(Below, please find the transcript of my 2018 TZHS graduation speech)
Trustees of the Board of Education, Principal Amos, colleagues, parents, friends and family, and especially our Tappan Zee High School Class of 2018, I am privileged to be your Superintendent and honored to speak to you. Above all, I wish to express a debt of thanks to the many family members and loved-ones who are joining us tonight – without your love and support, none of this would be possible.
Tonight we are here to celebrate an incredible milestone. Everyone in this audience, on this podium and throughout this supportive community is united, beaming and excited for these young men and women, the Class of 2018.
Graduating seniors – The BEING, the KNOWING, and the DOING: By now, someone has probably asked you the question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” People still ask me this question. You might respond by saying you want to be a policeman, or a cook, a scientist, maybe even a school teacher. But that wouldn’t be an example of what you wanted to “be” but what you want to “do.” For example, if someone asked you what you wanted to “do” as a job you might respond by saying:
- I want to do research
- I want to help people
- I want to build things
Those are all things that you might “do” and all of those activities require training, education, and a plan to develop practical experience. My guess would be that each of you has some sort of plan to “do” something after you graduate and to “know more” in order to be competent in those areas. Some of your plans may be more definitive than others. You’ve all grappled with the question of what you might want to DO or what you need to KNOW, but it still doesn’t address the question of what, or whom do you want to BE?
So let’s go back to my original question: “What do you want to BE when you grow up?” I’m going to answer this question for myself with a metaphor: I want to be a shopping basket (again…I am speaking metaphorically. I don’t aspire to be an inanimate object any more than I aspire to be a rocking chair or a lawnmower). The point I’m attempting to make is that a shopping basket can be filled with important things (like groceries). The most valuable things that we might put into a shopping basket at the grocery store are those items that are often the most perishable. That notwithstanding, our beings can be filled like the shopping basket at the grocery store. The things that we fill ourselves with that are the most valuable (as part of our being) are the things that are perishable. Here are a few examples:
- I want to be filled with courage (which is the strength to confront our fears).
- I want to be filled with hope (which is the understanding that our actions will have a meaningful impact in the future. This is the feeling that “things will turn out for the best” and you can’t have joy without hope)
- I want to be filled with faith (which is the understanding that you can have trust in the people around you and they can trust you). Some of you heard the parable of the “mustard seed” in the baccalaureate service last Sunday. I’m speaking of “faith” in the secular or temporal sense. For instance, I have no faith in a mailbox when I mail a letter…I always make sure to check that it actually goes down the chute.
The question, “what (or who) do you want to be?” can be answered as simply as wanting to be courageous, hopeful, and faithful. And here’s the good news: You don’t have to wait until you are all grown up…You can be all of these things right now. As a matter of fact, I would strongly suggest that you commit to what you want to “BE” before you figure out what it is that you want to “KNOW” or be able to “DO.”
When you go off to college, you will gain a better understanding of what you may want to do as a career and the related skills and knowledge that you will need to accomplish those goals – you will likely have many people who will advise you and guide you along the way. However, it can be very challenging to create, sustain, or regain courage, hope, and faith – especially when facing adversity (As I said earlier…these qualities are “perishable” as anyone who has lost hope, lost faith, or lost “their nerves” can attest). My best advice to you now is that you build all of these facets of your “being” by filling your hearts with as much love as your hearts can possibly hold. The more full your heart is with love, the less room there is for fear, anger, jealousy, despair, or hatred. Love allows you to let go of those things that may prevent you from being courageous, hopeful, and faithful.
Speaking of putting as much love into your hearts as your hearts can possibly hold, love has had an immeasurable impact on who you are today. Love from your teachers, your classmates, and, of course, those incredibly important people sitting behind you this evening – your families. Your teachers have sparked a resiliency in you to seek the truth and to remain steadfast in the face of adversity. The gift that they have given you is a love of learning and an endless curiosity for the world around you. Your classmates, some of whom will remain, lifelong friends, have shown you the meaning of trust, loyalty, and a collective sense of self. As a Tappan Zee High School alumnus, it is my sincere hope that you will treasure what it means to be a Dutchman and will never know the feeling of being alone. Lastly, and most importantly, take some time in the next few days to appreciate your families before you embark on the next leg of your journey. These people have been and will continue to be, your biggest supporters. They love you more than you know and are very proud of all that you have achieved.
In closing, have faith in yourselves, be courageous, and remain hopeful for the endless possibilities that lie before you.
Congratulations and I wish you all continued success!