Graduation Speech: We Are Not Alone :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Good morning to all of you. I am glad to be here with you, sharing this important and celebratory time. We have all accomplished a great deal and it's sometimes hard to believe it is coming to an end. There are so many stories that all of us have to tell about our time at County High. I would like to share some of my experience from the last few years. That first morning, I walked to County High in the cool September air. I remember looking up at the moon, a pale sliver, lemon-edged and sharp. I remember trying to empty myself of my nervousness, getting ready to be in a room full of strangers. I remember that County High was freezing that morning. I was completely intimidated. Why had I come to school? Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I had no specific goal. I vaguely wanted to finish my degree, but I was never sure if I had what it took to be in college. I look around now, at all of us together, and I think, how did we get here? What was the texture, the character, of the intervening years? Some of it will be a series of pictures: I see the long hallways with the lights reflecting off the floors. I see the new buildings rising up, steel and stone, with the workers tethered on the rooftops. I see the wetland, mud and green and baby trees. But what I see the most are the faces. In the classrooms, the instructors looking at us, engaging with us. The smiles of people in the hallways. I see the faces of the people who have looked at me and seen me. I remember, two years ago, feeling invisible. This was fine with me. It provided a comfort, maybe of not having to be responsible. I was accountable only to myself both in the classroom and out. Surrendering that invisibility has been a crucial part of my education at Neda. I realized that I couldn't do it alone. I realized that I didn't want to do it alone. I was helped through, pulled through sometimes, by people who cared for me and who were willing to give of themselves. This extends to the numerous faculty members I've encountered throughout my time here and to you, who have walked beside me. Having accountability to those I am in community with has made the difference for me.