28 May 2005
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Sujin's Salutatory Speech - 6:36 p.m.
I graduated from high school in May 2005 ranked second out of approximately 285. This rank made me the salutatorian, which was nice, but it also meant that I had to give a speech in front of around a zillion people at graduation. I decided to keep it short and sweet because giving speeches isn't one of my strong points. Although this one isn't as long or deep or philosophical as the valedictorian's (Polly) or the senior reflector's (Maria) speeches, it still has its own little meaning. Enjoy.
[speech]
Members of the Catoosa County Board of Education, Mrs. Kellerhals, members of the faculty, parents, relatives, friends, and fellow classmates.
Well, Class of 2005, we made it. We can tell future generations about our senior projects and final exams, about the bizarre bell schedules and ever-changing advisement sessions. So what have we learned from all this besides MLA format and the need to arrive at class exactly one minute early? We actually learned more than we think. We learned how to reason, how to apply ourselves, and--above all--how to learn. Through all our years in the classroom, we have learned all sorts of formulas and facts such as the unit circle and the Battle of the Bulge, but we probably don’t remember everything we learned. Don't panic, though. Even though we forgot these, we can find them again if we have to.
Life isn’t about just facts and formulas, though. If it were, life would be pretty boring. Life also involves ideas and the search for knowledge. We don’t know everything that we needed to know about life before today because the classroom we have grown used to--the one with students and desks and the teacher standing in the front of the room--isn’t the only classroom in the world. This is because life is a classroom, and we are currently enrolled in Life 101. This is our chance to show what we can do because everything we do does matter. Sir Isaac Newton, mathematician and physicist, once said, "[...]I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in [...] finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, [while] the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."
So here is my message to you, Class of 2005: No matter where you are going after tonight, no matter what you choose to do with the rest of your life, don’t let the great ocean of truth remain undiscovered. Dive in and keep learning. Thank you and God bless.
[/speech]