Valedictorian Speech
Jun. 19th, 2006 08:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
remulaAlright guys.. Here's my speech! Comments, please? ^_^;;
Valedictorian Speech
Of all the work I have done throughout my life, I would have to say that public speaking is the worst. Standing before a crowd and holding their full attention is the most nerve-wracking thing in the world, so you can just imagine how I feel standing before everyone today.
My first thought after discovering I was to be valedictorian was not of the accomplishment I made, but of the speech I would have to give. Knowing I would have to stand before hundreds while publicizing my thoughts for everyone to hear paralyzed me with fear.
"What do people talk about during their graduation speeches?" I asked my friends and they all replied with the same clichéd answers. "You say, 'We finally made it!' and talk about all the good times" they stated with authority and I knew then that I would do my best to write something unique.
As I sat before my computer that night, I attempted to write an attention-grabbing piece, but nothing came to mind, so I did what any normal student would do: I put it off. 'I have time,' I thought, 'I can do it tomorrow,' and like all tomorrows, it turned into an endless string of laters until the next thing I knew, there was a little more than a week to graduation and I still had nothing.
I stressed and I complained, but it did not help in the completion of my speech. I was given advice and words of encouragement from friends and classmates alike that ranged from those telling me not to stress because "no one listens to the speeches anyway" to others saying that I was "the only one [they were] going to listen to". Finally, one week before the awaited date, I sat myself down, pen and paper in hand, and told myself that this speech was going to be finished, come hell or high water.
I racked my brain, trying to come up with an idea or theme for this speech, but once again, I was at a dead-end. 'Why did I wait so long to do this?' I asked myself and then it hit me like a ton of bricks, the perfect theme for my speech: procrastination! Everyone procrastinates at some point in their lives, especially during their senior year. It is a topic people know like the back of their hands. Through worksheets, essays, major projects, and the anticipation of finally graduating, we have all mastered the art of quick, but hopefully acceptable, work.
Today marks the day our high school career ends, but our education will continue forever, no matter what paths we take. Whether it be an apprenticeship, the armed forces, community college, university, or going straight to work, the knowledge we gain will keep on growing. That also means the work will keep on coming, so hopefully everyone has gotten the bulk of their laziness under control.
Life moves on and I'm sure that once the day is over, most people won't even remember whether I talked about finger-traps or turtles, let alone who gave what speech, but I hope that one thing from this speech sticks in everyone's minds: procrastination can only lead to stress. Stay on top of all the work you have to do, convince yourself the work is due ahead of time, and get it done right the first time around.
Good luck in life and congratulations to the Class of 2006!
So yeah.. Please tell me what you think, haha.
Oh yeah.. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be the last person to give a speech.. at least, out of the valedictorians 'cause they're going in school order ((CTA is last to go of the four schools sincer we're officially "Stanley E. Foster Construction Tech Academy" and not just "Construction Tech Academy")) and Robert's last name is before mine. x_x *sigh*
Saluatorians aren't giving speeches, since there's like.. seven valedictorians... Three schools have two, and only one has one. x_x
Okay.. that's it.
~Remula
Of all the work I have done throughout my life, I would have to say that public speaking is the worst. Standing before a crowd and holding their full attention is the most nerve-wracking thing in the world, so you can just imagine how I feel standing before everyone today.
My first thought after discovering I was to be valedictorian was not of the accomplishment I made, but of the speech I would have to give. Knowing I would have to stand before hundreds while publicizing my thoughts for everyone to hear paralyzed me with fear.
"What do people talk about during their graduation speeches?" I asked my friends and they all replied with the same clichéd answers. "You say, 'We finally made it!' and talk about all the good times" they stated with authority and I knew then that I would do my best to write something unique.
As I sat before my computer that night, I attempted to write an attention-grabbing piece, but nothing came to mind, so I did what any normal student would do: I put it off. 'I have time,' I thought, 'I can do it tomorrow,' and like all tomorrows, it turned into an endless string of laters until the next thing I knew, there was a little more than a week to graduation and I still had nothing.
I stressed and I complained, but it did not help in the completion of my speech. I was given advice and words of encouragement from friends and classmates alike that ranged from those telling me not to stress because "no one listens to the speeches anyway" to others saying that I was "the only one [they were] going to listen to". Finally, one week before the awaited date, I sat myself down, pen and paper in hand, and told myself that this speech was going to be finished, come hell or high water.
I racked my brain, trying to come up with an idea or theme for this speech, but once again, I was at a dead-end. 'Why did I wait so long to do this?' I asked myself and then it hit me like a ton of bricks, the perfect theme for my speech: procrastination! Everyone procrastinates at some point in their lives, especially during their senior year. It is a topic people know like the back of their hands. Through worksheets, essays, major projects, and the anticipation of finally graduating, we have all mastered the art of quick, but hopefully acceptable, work.
Today marks the day our high school career ends, but our education will continue forever, no matter what paths we take. Whether it be an apprenticeship, the armed forces, community college, university, or going straight to work, the knowledge we gain will keep on growing. That also means the work will keep on coming, so hopefully everyone has gotten the bulk of their laziness under control.
Life moves on and I'm sure that once the day is over, most people won't even remember whether I talked about finger-traps or turtles, let alone who gave what speech, but I hope that one thing from this speech sticks in everyone's minds: procrastination can only lead to stress. Stay on top of all the work you have to do, convince yourself the work is due ahead of time, and get it done right the first time around.
Good luck in life and congratulations to the Class of 2006!
So yeah.. Please tell me what you think, haha.
Oh yeah.. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be the last person to give a speech.. at least, out of the valedictorians 'cause they're going in school order ((CTA is last to go of the four schools sincer we're officially "Stanley E. Foster Construction Tech Academy" and not just "Construction Tech Academy")) and Robert's last name is before mine. x_x *sigh*
Saluatorians aren't giving speeches, since there's like.. seven valedictorians... Three schools have two, and only one has one. x_x
Okay.. that's it.
~Remula
