My Valedictorian Speech

So, I was my grade/class's valedictorian this year :)

This was my speech.

Time

Composed by Emily Xu

Hello to all my fellow graduates, our families, and our dedicated faculty who are here to celebrate such a milestone in our lives. I am honored to be standing here to give this speech today. Hard work brought all of us here, and it will continue to lead us forward. Even though each of us may not have started as students who were serious about our academics, we have become or hopefully are growing into students with a strong mindset towards school.

When I was younger, in the my early years of elementary school, particularly, I used to be a naughty kid who didn't know what I wanted, who didn't know the meaning behind going to school, or learning. I didn't pay attention in class, was too enthusiastic over the wrong things, and never really tried to learn from my mistakes. To my six-year old self, mistakes were just flaws that I needed to overcome.

It was the summer between first and second grade when my parents decided to enroll me in a summer school. There, all the kids were just like me, and everything was out of control and chaotic. It was then that I realized the flaw behind my attitude towards learning. When I started school again in the fall, I had this strange determination to achieve in class, and started to really be serious towards my education.

After that summer, I began improving my attitude, my grades, and my skills. As I worked on my determination to earn good grades, it blossomed into a determination to achieve in everything I did. I wasn't and still am not the most competitive person, and I didn't really want to battle for the highest grade or test score; I just wanted to meet my expectations and my parents' expectations.

I was afraid of making mistakes and asking questions at one point, but as I grew accustomed to the learning environment, I realized that mistakes and questions are beautiful things. Those mistakes and questions I had so feared before, now help me through my misunderstandings and learning. It is not okay to misunderstand something and leave it at that, I realized, because the material will only get more complicated. With this knowledge, I felt more comfortable in making mistakes, because I knew that I would learn from them.

That has shaped who I am, in terms of school, today. I don't expect to be the best at everything or be the highest-achiever. I just want to have the feeling of self-satisfaction; that I really placed myself into what my learning and achieved my goals. I'm not the smartest, and that probably is a good thing. What really led me to stand here to talk to you today was hard work, persistence, and determination. I will continue to work hard and show you my best side in whatever I do.

To be a part of this class, to be a part of this year, to be a part of this community, to be a part of this school, is a gift. Every one that I’ve met, had a conversation with, or merely just stood next to had a different personality, and each was memorable in their own way. To get to know every one over the years wasn’t a big deal at the time, but when I look back, I only wish we could’ve made more memories together. Nine years (more or less) is a long time, but our nine years seems like they just flew by.

We have spent year after year in this very building, year after year together. We challenged each other every day, even though we cherished the time we had together, somewhere deep in our hearts. We pretended we didn't care, when we cared enough that it hurt. We laughed, celebrated, and loved each other, one way or another. Life has brought us together only to tear us apart, but we will never really forget each other. We will miss the stories we created here, even if we say good riddance to the immaturity of ourselves that is forever reflected off these very walls. I will miss the stories. I will miss just being in the same room with all of you, bickering and joking and shouting and learning. But there is a sweet aftertaste to this concoction of us, and I'm glad to have been with all of you, all this time.

To all the graduates here today, I'm thankful for just getting to know you and for being a part of my life. To my parents and all of our parents, thank you for supporting us in whatever we do and sacrificing all you did for us to be able to live comfortably. To our teachers, we’re thankful for not just the classes we had with you and what we were able to learn, but also for the advice you've given us over the years. We thank everyone for helping us become better people. Although our time together ends here, what we all shared will always stay with us, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

To the wonderful years which have brought us together.

Thank you.

So that was my speech. My face red and I was breaking out in a slight sweat when saying it out loud in front of my whole year and their families and my teachers, but after it was over, a lot of people complimented me on my speech, so I feel very thankful. My co-valedictorian (we had two this year), Claire, also had a wonderful speech as well. I'm so thankful to have known all the people I have grown to love over the years, and hopefully I'll meet people who are just as worth remembering in the future as well.

I haven't posted in a long time, but I was finishing my year with a flurry of exams and events, so sorry about that. The posts will come more often now, I suppose. Stay tuned. There will be talk about some movies, the new Taeyang album, and a lot of other things I like to make blog posts about.

Until then~