Step into this World Unknown

“Step into this world unknown”, as the class elected speaker, Sawyer Hudson chose these words for his classmates:

Wow, does time fly. We are finally here. 13 years for most, 14 for some, and it’s finally all paying off. It seems like only yesterday, I was walking into kindergarten, seeing a bunch of young faces, some nervous, some excited. Now, however, it feels like so much has changed…but, looking into the crowd, I still see those same nervous and excited faces that I saw 13 years ago. Only now, it seems to carry much more weight.

After I had been selected to be our class’s volunteer speaker, I was excited. “I get to be remembered as one of the honorees who saw my class off into the real world,” I thought, “I’ll know exactly what to say to make a biggest impact on my classmates.” So I sat down, ready to type…nothing. I was blank. I had no idea what I wanted to say. 13 years I’ve spent with the majority of you all, and all I could think of was “Wow, does time fly” for about 3 weeks.

Then I decided to approach it from a different angle. “This may be the last time I ever see most of these people…what would I say if I knew I’d never talk to them again?” I wouldn’t want to fill my speech with the fluff of “we’re all gonna do great! It’s time we leave the nest and fly, become who we are meant to be, and move on to bigger and better things!” I’d want to say something unique, life-changing, and something we will all remember.

…Once again, I had nothing. So I just decided to write from the heart.

Guys, we’ve worked extremely hard at this. We’ve had our ups, we’ve had our downs, but we’ve all persevered until the end. I would like to bring up a particular Bible verse that is on a poster that has been in my room for years: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him,” James 1:12.

We obviously aren’t getting a crown, although sometimes I feel like our class would deserve it. Instead, we are getting written proof that we have what it takes to face the true trials of the “real world”. Proof that we HAVE persevered through high school despite the  many hardships, and done so with flying colors. Every single student before me is talented, intelligent, and has the potential to accomplish anything they put their mind to. As corny as it may sound, we ARE the next generation of leaders. We are the doctors, lawyers, CEOs, accountants, and most importantly, teachers, of the future. We have huge potential to live up to…but we wouldn’t have been labeled with it if we didn’t deserve it.

But let’s not focus on the future, lets focus on the present. The NOW. Because, “We won’t get these moments back, All we’re guaranteed is where we’re at,”   Today, we come together to celebrate a major milestone in our lives: our graduation of both high school, and childhood. We aren’t done, but rather just beginning an amazing journey into a world I am certain each and every one of us are beyond prepared to confront. As I said before, this may be the last time some of us ever speak again. So I beg of you all: ENJOY IT. Soak it up. We only graduate high school once, and before we know it, our children will be here shining in the spotlight as well.

I am truly honored to have been associated with such an amazing senior class and I will never forget any of you. One of the benefits of attending such a small school is that you really become close to the people you are friends with, and I want to say that each one of you are like family to me, and I will always be there for you, even 80 years down the road. And before I go, I would like to say thank you to all of the faculty and staff at Jay High School for making the past 4 years and beyond the most memorable high school experience I think any person could ever have, and I’d also like to thank you guys for allowing me this opportunity to speak and to be a major part of our class history in giving me the honor of voting my song as our Class Song, which I would like to conclude by reciting the first verse and chorus of:

“This learning time is over,

Our lives have just begun,

We’re just now getting started,

Although we think we’re done,

No need for crying now,

Time’s flying by too fast,

Most memories gone forever,

Let’s make the good ones last,

‘Cause we won’t get these moments back,

All we’re guaranteed is where we’re at,

So smile and take a step into this world unknown,

‘Cause the first stage in our lives has come,

And gone…”

Thank you very much, and God bless.