St. Francis School: What You Put in, Is What You Get Out
Good evening and welcome parents, family, and friends, and the biggest congratulations to the class of 2011. We finally did it!
Our time at St. Francis has come to an end, and so will life as we know it. Everything we have grown accustomed to will be instantly changed as we move that tassel from right to left. As we leave behind our childhood, we step into an even bigger world filled with new faces, experiences, and challenges.
Charles de Lint, a Celtic folk musician and story teller, said, 鈥淲hen it鈥檚 all said and done, all roads lead to the same end. So it鈥檚 not so much which road you take, as to how you take it.鈥
The road we鈥檝e been traveling has been far from perfectly paved. There have been bumps and potholes with friendships that had to be repaired. Some sharp turns caught us off guard as we struggled with taking harder classes. No matter what, though, we continued traveling on our paths with all roads leading to graduation. In this moment of bliss, we must now decide the next step of our journey.
The possibilities ahead of us are endless. The big dreams we have and the potential we possess are our blueprints to success. Here upon this stage are future doctors, nurses, lawyers, artists, psychiatrists, physical therapists, business owners, and so much more. Of course, to get there it won鈥檛 be easy 鈥 but when has that ever stopped us? The road to get here was never all fun and games. From the last minute cheer and songfest practices to the cram study sessions for finals and AP exams, these young women know perfectly well the definition of hard work. With the smallest class, we鈥檝e shown that the amount of work, effort, and heart you put into anything is what truly matters, and not the size.
Over the past four years we have made so many memories filled with moments where we were crying from laughter, but counter -balanced with our fair share of arguments. We were a handful in Mr. Weidman鈥檚 freshmen physics class, came as a tribe to Damien dances, and even appeared to hate each other during Aloha Show season. We dominated songfest two years in a row, rocked out to our rendition of Party in the U.S.A, and stressed over senior projects.
The graduates before you, entered St. Francis as girls, and now four years later leave as respectful young women. They have encountered many challenges, many obstacles in the road, but always faced them head on and hand in hand. The relationships we have made over the past four years have transformed strangers into sisters.
We鈥檝e been constantly reminded that 鈥渨hat you put in, is what you get out,鈥 and as we go our separate ways and pursue different dreams, this statement couldn鈥檛 be any truer. Success will only come when we set our priorities and persevere. Opportunities will come and go, but we will only be able to take full advantage of them if we are truly focused. Of course, doors will be opened, but they might also be slammed shut in our faces. Intimidated? Who wouldn鈥檛 be? But with determination, hard work, and strong faith in God, we can overcome any of these obstacles and achieve any dream we have ever wanted.
Throughout our lifetime our teachers and parents have taught us more than enough to prepare us for this time. At the end of every story, every mistake, there was always a lesson 鈥 some lessons that we had to learn were harder than others. It is now up to us to use the tools and knowledge we鈥檝e been given wisely. They鈥檝e done their job; now it鈥檚 time for us to do ours.
It may seem heartbreaking to think back on times we鈥檝e had. It may seem frightening to think of what is to come, but to move forward, we have to be strong and believe in ourselves. We have traveled so far, and we can鈥檛 let fear stop us now. We have too much ahead of us, too much to look forward to. So look ahead to the bright future awaiting us. Look ahead to all the opportunities that will come our way. Look ahead to everything we have yet to experience, and let the memories we鈥檝e made be your strength.
To all our parents, families, and teachers, thank you for guiding us on this journey, and getting us this far. Although we step into the real world now, the road doesn鈥檛 end here; we still have much to learn. As Buddha once said, 鈥淭here are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.鈥 Today, we start building our new roads.
To the class of 2011, wherever life takes us, and whatever we become, we will always be connected through our time at St. Francis. Congratulations!
Watch a video of the actual speech:
