Explore. Dream. Discover

Thank you.  Thank you to Mr. Robertson for inviting me to speak on this momentous occasion of graduation.  Believe it or not, you are all graduating today.  But what does that mean…to graduate?  Are you going to wake up tomorrow a different person?  Are you suddenly going to feel fully prepared for life after high school?  It’s possible, but unlikely.  Today marks not only the end of high school, but also the beginning.  What is it the beginning of? Well, that is, ultimately, up to you.  Our job, as your teachers, counselors, and parents has been to prepare you for this moment.  From here, it’s your job to pick your own moments and to prepare yourself for them.  Like any cautious new parent, I, as a new teacher, can’t just let you, my first class, leave here without one last lesson.  I’ll do my best to avoid my dear subject of psychology, but I make no promises.

At my high school graduation, just five years ago, all I could think about was summer break as I waited impatiently for my name to be called.  Graduation felt like just another day.  It was my mother who helped me see the gravity of my situation.  I’ll never forget her words to me on the way home, diploma in hand.  “Son, you know what this means, right…?”  And before I could find my voice, she answered her own question: “…it means…you have to do your own laundry now!”  And she laughed!  With thoughts of college and an uncertain future in my head, my mom was laughing with delight about the end of her role.  She was right, of course.   Unlike all of you, I was moving out of my home for the first time after that summer, and a big part of college, and life, is independence, from doing your own laundry to running your own life.  But guess what? A bigger piece of life is how many people help each of us become independent: our parents, teachers, friends, and even strangers sometimes.  Thus, the first lesson for today is to practice gratitude. Acknowledge those that have helped you get this far.  Thank your parents, thank your teachers, thank your friends, and thank yourselves.  Always remember that a thank you goes a very long way. And yes, psychologically speaking, gratitude does increase mental wellbeing (sorry, I couldn’t resist).  Practice gratitude.

If my Mom had instead told me that I would be giving a speech in China to a graduating class in five years on the way home from my graduation, I would have been understandably confused.  I’d never even done my own laundry—how could I ever hope to be in China living independently?  But that’s the thing about life—we never are fully certain of where we will be heading.  The Wojciks do not have an international reputation, and I’m the first one in my family to work abroad.  Choosing to do the novel; the new; the exciting is what sets us all apart.  Your choice of studying in the United States is a brave one, and is a first.  Even if you’re not the first one in your extended family to study abroad, this will be your first time studying at that school in that place.  Thus, the second lesson of today: never be afraid of firsts.  Don’t be afraid to keep pushing boundaries.  No, Senior 3s, I don’t mean the boundaries of school rules or regulations, which we know you’re good at pushing and hoping over.  No, I speak of your own boundaries.  Push your own limits: take college courses you’ve never heard of, make friends with people from different backgrounds, join new activities, try scary American food!  Challenge yourself: what other firsts will you experience?  What new things will you try in this life?

In just a few short months, you will be boarding a plane and leaving almost everything you know behind.  Your first week of college will be a blur; new friends, a new environment.  Then classes will begin and before you know it, you’ll have finished your first of eight semesters and survived your first round of college finals.  You have four years to learn about subjects and, more importantly, about yourselves.  Four years to take note of who you are becoming.  Four years to experience new moments of life with like-minded people.  And then, the four years are over and you’ll be graduating again; though it will be a very different you then who I see before me now.  And someone else will be up here speaking, urging you to make the most of your life.   Time moves faster next year.  This faster pace seems to only quicken once you graduate college.  Thus, the last lesson: time moves fast, enjoy each moment.  Enjoy the thrills, the fears, the joys, and the sorrows, for all will be found in a life worth living.  Life is also messy, frustrating, and, sometimes, disappointing.  But no matter what, remember: life is beautiful.  There are countless moments that will amaze you and make you gracious to be alive.  And if that fails, then remember your psychology: our brain is wired to remember positively – so with a bit of time, what bothers you now, won’t bother you later.  We adapt.

Speaking of time, our time is finally up.  It’s time for us, your educators, to give up our roles with you.  Now if I take your phone, I’m no longer enforcing discipline – I’m stealing.  You’re finally free. I hope that you take the good from this experience and carry it with you.  Be it a good moment finally grasping a concept in calculus with Mr. Varga or laughing at the absurdity of Mr. Gregory’s booming voice; there have been good moments here.  Maybe this one counts as well.

To end: a quote, a personal favorite from Mark Twain, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover.”  Class of 2012, practice gratitude, never be afraid of firsts, and enjoy each moment of your life.  This is your moment; savor it.  Congratulations and good luck next year.