Graduation Speech — May 21, 2010
Good evening, family, friends, acquaintances, and the Graduating Class of 2010. It is my honor to be speaking in front of you tonight. These past thirteen years were tough yet they were worthwhile. The people we have met and the friends we have made have all been pieces to the puzzle to make this journey special and it also makes it very hard to say good-bye to.
I unfortunately did not have the honor of being homeschooled all of my life. So like some, my school journey didn’t start in the living room of my home with my family there to lead and guide me, it started in the kindergarten play yard of Sequoia Elementary School. If I remember that day correctly, yes I was one of those kids who almost had a complete meltdown in the sandbox. I remember being so shy, so timid, and I remember not necessarily knowing about this whole school thing. Three years later, I was one of 66 students to reopen Mather Heights Elementary School. There again, I was so shy and so timid. Then upon being promoted in 2004, entering a whole new world. Starting middle school at Mitchell Middle School in Rancho Cordova wasn’t the easiest. After spending a year and a half there, my parents decided to home school me. Though my first experiences with being homeschooled was in the South Sutter Charter School program, God blessed me with teachers and a tutor that I’ll probably never forget. Then sophomore year, my family and I decided to settle down with this organization and I think it’s one of the best schooling decisions we’ve ever made. I’ve had an amazing education and have made so many friends that have helped me get through the last of my high school career.
So tonight as I stand here, I am reminded of everyone who helped me get this far. Guy Oshiro, Michelle Chick, Christopher Chick, and Connor Oshiro have been the most amazing family a person could ever ask for. My mother and stepfather ran their businesses and still had the time to home school me and my brother and my father even though he wasn’t there as much as he would have wanted to be because of his job down in Southern California, and my brother I can’t thank him enough for still loving me as his sister. I don’t think my family knows how much they mean to me and how much I look up to them. The rest of my family who is too big to mention, thanks for being here for me. Pastors Richard and Corrine Cardoza, the Souled Out Youth group, and the rest of The Lord’s Church, my extended family, they’ve been there for me from into the church for the first time nine and a half years ago. Pastors Richard and Corrine have been amazing pastors and have taught me well. The Souled Out Youth group, how can I say this without getting all teary-eyed? My brothers and my sisters, have been there with me through the hardest of times, have encouraged me, and yes even preached at me when I needed it. The rest of The Lord’s Church, there are too many of you name, but I can’t thank you guys enough. All those church meetings and gatherings, most of my greatest memories are with you guys. Breanna Channell Bryant, my best friend, we’ve been through almost everything together. We have had our share of arguments and we have had our share of good laughs. She was almost always there to give me a needed reality check. I cannot thank my best friend enough. There are so many people who I’d like to recognize and thank, but that’ll take me all night long, but there is one more person that I’d like to recognize. This person and I have not had it easy. It’s been a long two years, but we’ve both managed to of made it through alive and in one piece. Sandy Tellkamp has been more than just a ‘lady from our church that is living with us.’ She is family and even though I haven’t always been the most respectful person in the world to her and though we’ve had our share of late night arguments, I don’t know if she knows how much she means to me and how much I look up to her.
To my graduating class, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” This quote is really relevant to this occasion. You are probably thinking the same thing I’ve been thinking pretty much since freshman year, what I am going to do with my life? Sometimes we don’t need to know everything. All it takes is a baby step to get us to where we need to be. Let me leave you with this, up until now our parents made 99% of all of our decisions for our lives and now it’s really our turn to make our own decisions. As we step into our future and live it out, know that we all aren’t alone. It’ll be a long process, but in the end it’ll be just like this one, worthwhile. Thank you and good luck to my graduating class.
Good evening, family, friends, acquaintances, and the Graduating Class of 2010. It is my honor to be speaking in front of you tonight. These past thirteen years were tough yet they were worthwhile. The people we have met and the friends we have made have all been pieces to the puzzle to make this journey special and it also makes it very hard to say good-bye to.
I unfortunately did not have the honor of being homeschooled all of my life. So like some, my school journey didn’t start in the living room of my home with my family there to lead and guide me, it started in the kindergarten play yard of Sequoia Elementary School. If I remember that day correctly, yes I was one of those kids who almost had a complete meltdown in the sandbox. I remember being so shy, so timid, and I remember not necessarily knowing about this whole school thing. Three years later, I was one of 66 students to reopen Mather Heights Elementary School. There again, I was so shy and so timid. Then upon being promoted in 2004, entering a whole new world. Starting middle school at Mitchell Middle School in Rancho Cordova wasn’t the easiest. After spending a year and a half there, my parents decided to home school me. Though my first experiences with being homeschooled was in the South Sutter Charter School program, God blessed me with teachers and a tutor that I’ll probably never forget. Then sophomore year, my family and I decided to settle down with this organization and I think it’s one of the best schooling decisions we’ve ever made. I’ve had an amazing education and have made so many friends that have helped me get through the last of my high school career.
So tonight as I stand here, I am reminded of everyone who helped me get this far. Guy Oshiro, Michelle Chick, Christopher Chick, and Connor Oshiro have been the most amazing family a person could ever ask for. My mother and stepfather ran their businesses and still had the time to home school me and my brother and my father even though he wasn’t there as much as he would have wanted to be because of his job down in Southern California, and my brother I can’t thank him enough for still loving me as his sister. I don’t think my family knows how much they mean to me and how much I look up to them. The rest of my family who is too big to mention, thanks for being here for me. Pastors Richard and Corrine Cardoza, the Souled Out Youth group, and the rest of The Lord’s Church, my extended family, they’ve been there for me from into the church for the first time nine and a half years ago. Pastors Richard and Corrine have been amazing pastors and have taught me well. The Souled Out Youth group, how can I say this without getting all teary-eyed? My brothers and my sisters, have been there with me through the hardest of times, have encouraged me, and yes even preached at me when I needed it. The rest of The Lord’s Church, there are too many of you name, but I can’t thank you guys enough. All those church meetings and gatherings, most of my greatest memories are with you guys. Breanna Channell Bryant, my best friend, we’ve been through almost everything together. We have had our share of arguments and we have had our share of good laughs. She was almost always there to give me a needed reality check. I cannot thank my best friend enough. There are so many people who I’d like to recognize and thank, but that’ll take me all night long, but there is one more person that I’d like to recognize. This person and I have not had it easy. It’s been a long two years, but we’ve both managed to of made it through alive and in one piece. Sandy Tellkamp has been more than just a ‘lady from our church that is living with us.’ She is family and even though I haven’t always been the most respectful person in the world to her and though we’ve had our share of late night arguments, I don’t know if she knows how much she means to me and how much I look up to her.
To my graduating class, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” This quote is really relevant to this occasion. You are probably thinking the same thing I’ve been thinking pretty much since freshman year, what I am going to do with my life? Sometimes we don’t need to know everything. All it takes is a baby step to get us to where we need to be. Let me leave you with this, up until now our parents made 99% of all of our decisions for our lives and now it’s really our turn to make our own decisions. As we step into our future and live it out, know that we all aren’t alone. It’ll be a long process, but in the end it’ll be just like this one, worthwhile. Thank you and good luck to my graduating class.
No comments:
Post a Comment