2019-2020 Graduation Speech by Cassidy Busse
Good Morning everyone! I am so happy to be here to speak to all of you today. I want to start by saying thank you. Thank you to all of our families and friends for showing up and supporting us always. And, of course, thank you to our teachers that could have chosen to pursue any career, yet you choose to help us and to teach us. We are so grateful for each of you here today.
It was just four short years ago we walked into SFCHS as timid freshmen with new locker numbers, a slight fear of Mr. Olofson and the impression that Mr. Jenkins daily DQs were going to be the. Worst.
Today, we are confident, strong and determined people who now adore Mr. O and all of our teachers we have grown up around and been supported by. We also learned that DQ’s weren’t so bad after all and that Mr. J knows all the best stories.
During these last four years, countless memories have been made and so many laughs have been shared that we will cherish forever.
Yet, many things are different today than they were four years ago. For example, thanks to Amazon’s six dollar ear piercing kits, almost every girl in our class has more piercings today than they did as freshmen. Our wardrobes have also had some new additions. Like extra-large tie-dye shirts that we made together in my garage. We then wore these shirts for homecoming week that we paired with shorts that were much too short, that is for the boys, at least. Speaking of shirts, our biology class will forever be Mr. Olofson’s duckweed dealers and yes we all have the bright blue shirts to prove it.
We are so lucky to have so many wonderful memories to look back on, like the ones I just mentioned, but also, our class get-togethers when Brady wrote a song for each individual person on the guitar or when the girls in our class sat around and talked for hours. We have always been a close class and have supported each other and I know we will continue to as we move into our next phase that will consist of more changes.
Sacrates once said, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
We have already lived through some incredible changes, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional. Our senior year was even changed drastically due to a national pandemic. We are the class that has endured some changes to say the least, but in the next few months we will be experiencing some of the greatest changes of our lives. These changes may come in the form of moving to college, joining the military, or jumping straight into the workforce.
At some point we are going to be on our own for the first time with decisions to make and questions to answer, like who or what we want to be, what we stand for or against, and even a simple question like how long has that food been in my fridge.
No matter the form that change occurs in, we must choose to build on it and embrace it.
These changes are what shapes us and helps us to grow and improve as people. Change pushes us to do what is uncomfortable and allows us to see what talents give us the best shot at success.
We can’t predict our future or even know what tomorrow holds, but we can control how we experience life right now. We get to control how we respond to change. We control the words we use and the way we treat others. We get to control our thoughts about ourselves and those around us. We get to choose how we embrace our future.
Class of 2020, I feel so thankful to receive my diploma while standing among all of you. We have always attacked things head on and I hope that is one thing that never changes.
The last thing that I want to leave everyone with today is a quote by Mary Oliver. My cousin and great friend Ashleigh loved this quote and kept it with her as a reminder. It asks, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” To me, that is exactly what life is; wild and precious. I hope you all embrace the changes and live your lives to the fullest. Congratulations Class of 2020. Thank you.
