Editor’s note: The Wanderer has invited keynote student speakers at this year’s high school graduation exercises to share their speeches with our readers. The Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School graduation was held on June 7.
By TJ Graber, Old Colony RVTHS Valedictorian
Families, Friends, OC Teachers and Staff, and the Class of 2024.
My name is TJ Graber. Today I’m going to give a quick speech that looks backward just a little, but mostly looks forward.
I’ve spent the past few weeks, rather nervously, trying to come up with what I wanted to say today. It goes without saying that this is one of the most important days in all of our lives, and I want to do that justice.
For the last four years, we’ve grinded through what has felt like an endless amount of math problems and essays. We’ve even braved the mysteries of Old Colony lunches. And while it is wonderful that all of that is over, it’s not what I’m most thankful for. We’ve all had the enviable opportunity to attend a vocational school. Not only can that make each of us a ton of money by preparing us to get high-paying, skilled positions way earlier in life than others, but it might also save some of us thousands of dollars by not having to go to college.
Remember that the vast majority of Americans do not have anywhere close to the skills that we have when they graduate, so don’t take that for granted.
So what do I hope will happen for each of us in the coming years?
I hope we’ll help each other get jobs.
I hope we’ll all be bold, strong and have courage when we need it.
I hope we’ll always work on being more positive. Being negative is easier, but not better.
I hope we’ll be there for each other in real life (not just on social media).
I hope we’ll pay attention to our mental health and won’t be afraid to ask for help.
I hope we’ll constantly strive to achieve balance in our lives.
I hope that when we get knocked down in life, we get back up and move forward.
I also really hope that the Patriots will be good again.
Before I finish, I wanted to take just a minute to thank all of the people who have gotten me to where I am today.
My Dad, for inspiring me with his tireless work ethic and endless patience, if you want to know where I got it from, it’s him. To my mom, for providing me with unwavering support no matter what I’m dealing with. To my sister, who has paved the way for me and is always a friend when I need one. To my friends, for reminding me not to take things too seriously.
To Ms. Gamelin and Mr. Oldham, for not only being fantastic teachers but also outstanding coaches. To Mr. Terrien, although I only had your class for one year, it still remains my favorite; you could talk about anything and make it interesting and engaging. To Ms. Whinnem, for dealing with an English class of 10 boys and still giving us a shot to pass our AP exams.
To Mr. Mac, just for being one of the smartest peopleI have ever met. Seriously, this guy is fluent in like 10 different languages, it’s crazy. To my shop instructors, Ms. Soucy, for probably being the reason that I manage to get a job in computer science one day, and Mr. Riley, though youmight not always say you are a great teacher, everyone who has taken your class knows that you truly are one. Although your metaphors could really use some work.
Anyway, my final words of appreciation go out to all of the other teachers, administrators and staff here at Old Colony. I hope that you all understand just how talented, dedicated and appreciated you are. You are what makes this school special.
Thank you, and congratulations to Old Colony’s Class of 2024. You all earned this, and I’m proud to be one of you. Thank you for letting me speak for you today. Go Celtics.