Thuy: As we are this close to graduating, it’s hard not to reflect on all the days and experiences that have defined our lives to this point. We can’t help but to look back through the rear window and remember the friends we’ve kept and the friends we’ve lost, the hitchhikers we shouldn’t have picked up, the successes we’ve had and the exits we’ve missed. But through it all, there are a few moments of the journey that stick out in everyone’s mind.
Stephanie: For instance, the first day of high school, the first kiss or the day your favorite teacher helped you through the rockiest part of the road of your life (so far). Thinking that we may never have been able to make it through, we’ve all had that point in time where we needed that jump-start to keep us going. For some, it was the decision to go to college. For others, it was getting to class on time, and for all of us, it was having to wake up in the morning when it was cold and raining.
Nicole: But the roads were wet and perfect for doing power slides around every corner.
Stephanie: As a class, we have been through the earthquake freshman year,
Nicole: The freezing weather while the ventilation system was filled with pepper spray sophomore year,
Stephanie: countless fire drills during the months of construction junior year
Nicole: and the surprise evacuation because of the bomb scare this year. On top of that, we had to survive senioritis, and for some of us, it started early.
Thuy: It wasn’t easy. The road was filled with potholes and icy patches, but we lived to tell the tale. In a culmination of twelve-plus years of education, we sit with our caps, gowns, and tassels in anticipation for now we embark on a new path, a new highway beckons us.
Nicole: So what is there to do but shout out “ROAD TRIP” and celebrate!
Thuy: This is a road trip unlike any we’ve been on before, but through the years, we have accumulated the articles we need to be prepared for any hazardous conditions ahead.
Nicole: So let’s see what we’ve packed. The usual stuff: clothing, shoes, sunscreen And the essential stuff: a map, food and a flashlight. This map is colorful and vital, keeps you from getting lost.
Stephanie: When life seems to be nothing but twists, turns and dead ends, and a certain teacher assigns a forty page paper on top of that, it is those times when you need your family, friends, and other teachers to guide you back on course.
Thuy: It is only with the help of friends, family, mentors, and faculty that we have survived. We would like to thank those who have always been there for of us, through our mercurial ride uphill and downhill, through sleet and sunshine. With your support, we have overcome the challenges presented to us and are prepared to face whatever situations lie ahead.
Nicole: Situations are a lot easier to face when you have food. Besides, what’s a road trip without snacks? Let’s see, what we have sandwiches, apples, cookies
Stephanie: Anyway, this food is our fuel. It is the education we have received. It nourished our minds and readied us for the future ahead.
Thuy: Without being able to add two and two or spell “fish,” we will never reach the star on the map. Education is the cornerstone by which we can build our lives, it provides the foundation to achieving our dreams.
Nicole: If our map is our support network, and our food is our education, then what’s our dreams?
Stephanie: Our flashlight. Its beam contains our hopes and dreams and goals.
Thuy: And whether they are to become a doctor or to go out and live in the woods, it’s our goals that help us avoid obstacles and assure us that the destination is well worth it. Our hopes and dreams can guide us through life. They illuminate the dark path in front of us so that we can avoid falling over cliffs and hitting houses.
Nicole: Or cows.
Thuy: Right. Now what does this have to do with what will happen once we leave these chairs? You see this road trip we’ve packed for is the one that we will all be taking once we leave this room tonight. No more will we be in a sheltered existence of adolescence. It’s a scary place out there, but we have already been given all the necessary items for our road trip.
Stephanie: Our map is our friends, family and faculty that give us a bird’s eye perspective on where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we’re headed.
Thuy: Our food is the education we have received that will propel us and give us the necessary nutrients for the future.
Nicole: And our hopes and dreams are like our flashlight, right? They guide us down the avenue to success.
Thuy: Right. With all these things, we are well prepared to leave this room as graduates of Mariner High School and begin to change the world, each in our individual ways. So go forth and conquer. May the force be with you.
Nicole: I want to add something! Thuy please!!!!! Ok, silence means I can. In continuing our journey, we must keep our class motto as a landmark, “The question is not always where we stand, but in the direction we are going.” So make sure that map is right side up.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
