Graduation Speech : My Experience

How are you doing? This is Will, the tall black guy you would sometimes see in service. I'm writing to say goodbye. My project in Carson City came to an end and I've moved back to Texas. Thank you so much for making me feel at home at Hope. Your messages kept me going while I was in Reno. God used your words to truly bless me and also show me where I need to improve. Sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye in person, but everything happened so fast.

Today I have been asked to speak about graduation past, present and future. My first graduation occurred when I finished kindergarten. This is often where we learn the most basic of principles. This is what I learned:

As result of creating and implementing this artifact, I realized that the most effective lesson plans are those which initiate with the final assessment in mind. So, I applied a pre-test at the very beginning of my lessons with every different group I would be teaching to measure a starting point or the amount of pre-existing knowledge on the topics to be taught. Based on this, I planned the instruction to deliver and how to differentiate it.

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”.

Since my presentation was only in front of three people I was not nervous, which was an amazing feeling. Not once did I lose my train of thought and I felt so much more confident than I usually do during presentations. It was a great experience for me, I hope that I can learn to feel as confident in large groups as I do in small groups. My group was very warm and welcoming. I did not feel rushed or as though I was boring them to death. I found that they were actually very interested in the article I selected to review and began asking questions before I got to my discussion questions.

Christopher Columbus, reflecting on his voyage which led him to the discovery of America, said, "Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World." I am sure that after four years of high school, we have all formed our own opinion of Christopher Columbus - especially if you had Mrs. Powers - but whether you view him as a genocidal rogue or the first American Hero, I find his quote fitting for where we stand today.

We all have had many stones read to us, and even read many ourselves. In elementary school they were stories of Lad, Jane and Spot. Each of us beamed with pride as we stumbled over that first line of "See Lad go," or "Run Jane run." Then, in junior high we learned about plot and theme, and the characters of the stories actually developed personalities. Now, as graduating seniors, many of us have learned that stories can teach us valuable lessons about life. Even the simple stories from elementary school contain lessons that we can relate to our own experiences. One story in particular that just happens to be from my favorite producer, Disney, and emphasizes the importance of friendship is "The Fox and The Hound." As this story

I have learned a lot about me as a person or student, both from getting experience in the things that I do as well as the lecture I got from Christopher video. I feel confident at this point that I am capable of successfully applying those things that I learned from the lecture. This paper also describes strong points and weak points about men and women behavior and I also learnt significantly and how it will improve my personality. It also analyses about what else that is needed for an individual and how things can be made more effective and what was the problem there.

When I accepted my admission to Vassar, it was to pursue my second degree in dramatic arts. I came under the pretext that this was a “prestigious” program and that I would gain an immense amount of knowledge and experience as a drama student. Almost immediately I began to realize the many flaws within the dynamics of this department. Coming into the program you are required to take the intro course regardless of your theatrical experience. This requirement stands in your way of taking any other course in the department so it is a class that is a hot commodity. Somehow, in a class that originally had 39 students, only 3 of us were phenotypically Black. There can of course be other students who identify in this way, but their body does not read blackness the way mine and the body of my other 2 classmate do.

Good evening and welcome to the commencement ceremonies of the class of 2006. It has been a long journey, somewhere around 18 years, but we've finally reached the piece de resistance of our high school years.

It has been nearly four centuries since the first higher education institution in America, Harvard University, was founded in 1636. Ever since, one of the most critical facets in the ideal of upward mobility, in the United States and around the globe, remains the college degree. However, with the rising costs of obtaining a degree, many students have been challenged with the question of whether attending university and/or obtaining a degree is even worth the financial investment. Former CBS anchor Dan Rather answers it best, “A college degree is the key to realizing the American dream, well worth the financial sacrifice because it is supposed to open the door to a world of opportunity.” So, yes, despite the high and rising costs of obtaining a university degree, it is very much worth the expense as it prepares a more highly skilled workforce for post-collegiate careers, it promotes the betterment and advancement of society, and the value of a degree creates monetary opportunities and benefits later on.

2. Should I say goodbye then and there with a hug, see how that goes, and then maybe a kiss if I don’t get red-lighted

As a group we decided to include a “College Success” course for freshman within out First Year Experience. Instead of making the course required, we would prefer to make the class optional and offered for 2 credits. The class would be for 50 minutes per day and either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday and available both spring and fall semesters for first-year students at High Point University. The course would be recommended to all freshman for the fall semester in order to assist in the transition to college life, but would be offered spring semester as well for students who struggled first semester with becoming acclimated to the university.

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.

My “about me paper” is going to start with elementary school; my life has had many events, but it was not until school when my journey really had begun. Growing up I had always been the happy, naive, child most people are use to; I was always smiling, but when it came to school work I dreaded it. From first grade to fifth I had a tutor every year and almost every summer. At first it was the reading then once I concurred that, it was the math, life just never gave me a break. Being the child I was, I could not fully understand why I was the way I was. I was tested for ADHD and got on a low dose of adderall; this solved some of the problem. It helped me focus in class, but I had mood swings and was zombi like.