Graduation Speech given by Kimberly Sta. Maria Dalton
(May 30th, 1998 at Missouri Southern State College Stadium)
Congratulations Joplin High school seniors! After 13 years of school you are finally sitting at the end. As a student at Joplin High, I have gathered many wonderful memories some with parents, some with teachers, most with friends. As I look back on how much these memories and these individuals have meant to me thus far, I find it hard to let this chapter of my life close But we must remember that even though this seems to be the ending of a significant portion of our lives, it is really a new beginning. We have gathered all that we can from our JHS experience and now it is time to move on. The whole world is now open to us with a brand new vista of things to explore, experiences to learn from, and friendships to build.
But before we move on, it is necessary to reflect. You can’t get from one time of life to another by simply forgetting everything from previous encounters so sit back and think for a moment...to your first day at kindergarten. Remember your first teacher, your first middle school teacher, your first block teacher, first crazy science teacher, first upright language arts teacher, and of course your favorite Internet Lab Coordinator.
But they are not alone in your aid, for who could go through life without a circle of friends? Some have come and some have gone, but they all helped you here in some fashion. I know this is true because I have relied heavily on mine for support and encouragement; I couldn’t be up here speaking without them. Yes, friends are wonderful things to have. Celebrate those you have now before you enter the world to add new ones.
And what about parents? None of us could be here today without parents. Mine were always there to push me into the next highest level of achievement. It is in great part to their effort that I have the honor of standing before you today. We must always recognize all of those who have aided us in our times of need and couple their wisdom with our own as we move forward in life.
What will we do now? For some, the answer to that last question is simple. Some of us are looking ahead to work or furthering our education and others are looking no farther than this summer or even later tonight. But what about ten years from now? Twenty? All that we do now directly affects every coming second, just as all that we have done in the past has brought us to this point. Along the way there has been rocky terrain with disheartening low points and glorious peaks. Make no mistake, the future holds the same uncertainty. But because of the experience we have acquired over the course of our lives, we will not go on unarmed. We have—and I know some of our parents would disagree with me on this—but we have now a certain small wisdom earned through knowledge and time that we did not have before and it is up to us to use and wield it as best we can. Of course we will make mistakes, we will stumble along the path, but we will not fail. We can never totally fail. As I said, we are armed: with the love of our parents, families, peers, and all the others who have contributed to mold us into who we are.
Now as we stand upon this peak looking down at all the world so tangible, so accessible to our radiant young minds, brimming with potential, we must know that we are strong and that if we really try, we can achieve whatever we wish to in life. And if we keep this always in our hearts, we will be successful. We will conquer our many obstacles and tame those unruly, uncooperative goals with a firm hand. This is what I ask of each and every one of you...to accomplish your potential. I would like to see us stay together and help each other forge our new lives, but as I said before we have arrived at the end of the chapter. We must embrace the new stories of our lives: different characters, different plots. Many of the people you know now many not play important roles in your upcoming chapters. It makes me sad, just thinking of whom I may never see again. It should make us all sad, but we must not let this sadness stand in the way of achievement or the joy we can derive from accomplishment. Go forward class of 1998. Goodbye and good luck!