Graduation Speech - Original Writing Essay

When I was younger, I would often return home to a familiar question: So, what did you learn today? My answer would always be "nothing" or "stuff." As I look back, I never lied, yet, I never told the whole truth. Many people think that you don't know anything with only 18 years of experience; I think they're wrong. I've learned a lot about myself and others from the relationships I have built throughout the years. I believe my most important lessons were "people" lessons. Those are the ones which could never be taught out of a book or in a lecture; you have to go out and experience them for yourself.

Nine years ago, I never could have imagined I’d be writing this essay. I was a senior in high school, and, like the rest of my classmates, I was apprehensive about the future. Unlike my classmates, I felt like I had missed the proverbial “you need to get your life together” message. I watched my classmates apply to colleges, their majors already decided and their future careers mapped out. While I was an above average student, I felt I lacked the decisiveness my classmates seemed to have. I did not feel passionate about a career or even a field of study. I felt defective. This was compounded by the financial strain I knew attending college would have on my family. It seemed wasteful to try to “find my passion” at school while squandering

I want to thank my family for giving me the opportunity to receive a private education and for encouraging me to always do my best. Thank you to my friends and their parents who have loved me and believed in me. Most of all, I want to say thanks to God for giving me the gifts He has and for loving me unconditionally; for without Him, I am nothing.

I once read that life is well represented as a pearl deep within an oyster. The pearl symbolizes each person's potential, or the things that are going well for them in life. Just as a mere grain of sand that enters an oyster can grow into something of great worth, there is a fragment of excellency within every one of you that over time can be shape you into an individual who will make a difference in the world.

I slipped on my red sneakers and scurried with excitement to get my jacket. My mother and I got in the car and headed for the city to do some Christmas shopping for my little sister and my father. We held hands while walking along the sidewalks, snaking our way through the crowds, and shopping in the stores that lined the city streets. I came to a sudden stop, jerking her back to a stop as well. I turned my head slowly to the right, then slowly tilted it up. Realizing what was in front of me, a rush of excitement shot through every inch of my scrawny little body. I ran up to the door and yanked the door open. The door whipped open, breaking through the slight breeze blowing throughout the streets, then it slowly closed back into its door

Well Class of 2012, we did it! We are graduating. All the hard work we have done to graduate has paid off. All the final exams, the many steps we've taken up and down Gadd High's halls, to the gym for practice, up to the cafeteria to connect with friends, down to the library, up to the playing fields -- they're all over. After today, our lives will be changed forever. Before that happens, let's take a look at the last four years of memories and even go back to those memories from our elementary and middle school years and collect them into a book; our own book, our book of life. If, some day, people could read our individual book, what would they learn from them?

Well, this is it, the day all of us have been waiting for has finally arrived. It seems like only yesterday we were picking our noses and flicking them at innocent bystanders or yelling childish phrases like, "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" or, wait, that was yesterday. Never mind. Anyways.

There's a recurring question that often presents itself at different points in our lives. We ask it to ourselves in private and are asked by others at any given time. It comes from those we are yet to know well and from those who can see us with their eyes closed. It goes to the tune of, "What do you want to do someday?" or "What do you want to be?" and it rarely comes with a monosyllabic reply. The routine "I don't know," or shrug are devoted companions of this question, though every now and then an individual can focus the future before his or her eyes and give it a name. For the rest of us, the specifics may still be hazy. I can say with certainty that my response to this questions is consistently inarticulate. I do take solace,

Well, this is it. Our last night. The last page of the scrapbook we call high school. Our scrapbooks are filled with memories from the first day we walked into these halls ... to this very night. Pictures crammed in, ticket stubs nestled between them, adorned by dried corsages and newspaper clippings, yellowed with every fond recollection.

The Bentley pulled up outside of the school and garnered quite a bit of attention as you and Jennifer stepped out. Most of the school was watching as two extremely pale kids walked through the school. You separated from Jennifer as she had found her classroom. You then went and found your own classroom. The teacher in your homeroom instantly recognized as Miss Kazate, head of science. She kept you at the front and waited for the rest of the class to arrive.

Lights flashing day and night, cars and taxi’s stuck in the day rush and the night to endure the spotlight, but in North Brooklyn there was to girls, two girls who were friends since 6th grade. They went through many hardships but still always managed to come together. They never let anything completely disable their friendship. They were the ideal friendship at minimum, at most they were like a friendship you could only pray for. Natalia and Roxanne were inseparable.

“We have done everything we can, all that is left is to hope for the best” the intensivist said in a crackly voice. I felt powerless and distraught. It was the summer of 2015, just before my medical school final, thesis and graduation. My grandmother was her joyful self a few weeks ago, how was this possible? She always had a distrust and fear of doctors, the only person she opened up to with medical issues was me, her only grandchild. She had not seen a doctor in many years and never undertook any screening tests. Few months prior she began having low-grade fevers and constipation, this alarmed me, so I pleaded with her to see a physician. No luck. Her symptoms became worse; she was getting weaker each passing day. I could not sit and watch my beloved grandmother suffer.

Something I have never imagined. I felt as someone has taken half of my heart, I was feeling lonely. I could not explain what was I am feeling or what I was thinking about. The only thing I was asking myself why was happening to me. I felt as if I took her for granted. The love I had for her was enormous but I did not show her enough of it. She gave me love and a good friendship. I was not ready to let go, of someone who has been here since I was born. For my heart still, aches with sadness. She not only became the most important person in my life. I could not cover up my pain I still hoped, when my eyes open, she will embrace me with her love, but memories of her will always stay. Having trouble accepting the fact she was gone, I am afraid of entering her room and seeing her lay there knowing those eyes of hers will never open again. She was a wonderful person, she was the sunshine of my day. The person who made me believe the world had multiple opportunities. Her astonishing smile could bring a bad day to a good day. We believe the special person would stay with you forever and noticing the person you most loved and appreciated is gone in a blink of an eye. The memories and the great time I spent with my grandmother could not be changed for anything. The love can not be replaced or can not be forgotten.

(Francisco gets ready for school looking as if he still isn 't awake. After he walks downstairs to Mrs. Mendoza cooking breakfast)

respected that because he valued my education. I was expected to graduate in May of 2014 and we planned to get married in March of 2014 right before my graduation. Things were going well until late February I stopped hearing from him for 10 days. I was worried, he hadn’t deployed or anything, but what if he got hurt. He ended up calling me two weeks before our wedding date to say that he was not the man I should marry and that he needed time to get to get himself together. I agreed respectfully and said that we could wait. The following weekend, I was informed that he married a women he had met 5 months prior. I was put in a state of depression and tried to commit suicide. I stopped attending class during midterms which is when I found out and my life turned upside down. A few days later, I realized graduation was less than two months away and that I had to pull myself together. I did and I graduated that May with a 3.2 GPA. When I think of this experience, I think about my ego. Freud would say that my ego wants to meet my needs in a way that is sensible and takes all aspects of the situation into account before taking action. When the peak of this situation arrived, my ego needed to meet my needs of being hurt. I took everything into account, so what I did was focus heavily on my studies so that my brain was the focus and not my heart. My ego told me that my degree was more important than a heartbreak at the time so I managed to redo all my midterms and even pass my