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[Applause]
Nivedita Thamizharasan is an extremely bright young woman and that is an understatement.
She spends much of her time immersed in both academics and extracurricular activities.
She is Captain of the Math Competition Team and the Knowledge Bowl, as well as President
of Beta Club and Mu Alpha Theta. In the fall, she plans to study Chemistry and Pre-medicine
at Vanderbilt University. Nive, as her friends and family refer to her, has blown every standardized
test that she has ever taken out of the water. She is a National Merit Scholar, an honor
received by only the top 1% of high school students nationwide. In approximately eight
years, I will be looking for her to be my physician. So please come back to Memphis,
Nive. I would like to quote Nive’s Advanced Placement teacher Mr. Wade Hall in his description
of Nive. And I quote, “In this era of feel-good awards and inflated GPAs, here is a young
woman who has earned everything she has ever received.” I could not agree more. Her work
ethic is impeccable. In my own search for inspiration to describe Nive, I received it
in this very room on this very stage two weeks, two Sundays ago when Reverend Rufus Smith
spoke about the importance of humility in our everyday lives. Always be humble. Don’t
just look out for your own interests, but for the interests of others as well. I believe
this is something Nive practices on a daily basis. I thought of Nive when I heard these
words from Mr. John Cassis, “It is nice to be important, but it is much more important
to be nice.” Class of 2012, I introduce to you your valedictorian Nivedita Thamizharasan.
Good evening graduating class of 2012, I am honored to be speaking as your valedictorian.
For many of us, this will be the last time we will be in the same room. Soon each of
us will go forth, in his or her own unique direction, seeking to make a mark upon the
world. Most of us came into high school a little
bit unsure. Unsure of how to get to our classes, unsure of where these four years would lead
us, and unsure of what in the world was being served to us in the lunch line. For the four
hundred-odd students who stand with me today, these four years have led us here: to the
beginning of our adult lives. Most valedictory speeches -- concentrate -- on generalizations
-- about how hard we’ve worked -- and how far we’ve come. But high school is not one
general experience. It is a constant flow of homework and friends and after theatre
or football or band practice, it creates 4 years of irreplaceable memories.
This room is filled with so many personalities. There are those of us who manage to not do
any of the summer reading but still make A’s on the essays. Then there are those of us
who set alarms at 4:00am every morning to finish our homework before school. Regardless
of our approaches to high school, we have all reached the end of it. But there are a
few things to keep in mind before we cross that threshold.
Arnold Edinborough said that curiosity is the very basis for education. If you tell
me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only that the cat died nobly. In my case and the
cases of many around me, curiosity is the driving force behind our learning. We seek
not only to know things, but also to know why they happen. Cynthia Ham, the president
of the non-profit organization Bridges, spoke about this just the other day. If there are
people falling down a water fall, we must not stop to watch them fall. Instead, we must
try to figure out why they are falling in the first place. This sort of curiosity is
what drove us through high school, and it will not cease to flourish as we make our
way into the real world. The thirst for knowledge will be the thing that keeps us and our society
on level ground. I heard a speech the other day by Chris Peck,
the editor of the Commercial Appeal, about the ten things he wished someone had told
him in high school. Among advice such as don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself and don’t
get pregnant or get anyone else pregnant, at least not until you’re ready, the most
valuable thing he told us was that we should take everything as it comes.
Today is not the end of something. It is the first beginning in a long line of new beginnings.
We’re becoming a part of a world where sleep until 11:00 a.m. is a reality and laundry
does not do itself anymore. Some of you already have your foot in the door, while others of
you are probably hiding Kleenexes underneath your chair to cry into once this ceremony
is over. But before crossing over into our adult lives, we should look back at every
small struggle that brought us here today. Let us be thankful.
Thank your parents for supporting you and putting up with your for eighteen years, for
driving you to every track meet and band practice and for not missing your graduation for the
world. Thank your friends for always lending an ear, a smile, and a shoulder to lean on.
Thank your teachers for instilling in you the knowledge that your will take forth into
the world. Considering how much most of them get paid, you should probably thank them twice.
And thank yourself for doing everything necessary to make sure you sat in this church today.
Remember every struggle and success that brought you here and thank yourself for making it
through. And whatever may come in the future, take it in stride, one step at a time. You
are not alone. You are part of the graduating class of 2012. Thank you and congratulations.