Senior Speech

When I was begged to do the graduation speech, I figured that I really had no choice in the matter, I had to give the people what they wanted. Some of you may be surprised to see me up here, and may be thinking, “What? Who the fff-heck, is this guy?” Well, for starters, ouch. But I get it. I was never somebody that was incredibly involved. Did I do student council? No. Was I in any sports? No. Honor Society? No. Theater? Well, yeah, actually. I felt like being this uninvolved nerd man might actually give an unbiased opinion on what our four years of high school mean, at least to me. At the end of my eighth grade year, I was sure that I wanted to be an actor. Yeah, you can laugh at that if you want. But seriously, I had kind of felt that way ever since, until very recently. Whether it was from the virus, or from watching too much Grey’s Anatomy, I decided that I wanted to become a surgeon. You know, a real job. I’m just kidding – I have only respect for anyone pursuing some kind of career in the arts. But my point is, that isn’t a decision that I could have come to if it weren’t for high school. In my potential acting career, I was terrified. But now, I feel only excitement. We’ve been taught for all our lives that it’s important to go to school every day, get good grades, get into college, and become happy and successful. And by now, I think you all know as well as I do that it’s really just not that simple. High school sometimes sucks. College is really, really expensive. I hope that you all know where you are going now that high school is over, but the problem is, how can you be sure? How do you know that things won’t backfire for you? You just don’t. But my answer is this: Who cares? I have learned, uh, “valuable” things from my teachers, like how to write and balance chemical equations, how to EXPONENTIATE, and, oddly enough, how to drive. But something that I have learned for myself, from both these wonderful teachers and from you, my (mostly) wonderful classmates, is that the sky is truly the limit. I know learning geometry when you want to be an artist is a drag, and learning art when you want to be an engineer sucks just as bad. But honestly, don’t take those times for granted. Every single high school experience, every single one, has shaped me into who I am today. And for me, I think that’s good enough. I want you all to try to be happy with who you are now, and even if you aren’t, become that way. Because that’s what high school is really about. Not chemistry, calculus, English, government, or art. It’s about learning who you are and who you want to be. And now that we’re done, nothing is stopping any of you. Thank you.

On July 11 the Northridge High School Class of 2020 finally had the opportunity to walk across a stage and collect their hard-earned diplomas. Like many experiences this year, it was uncertain until the latest hour exactly how this ceremony would take place. As the world shifted and guidelines to protect our country and community were ever changing, our school board continued to re-coordinate and organize on the fly right up until the final moment. Despite some frustrations or concerns from some parents or staff leading up to the event, it was amazing to witness the grace, mercy and cooperation that came from the young adults that this most affected – our graduating students of 2020. Time and time again the flexibility and willingness of our youth was on display as they said goodbye to classes, sports, clubs, prom, final school days spent laughing with friends, and basically every expectation they had been brought up with since the day they first stepped into a classroom, Often this generation of students are told that they behave in an entitled or selfish manner, but the way they compromised and went with the flow this spring has proven them to be anything but. We have raised a generation of young adults who exhibit the ability to grow, adapt, change and persevere through whatever obstacles may present themselves on a regular basis.

The plan for commencement went from anticipating a typical year to a very downsized experience allowing only two guests per students versus the traditional eight or so, to finally ending in

a “Drive-Through” experience where students had to ride with their families in a single vehicle to the stage, where they would then walk and reenter their vehicle. Instead of complaining about these ever changing plans, many students actually praised the changes. One student stated, “My little sister wasn’t going to be able to attend my graduation because of her asthma. I was so happy she was able to ride along with me in our car and see me graduate.” Another student expressed how pleased he was that his entire family was able to drive him through graduation versus just his mom and dad attending a stadium ceremony. Another student expressed their unique circumstances, “I was so worried about how to have all of my parents attend. My mom and dad divorced when I was young but remarried other people

while I was still in elementary school. My stepparents have supported me throughout all of my education and I was so glad all four of the people I call mom and dad could attend. I love you all and you are my family.” Focusing on the positives seems to be a great skill of this class.

There is no doubt that this is a unique and difficult time, but there is also no doubt that our youth show an ability to push forward and choose to embrace those challenges head on as they grow and become stronger through them.

To the NHS Class of 2020, good luck...you lead us all through your own example of self-sacrifice. Photo credit Lexie Huys, Kevin Wang and Russ Draper