SENIOR COMMENCEMENT SPEECHES

A few weeks ago, a few friends and I stayed late after school to review for our AP Physics Exam. And after our review session, while I was waiting for my dad to pick me up, I realized that aside from the diligent cleaning crew, I was the only person left in the Upper School. It already dark out, I, for the first time in weeks, actually stopped to reflect. And somehow, I began to walk around, pacing the halls, sitting in the forum, entering old classrooms, and thinking more deeply about my time here at GCS. In this moment, I came across three lessons that GCS has taught me, lessons that I feel are crucial as we, the Class of 2022, prepare to embark on the next phase of our respective journeys.

First, is to never place any limits on yourself; not limits on what you can learn nor on what you can achieve. One of the staples of the GCS experience is the spirit of persistent learning, and alongside that, persistent development. Such a sense of curiosity is vital as we depart GCS. Always strive to learn more, to do more, and dream big, for in the words of Langston Hughes, devoid of dreams, “life is a barren field frozen with snow.” In so doing, declare success over your future and make proclamations on your behalf. As I look around this room, I see future doctors and engineers, presidents and authors, musicians and athletes. I look out and see greatness; I see leadership.

Secondly, we must embrace that leadership. And to do this, we must fully immerse ourselves in a community. One of the things GCS has taught me, and I’m sure the entire class, is that leadership requires engagement; you must be involved. In this sense, we must integrate our interests and abilities with those of the broader world; we must use all our knowledge and skills, not only for our individual progression and development, but for the betterment of others – the betterment of society writ large. And that is the legacy of this institution, the backbone and mission of this place: to prepare students to become responsible and contributing members of our global society. As I stand before you this morning, I am both proud and humbled to say that the Class of 2022 has inherited this gene, and we are ready and capable of fulfilling its task.

Lastly, but certainly not least, is staying hopeful in the face of adversity. Despite its incredible reward, the task of leadership is not to be understated; it entails the weathering of many storms and the fighting of many uphill battles. Life, for none of us, will be a crystal stair; our ascension to the moon of our potential will be constrained by the gravitational force of our individual fears, insecurities, and dilemmas. Yet, for us leaders coming from Glenelg Country School, there is some good news. We have been equipped with all the tools necessary to defeat such obstacles; we have been given a mighty powerful sword to fend off the inevitable encroachments of the enemy. As aspiring leaders, the Class of 2022 has everything we need to succeed and thrive in the future. Yet, I would be remiss if I did not comment on the role of these various trials and tribulations. Obstacles later in life will have a purpose, namely, to teach us certain lessons. The most important of which, I reckon, is to keep moving forward. Despite what may come, with eyes steady on our North Star, we shall press on and press on, always remembering that the hotter the battle the sweeter the victory. As such, I want to leave you with a quote from Dr. King that echoes these sentiments: “If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving!”

Congratulations, Class of 2022. After working tirelessly for the past four years, we are graduating high school. Thank you to our administration, our trustees, our teachers, and our parents for helping us get here.

For many of us, today felt like it would never come. We anticipated this day for years. Yet, now, we should remember to slow down and live in the moment as we reflect on our time as Dragons. American literary icon Robert Frost reminds us in his poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” that our favorite times, like those at GCS, are fleeting. So how should we honor our experience here?

My first day at GCS was ten years ago. I came to the Lower School clad in my plaid jumper, anxious for the start of third grade. I hoped to find friends. What I found was a family. This GCS family has changed over the decade that I have been a Dragon. We said goodbye to some students and faculty members and said hello to some new ones. Yet the things that remain constant are our shared memories. There are too many to enumerate, but I’ll share a few highlights that brought us together.

In Lower School, each May, we would go to the Teardrop for Field Day prepared for a day of Glens vs. Elgs tug-of-war where some of us would get rope burns yet still have fun. Later, we sat by the Upper School fields, Popsicles in hands, ready to cheer on our friends in the All-School Relay. We had our bitter green vs. white rivalry on these days but supporting our peers as they ran around the track gave us the same Dragon pride.

In Middle School, once December rolled around, we started on our STEAM Fair projects. Some complained constantly and some of us loved it so much that we decided to create a functioning hovercraft or an aurora borealis in a jar. However, we all bonded over our shared experience.

In Upper School, there was a pandemic. We substituted seeing each other’s faces in the flesh for seeing each other in boxes on our screen for over a year. Yet, COVID-19 did not break our class’s spirit. When we kicked off senior year in person at Senior Sunrise, our class was united again, ready to support each other through 11:59 pm Integrative deadlines and the college application whirlwind.

Our GCS family as we graduate today is unique and diverse. We appreciate each other’s talents. I know that some of us excel in our Dragon Stadium. (Girls lacrosse was literally first in the nation this year!) I know that others of us pour our hearts into our Mulitz Theater, whether we play instruments, sing in choirs, perform in musicals, or assist backstage. I know that still more of us dedicate ourselves to our communities, leading service initiatives from our Youth in Philanthropy program.

Seniors, our accomplishments and chosen family have defined our GCS experience. Now we will go our separate ways, from California to New York and beyond. This transition time will be difficult. We might look to the past, reminiscing on our days at GCS. We might look to the future, eagerly awaiting the day we get to college to start our next chapters. I encourage you to appreciate the time we are spending together right now. We may not be GCS students anymore, but moving forward, we will forever cherish our friends and our teachers, no matter where we are. We are a family, and GCS will always be where our roots lie. That’s how we “stay gold.”