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Good morning, VHS!
Today is the day that we've all been waiting for:
National Blueberry Cheesecake Day.
Oh, and I guess it's also our high school graduation.
Anyway, congratulations class of 2018!
It is truly an honor to speak in front of all of you on this beautiful, somewhat cloudy Saturday morning.
To begin, I would like to inspire you guys with a quote by the wise
Master Oogway as he said in the timeless Kung Fu Panda movie
Yesterday is history,
tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present
Keeping his words in mind, let's all take a moment to look around and appreciate today.
Give the people you're sitting next to you a couple pats on the back, even if you barely know them.
Take a good, long sniff of the air, and cherish the delightful scent of such a large, large, large crowd.
Admire the sleek designs of our fashion forward caps and gowns.
But most importantly, remember to thank all the family, faculty, and friends who helped you get here.
Now my fellow graduates, it's time for a history review.
Use your imaginations and pretend that gently stroking your tassels gives you the ability to time travel back into the dark ages,
which are also commonly known as the early days of our freshman year.
This was before we had finished going through our legendary "glo ups" or fully understood the intricacies of MLA format.
We were basically all still middle schoolers, and we couldn't decide if we could totally handle the spice
of the Flamin' Hot Cheetos sold in the high school cafeteria or not!
But now...
let's close our eyes and visualize ourselves as the subjects of a long time lapse video
made by someone with a lot of available phone storage.
Let us witness ourselves growing and changing throughout high school, like young sprouts reaching toward the sunlight.
In the time-lapse, we should acknowledge ourselves as the nearly mature saplings that we are today,
but we shouldn't let the video end here.
We must stand back and watch ourselves grow into the majestic trees that we are destined to become
when we finally leave the comfort of our "tree nursery" and get replanted out into the wild.
Now finally, we are here in the once
mysterious future and we
can clearly see ourselves as healthy trees with thick trunks and even thicker leaves.
By the year 2020, we will have long understood the importance of putting down strong roots and
always holding our ground.
By 2024, we will have been making our own meals for years through the fine art of photosynthesis.
By 2028, we will be growing in a lush forest with many of our fellow trees, a few which will begin to feel like family.
By 2032, we will be working with a large network of trees that will be making major progress in solving
some of the world's greatest problems, like climate change, world hunger,
water scarcity, social injustice, and the never ending Fortnite craze.
By 2036, it will be certain that our generation of trees will be leaving a positive impact
on this beautiful planet.
But now, I must sadly zap all of us back into reality.
The year is 2018, and we are humans, not trees.
But we must always remember to allow our inner trees to fight against all of our most evil human qualities
As artist Joanne Raptis once said,
Be like a tree. Stay grounded,
connect with your roots, turn over a new leaf,
bend before you break, enjoy your unique natural beauty, and keep growing.
Class of 2018, I am optimistic that we will all accomplish our diverse
post-graduation goals, and I wish each and every one of you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors.
Once again, congratulations graduating class of 2018, and remember to stay 212!