not be a child forever. It made me realize that hard work does indeed pay of, and that it was important to start early in shaping one’s future. I realized that had it not been for the countless hours of studying and hard effort, I would not be standing on that stage speaking to my fellow peers. I learned that it was important to have a goal for the future and to use the present to take steps in reaching that goal. Looking back at the event I realize that nothing lasts forever for it was hard to believe that four years of high school had just gone by.

The lessons I learned from my graduation speech experience also helped change my view on the world. I realized how fleeting time could be and how it was very important to always make the best of it. The concept of passing time can be hopeful. The hopeful aspect of time lets one know that no condition is permanent. In other words no matter what a person might be going through, the situation would eventually come to pass. Although this raised the question, when that time finally comes to pass would we be better or worse than we were before? This made me realize how important our choices today are, for they determine the outcome of our future.