Graduation Speech No Day But Today Essay - 965 Words

Mrs. Meke told me never to start a paper with a dictionary definition, but it only seemed fitting to site Merriam Webster today. Graduation is the act of acceptance of an academic degree or diploma. Never have Merriam and Webster been more off their mark. Graduation is much more than a simple ceremony, it is the culmination of 12 years of work, friendships, and the little moments that still make us smile. High school was more than its name leads you to believe. It wasn’t just school, it taught us a whole lot more than how to write a good essay, who laid the foundation for communism, and why we all should despise geometry proofs. High School taught us about love, life, work ethic, and how to be a person of substance, all of†¦show more content†¦Get used to it, most of us are once again back on the bottom of the totem pole. Morgan Freeman’s character in The Shawshank Redemption says, â€Å"These walls are kind of funny. First you hate em, then you get used to em. Enough time passes, gets so you depend on them.† Of course, he was referring to prison, but it applies here. I guess Jenison High School was our little prison. We were told when to eat, when to go outside, and when to go to the bathroom. All kidding aside, for some, this place grew on us, and for these, as myself, today is bittersweet. As much as we may have loved this place, it is time to go. We finally are free. Tonight is our last night together as the class of ‘04; tomorrow we will go our separate ways. Some to college and some to jobs. Some we will see randomly at Meijers or on our respective campuses and some we will not see again until the reunion. So do not let tonight be plagued by the coulda, woulda, shouldas. This is the last night to connect, to bond, to share a few laughs, and a few tears. We don’t have the chance to redo it all, it happened, its over, and were all better for it. If anything, make tonight the best night of you high school experience. In the song â€Å"Another Day† from the Broadway Musical RENT, it is most poignantly put, â€Å"Forget regret or life is yours to miss.† Tonight we leave here with everything we have crammed into our heads in 18 years. WhatShow MoreRelatedGraduation Speech By Maya Angelou1566 Words   |  7 PagesFebruary 18, 2016 Graduation Graduation is a ceremony that almost every single person is familiar with, thus building the connection of the reader. Graduation is an important transition in one’s life. It represents an accomplishment and signifies moving on to something better, more important and the pathway to use one’s knowledge to achieve one’s life goals. It calls for a celebration along with a grand commencement among family, friends, and peers. Maya Angelou’s, â€Å"Graduation†, is about a youngRead MoreRhetorical Analysis of Ellen DeGeneress Commencement Speech Essay1144 Words   |  5 Pages Ellen’s Commencement Speech Rhetorical Analysis Graduation caps fly into the air, cheers erupt, and diplomas are received. This is a typical graduation day. Not only did these ceremonial events take place for Tulane Universitys class of 2009, but Ellen DeGeneres was there to congratulate them as well! This class was dubbed the Katrina Class for being survivors of the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Katrina was named one of the deadliest Hurricanes, causing more than 1,836Read MoreAn Example of a Graduation Speech653 Words   |  3 Pageswriting papers, doing homework, taking an occasional pop quiz, and of course taking countless exams, it is that time that we all anticipate†¦Graduation! Purpose Statement: Since the majority of us are seniors, and graduation is a little less than a month away, I am going to provide you with some historical background information and some fun facts about graduation in order to make the occasion even more meaningful than it already is. Road Map: Most of you could probably agree that high school wasRead MoreSpeech For Benards Speech972 Words   |  4 Pages Bernard Harris was asked to deliver a commencement speech at WPI Graduation in 2015 for the graduates of Wocrester Poolytechnic Univeristy. From start to finish, Benards speech was well organized, backed by strong and exciting message to the graduates on how continue their way into the world after graduation. Humor is what carried the center stage in speech delivery, and the audience enjoyed the funny comments within the speech that were made by Bernard. He also tells the graduates of how respectedRead More Graduation Speech Essay1115 Words   |  5 Pages family, friends, on this exciting day, I speak to optimism, laughter, and grins. As I was gathering input for this graduation speech, several people suggested including a profound quote offering â€Å"encouraging advice to the young graduates†, and then there were others who said, â€Å"eh don’t worry about it, no one listens to those anyway.† Fortunately, I was actually able to take from both suggestions and found a happy balance. You see, I won’t tell you today to: â€Å"Dare to dream† or â€Å"Find your ownRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School934 Words   |  4 Pageswould be graduation. For many people, graduating from high school is an objective. It takes a lot of time, effort, and determination to accomplish that goal. For others graduation is the end of high school, and the beginning of a new chapter in life. When graduated people feel as if adulthood has begun. In the long run, graduating opens a lot of opportunities for people to thrive. I can almost reminisce the day as if it was yesterday. I was sitting in bed like any other school day. It seemedRead MoreBattle Royal, by Ralph Ellison Essay1206 Words   |  5 Pageson March 1, 1914 (221). Different themes are presented throughout this short story, which reflect different views that Ellison had at the time that he wrote this essay. One boy is invited to speak at local men’s club where he will deliver his graduation speech. As I go on, I will discuss the nature of the short story and how it affected me. The narrator’s view of this entire situation at the men’s club is kind of humiliating which will later set the stage for events that will happen in his future.Read MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing992 Words   |  4 Pages Good afternoon young people. I guess I could say that I am honored to have the privilege to speak to you today. Although 35 years have passed since I was freed from this place, and the school has had forty gra duating classes since it started imprisoning students in 2010, I suppose I must be the only one left that must call this place my â€Å"alma mauter† and I suppose it was only fitting for them to ask me to do this and take advantage of me some more. Perhaps all of the other alumni are in jailRead MoreSteve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech Analysis1394 Words   |  6 PagesSteve Jobs’ Stanford Commencement Speech: Speak from the Heart A- Speaker and Subject Identification. When technology, innovative and new products subjects is brought up, a few names come to mind. Between these names is that of Steve Jobs, the founder of Pixar Animation, NeXT, and Apple, Steve Jobs, was widely known for changing the world of personal computers and electronic fields. His determination led to significant developments that have affected the lives of everyone of us. There is no denyingRead More Graduation Speech Essay1010 Words   |  5 Pagesfellow students: Instead of taking up more time and reading my speech, it is available to you at http://www.olen’s_speech.com. Thank you. No, just kidding. But seriously folks... Today we are gathered here to celebrate our graduation from 12 long years of schooling. The education granted to us has been a privilege. One so graciously given to us by the citizens of our state, by our community, and by our parents. Today would not be possible without them. So far this evening we have