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Editor’s Note: Damien Memorial School valedictorian Ethan Dayton was a member of his school’s 48th graduating class on May 26. Dayton surprised his audience at the Blaisdell Concert Hall by singing part of his address.

Mr. Ho, Br. Zawot, Mr. Alejo, Faculty, Staff, attending parents, best class ever…

For those of you who know me, you know that…I’m the kind of guy who’s fairly unorthodox to what society expects of any normal human being.

But to prove that, I wanted to spice things up a little from this drabby ole program because I thought starting off with the whole nyah thanks, have a great life, don’t die gimmick was too predictable. I like a little risk.

So, if you go on YouTube, you can see these videos of “BEST VALEDICTORIAN SPEECH EVER” and they’re full of raps and ensembles and even one guy did miming…but none of them actually sang. So I decided to forge my own train wreck and sing a little something for y’all, a medley that encapsulates our years as a unified class of 2013. So, be nice, enjoy and just know I ain’t Mariah Carey.

Alright, let’s get this thing rolling.

“Right from the start we were kings who played with cards
And made our teacher’s time feel rough.
From Jenks to Tanaka and Nguejpdo
And especially Nathan Bruchey
We even made Nitta Pope.
But we were still a good bunch of kids uh oh
We never got caught smoking weed uh oh
But Alejo said to us these things
That we are mofrawk-wearing, egg walking pirraňaasss…
[Break into bridge into chorus]
(No One)
People keep talking
Of a class too small
The fact of the matter is
We like to get involved
Involved, involved, involved,
But we don’t condone neck punches
Involved, involved, involved,
But we were the best class eveeerrrrrr!”

Now the exciting part. As many of you can agree, both parents and the seniors alike these past 17-19 years of life have gone by so quickly that there were moments where we could barely catch our breaths.

It seemed like yesterday when all of us were bug-eyed babies walking in on our first day at Damien. And on that first day, all of us were together in that parking lot and parents, you were there: making our ties, fixing our collars, and kissing us goodbye as we shoved you away in embarrassment. Fifteen minutes later after the bell has rung, you’d still be there crying in your minivan through the realization that your son is becoming a man so fast. Mrs. Marcello. Such were the days of spending sleepless nights with your kids on making projects that they chaotically told you to help them with the day before the impending due date and you’d be like “well whose fault is that, you should have started on it earlier if you knew ‘dat, the teacher should fail you, you donkey.” And then the begging starts, maybe a little tears, and some slaps, little bit sa-sa, but you’d do it anyway! The sad truth for both of us is, this era of your son’s childhood is coming to an end. But for us, this will be such an exciting time period, in our entrance into college. This will be a time of discovering independence, meeting new people, finding ourselves. Not to soon after, we’re gonna start our careers, have families, and you’re gonna be proud grandparents.

But guys our ascendance up the ladder of life will be rife with reality checks. There’s going to be people trying to pull down, telling you things like “you can’t do it” or “that’s impossible.” Bosses are going to bark at you, professors will fly mountains of information that seems like it’s too much, you’re going to feel alone sometimes. But what are you gonna actually do about it? That’s the real question. How will you react when difficult times come? You fight. Say to them “screw you” (figuratively, not literally, brother). Wherever you go, you’re there to work hard, prove yourself, and prove your critics wrong. Yes, it’s a tough life out there. But like my quote you should always keep these things in mind “Never expect. Never presume. Be humble and always stay true to who you are.” Life is just adjusting and adapting. It’s taking risks, large and small, and claiming responsibility to shortfalls. And to be successful, you need to do just that and know that sometimes it’s not a matter of what you know, but who you know.

When I look at the Class of 2013, I can see the fulfillment of many of these attributes. You guys are so capable and perhaps more ready than it seems right now in your mind. Wherever life takes you, just remember, the number one thing to keep of importance is to be happy. And always, keeping our heads forward and our eyes on the prize can lead to more than you could ever imagine.

For those of you in the audience, if you guys didn’t know, recently, I was featured in an article on the Star Advertiser and it was in the Incidental Lives Section. And basically, the journalist Mike Tsai called me up and he wanted me to do an interview about my life struggles and my accomplishments for the press to generate badly needed good press for Damien. So, I agreed. And one of the first things I told him was that I was figure skater. Something unique right? (one more thing you know about me) So, the first thing he said was, “wow.” I mean, you know, not too many people can say that, especially from a guy from Damien. I mean I was so immersed and enthused about the sport that in 7th grade my renowned nickname was “Twinkletoes,” that can speak for itself. So, I was like ”yeah, I mean, as fat as I am, I can at least get myself in the air and do a few twirls and still manage not to break the ice.”

From there, we went along the interview and on paper it was even greater than the conversation. But through it all, it made me so thankful of the people in my life. First of all, I’d like to thank my class. You guys made me realize so much over these past 2-6 years of my mistakes and my blessings in life. I wish there was more time but the memories we shared will be always be in my heart and I wish you guys all the best. Thank you to the administration, faculty, and staff. It was through your determination and faith that has made all of us the fine graduates that sit before you today through kind and encouraging words and great teaching. A special thanks to all the teachers who have suffered with me for 2 or more years: Ota-sensei, Mr. Higa, Mrs. Yangson, Senor Lathrop, Mr. Souza, and even Mrs. Lota, Mrs. Lewis, and Mrs. Teraoka. I thank my dad for always setting me straight when I needed and being a fantastic single parent all those years and my best friend Brandon Marcello for really stepping up and being a true friend for 6 years, as well as Vernon Rayo and Frank Daoang, all of them really for being there through all my struggles and ameliorating my quality of life so significantly. Most importantly, on behalf of the class we’d like to thank and applaud the parents who worked so hard and sacrificed so much.

However, even on a special day such as the senior’s graduation, unfortunately, not everyone is here to attend. At this time, I’d like to thank one very special person who could not be here physically is my step-mother Sandy Dayton.

Unfortunately, Sandy passed away on June 16th, 2012. She was one amazing woman. She was everything that you can hope from a mother and did everything beyond what was expected for her children, even for me HER child from another mother. She was always there, with that encouraging smile and raspy screams when I was being pummeled on the mat by some mammoth, even for my Speech and Debate Tournaments, and all my award ceremonies. She’d be there, walking, with a cane, in a motorized wheelchair. For two years, she was afflicted with this rare disease called small vessel vasculitis and through the whole time she never gave up.

She was so much pain. I’d spend many nights at home crying and praying. But she told all of us this single heartbreaking line that reverberates to today “I will give up, when you guys tell me, I can give up.” From the moment, she took her last breath, my whole life perspective changed. But with that change, I believe something extraordinary was bestowed upon me, something internal had warmed in my soul. Albeit, not too many kids my age have not experienced tragedies such as the magnitude I have. But it has taught me so much. Never take life for granted, speak from the heart, family first, keep strong in your faith, take God’s help, create as many memories enjoying life, never give up and always keep a resolute character. These are virtues of life siphoned from the breadth of God’s creations, pendants of prudence that I have learned and held on to that I can share with you all. No matter where you go, you can pull yourself through any metric of darkness and struggle and know that nothing can stop you and that the only direction you know is forward. These are catalysts that can make a true Damien man whose bounds are limitless and character’s unabated and tenacious.

Gentlemen of the Class of 2013, I genuinely can’t believe that this my last address to you, but just know I always thought looked at you guys as one thing: You all look pretty thin but you all have fat hearts and that’s all that matters. Last but not least, assuredly I can leave you with the words that a famous and wise Damien college counselor once said, “Gentleman, the gravy train stops here, so keep your foot on the accelerator.”

Thank you and have a great day guys and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Watch a video of Ethan singing part of his speech:

About the author: Damien Memorial School valedictorian Ethan Dayton was a member of his school’s 48th graduating class on May 26. He graduated with a 4.26 GPA and will attend Carleton (Minn.) College. At Damien, Dayton participated in speech and debate, wrestling and news writing. He was also a figure skater and played the violin. He and his father volunteer at the Next Step Shelter.

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