Highway to Graduation

We’ve made it. 

The road we’ve taken to get here has been bumpy and, for sure, a long one. We began our high school journey masked and six feet apart, and this year, we ended our journey in the Whispering Winds barracks two inches apart. More or less, it’s been a ride. There have been ups and downs, lefts and rights, but most importantly, failures. I say this because we cannot present ourselves as the people we are without attributing everything we’ve accomplished to our failures. Because failure is not finite—failure is redirection. And so, I am here today to say that failure is success in itself. 

Failure is an indication that we’ve tried, that we’ve dedicated time and committed ourselves to seeing it through, and that we’ve shown up. And that’s more than what we could say if we hadn’t attempted at all. Sure, we might have failed that AP World History test, or wished we could have made corrections on our AP Calc retake, collapsed when we were nearly at the 5K finish line, or were asked to speak English on a trip to Mexico. And yes, that last one did happen to me—I was halfway through Gracias. 

We made some wrong turns; some of us couldn’t figure out which hand was left versus right, and I’m sure most of us made some u-turns. They say the destination doesn’t matter, and I’d have to say I agree, because, here we are. 

Failures are a testament to our character. Enduring failure leaves us with calluses and toughens us up for worse things, like taxes. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. Failures provide the hurdles for us to jump over, the speed bumps on the road of life. Does anyone remember the movie Cars? The song “Life is a Highway” eloquently instilled the drive (no pun intended) for growth, encouraging us to learn from our failures.

We experience growth every day of our lives. Our metaphysical bodies are constantly growing while we are also growing in spirituality, intelligence, activism, consciousness, individuality, love, and, finally, the drive and determination to be great.

Whether we are growing in our thespian pursuits, athletic prowess, academic genius, social magnetism, entrepreneurial spirit, or service to all humankind; Country Day has guided us to lead with integrity, honor and unfaltering dignity.

I leave you with an African Proverb: “Once you carry your own water, you will learn the value of every drop.”

Let’s cherish every contribution, every lesson, and every failure that has brought us to this moment.