Good day ladies and gentlemen, administrators, teachers, students, and my fellow graduates. I welcome you all to this happy and joyous day.
Can you believe it's been four years? Four years since we walked through those doors. Four years since we sat in our first classes as freshmen and said to ourselves “we are going to conquer high school.” We have been through a lot of amazing ups and some nasty lows, but we are all gathered here with so much pride over everything we have accomplished. Hopefully, we have not forgotten that we didn’t go through this journey alone. We had people every step of the way guiding us, inspiring us, and motivating us - our teachers, administrators, chefs, custodians; all of the staff members at North Brunswick Township High School played significant roles in making it possible for us to achieve our goals.
To begin with, huge gratitude to all our teachers especially those that have had a great impact on us. I can say for a fact that one thing we all recognize is the grandeur of North Brunswick Township High School. Even after spending four years here I can’t seem to understand the triangular pattern upstairs. On my first day of school I felt out of place and struggled to find my classes, but Mr. Emmanuel consoled me and was able to direct me.
I give this example because sometimes we often believe that we went through the school alone but from the very first day we walked through those doors there was a teacher, a guidance counselor, an administrator, or other staff member that held our hands for us to get to this day. They sacrificed a lot to see us walk across this stage with a diploma in our hands for the ultimate triumph in the real world.
To the next set of seniors, I implore you to be leaders and role models to those coming after you. I am not going to stand here and say that we were the perfect class because we are far from perfect. We have our flaws. We’ve had our share of ups and downs. We have struggled together as a class. I want to encourage the class of 2021 to continue the good work we have started. Some of you are going to breeze through your senior year while some might find it challenging. I can boldly tell you that each of you is going to have different experiences but what matters is that you find your way to the finish line.
Finally, what makes my stay in North Brunswick Township High School one of a kind is the fact that I have learned that a person cannot be an island. Before I arrived at NBTHS I always thought that I had to do everything myself, because I thought involving others would mess things up and I would lose control. But teachers here push you to interact with one another and to work on projects together. They do it because they realize that in this world of ours one cannot stand or survive alone. We are all connected somehow and the earlier we begin to understand that, the better for us. The recent Coronavirus crisis that shocked the world during these past few months has revealed the common bond in the human race; we are stronger together. We cannot always depend on ourselves alone. Sometimes we need a little helping hand to lift us. I encourage you to be a part of this amazing school community where people around you lift you up and don't tear you down.
As soon as we walk out these doors we become high school graduates, but before that, I would like to invite every one of us to say thank you to someone before leaving. Thank you. We are North Brunswick.
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