Good evening ladies and gentlemen and the wonderful graduating class of 2002. I feel very honored to be standing in front of such a wonderful group of people that I can call my friends, and practically my second family. As I look into the eyes of this close knit group of people, two words come to mind, "dreams" and "obstacles." It has been said that the best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up, but, as I reminisce about our years together at *****, I realize that it takes so much more to attain your dreams. Struggles, victories, joys, sorrows, understandings, confusions these conscious experiences have paved the way for us to be here tonight, leading us to the realization of our dreams.
This evening's ceremony marks the end to six nerve-wracking, diligent years and the beginning of something which, although difficult to predict, is guaranteed to be at least the greatest adventure we as adults have yet to embark. T.S. Eliot once wrote, "What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end, is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." Every landmark in our lives will end, but there is always a beginning to that end. .
Our minds have been challenged, expanded, and nurtured by our teachers. We have become learned in math, science, English, history, and the arts, and with this knowledge we were able to plot realistic courses for our dreams. Our teachers became mentors and in many cases our close friends. We have made it here tonight due to their encouragement and sincere belief that we all possessed the ability to learn. Without these amazing people, we would have a gaping hole in our overall makeup as ambitious adults.
Although the staff at Wahama High School has been a major contributor to our developments, our parents and family members have also been a major influence in our lives. Without them to share our secrets and fears, and without them standing behind every one of our successes and failures, we may not have made it this far.