Graduation Speech : College Students

Hi Ms.Barks, I am not sure if you remember me ( EAP 121,Winter 2015),just want to tell you I am done with ENG 101 and to thank you for the permit!!! It was very interesting expirience ( Bixby was my teacher),however I passed and moving on.This is my last quarter in Edcc , I am taking summer off and will be attending Shoreline community college this fall.Again,I just wanted to thank you for being supportive of me and allowing me to get closer to my goal!!!. I was very fortunate to have you as my teacher!!! Have a great summer!!!

I always expected to feel differently when applying for college, and especially when getting accepted. But it did not go quite how I had always pictured. I had been out of school and working, and started to lose the urgency or desire to leave for college right away. I was not ready to leave home and all my loved ones and so I slacked on keeping up with all the college stuff like I should have been doing. One day I finally applied to the only place I set my sights on, not really expecting much. And to my surprise, I was accepted. There, everything changed.

I noticed you sent an announcement out about seeing our grade as of Friday in the handout section, but when I try and click on that section there is no link for it. Also, from what I can recall, on the quizzes, and Rocketmix I am not doing well in your class and would like any and all suggestions you have for me. I'm feeling upset with myself as I've been doing well in all of my classes since attending the CSUDH I'm on track to graduate Summa Cum Laude. I have had many struggles in the past with school and getting my first Associates degree and I believe being a first generation college student did not help matter but now 10 years have past since my first degree and I've learned to be a better college student since then and going into

College is stereotyped to be some of the “best years” to a young adult's life but in fact some students report it being at times more challenging than enjoyable. With balancing assignments, time management, social

The Great Being saith and I quote: “Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom”.

The most common thing I heard about college before I got here was that college students are always under a tremendous amount of stress and have no free time to do anything other than school work. I was afraid that I would be so overloaded with school work that I would be miserable and lose the motivation to do any of it. In high school I always waited until the last minute to do any of my assignments and that led to me struggling to keep A’s and B’s. This also led to me stressing out over assignments that I had plenty of time to do. It was a simple problem that I could have solved just by using proper time management.

What a college education means to me? It means pride, determination, and opportunity. The pride I have in knowing that even though I have had many setbacks and faced many challenges that I was able to overcome them and achieve one of my greatest accomplishments working toward a college degree. My determination allows me to wake up every day and even though it is not going to be easy to work, I will make sure I am able to study and complete all my school work. An opportunity, I am in no way ashamed that I have not completed college, but I know in today’s world this limits how far I can make it in the job market. I know that with a degree I will get closer to finding a career that I can be successful at and enjoy doing.

Graduation season is in full swing and here at UMKC the first ever class of bridge to college is graduating Friday, May 6th, 2016.

Good afternoon [name of members of the head table], teachers, parents, students, fellow graduates and distinguished guests. I must first and foremost thank God for this blessing and honor to stand before you today as Valedictorian of the Class of 2011. Yet, today is not only my day to shine. Every graduate present here is deserving of high praise and recognition and I would like to congratulate each of you on reaching this milestone in life. I think I speak for my fellow graduates when I say that this is a moment we have always imagined and one we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Entering college introduces students to several challenges that go further than high school academics. First- year students are to understand a new social environment they are in, try and fit in with other at the new institution, adapt to new things and responsibilities, comprehend the distance from hometown friends and family, involve yourself in the career of your choice (Credé, & Niehorster 2011). Students struggle with the transition from high school to college. Many students do not believe that the transition is hard from going to high school then to college.

According to the 2015 National College Health Assessment, over 85% of college students have felt stressed or overwhelmed in the last year. As an undergraduate, I am fully aware of the pressure we, as students, feel. We are a machines, constantly trying to balance studying, our classes, working, having a social life, and preparing for our future. And we are still expected to get eight hours of sleep every night? I know first hand how this feels. I wake up early every morning, go to class, spend countless hours studying and doing homework between classes, attend more classes, come home, clean, go to work, and study some more. Every day is a work in progress of what I will become in the future. What will be my occupation? How much money will I make per year? How am I going to pay off my student loans? These are all questions college students ask themselves everyday. William Zinsser reflects on his own college experience in his article “College Pressures” and discusses why college students feel such an intense load of pressure these days.

Higher education is important to me and probably many other people because it gives a person new dream, outlooks, greater job opportunities, and most importantly, it is self-improvement. Going to college takes someone on a journey; a journey of finding one 's self, learning responsibilities, and finding the inspiration deep inside that says, "no matter what comes my way I will fight, I 'll fight to the end because this is important to me". I respect and hold the following quote in my heart to help me on my never-ending journey; "Life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated. Those who only live don 't live in reality only those who celebrate live. And, each moment has to become a celebration." (Osho, 1984, p. 47) I try to make every moment a celebration so I can look back and see where I started to where I am at now. I try to take on challenges in life that I have never done before, e.g. writing in APA format and Citing. College helps me take these new challenges head on, so I can stay on the right path in life.

Congratulations to my fellow graduates and their parents and guardians. The only way out is through and we did it. I am proudly standing here as valedictorian of the first graduating class here at Humanities III. Before I begin, I would like to offer specials thanks to the staff and faculty who have journeyed along with us and kept our heads on straight, especially those who have stuck by us for these past four years.

English class seemed to be the most dreadful to take within school. Writing essays for most of my grade in a class is not what I was looking forward too. When I entered college I knew that it would be one of many challenging classes I would have to take. Starting from the lowest English class to moving on up, the writing assignments became longer and more thought out. The time came when I got into this class that I knew more work was going to have to be put into essays and thus brought out what I had not seen before in my work progress.

When I decided to go back to college and get my degree, I was so determined to get started, I really didn’t think about what it would entail. Being ambitious and motivated, I decided to take four (4) classes on top of a busy schedule. Although the classes are divided into two classes each eight weeks it’s still a lot of work on a full-time schedule. I work full-time in the federal government as a Specialist Assistant to the Director in the Office of Legislation and I take care of my eighty-two (82) year old mom and seventeen (17) year old son. I also commute from Germantown to DC every day and most nights I don’t get home until 7:30 at night. I never knew what I was getting myself into I was just excited to get started. When I went to Frederick Community College, I took four (4) classes and received all A’s and made the Dean’s list but I took classes on campus. Given the fact that I received A’s in the past I just assumed that I could take four classes again and have the same result.