The Paly Voice acquired the following speeches from their authors, with their authors’ consent to publish. The authors wrote the speeches with the intention of delivering them at graduation, but were not selected. Each speech went through an evaluation process on May 21 by a panel of staff members. The views stated in these speeches do not necessarily reflect the views of The Paly Voice, nor those of its staff.
Graduation Speech
by Rebecca Ackroyd
Today I want to talk about us. By us, I mean everyone. Everyone on this stage behind me has grown from awkward freshman to confident seniors. I was so terrified going into a new school. I didn’t want to be that freshman that was all alone in the corner. But then I found Theater and Choir. Once you are a Theater and a Choir kid, you never go back. It’s like the mafia. You walk into the Theater and you soon find yourself with a power tool in your hand, or if you walk into the Choir room you find yourself talking about vowel shaping without remembering how you even got there. That was the best part. Both of these programs helped me find stability in high school. The Theater program opened my mind. The Choir program showed me a new side to music that I never considered. The most important thing about these programs was the value of hard work. Not hard work like focusing on getting good grades. But being able to improve after failing. The ability to get back up on your feet after being disappointed. To look for the next step when you reach a dead end. As one man said ‘getting over a bump on the road’, or as another said ‘accept praise and criticism with grace’. I learned this lesson through Theater and Choir. Everyone behind me has learned this lesson through his or her own passions and activities. People here have been on championship teams, won awards in speech and debate, and competed in scholastic competitions and many other different opportunities. That is something that Paly does well, offer creative outlets for their students to refine their passions. I am sad that I am leaving this group of wonderful seniors. But the chapter of our childhood is almost finished, we have to turn the page and start the new chapter of our adult lives. So let us go out into the world on our different paths. But let us never forget our memories here and still keep in touch no matter how big the distance between all of us is. Thank you and let us turn the page.
Click here to find Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V and Part VII.