By Claudia Hernandez
Let me start by saying that I, Claudia Hernandez, senior class
president, am very proud to be addressing you today as the students
of San Benito High School for the last time. In a few moments we
shall receive our diplomas and become the graduating class of 2007.
We’ve all been seen in quite a variety of clothing
– but now, we’ve all come together for the last time as a class,
sporting our red and white gowns for graduation. I guess that
during the strain of final tests, projects and exams, most of us
were looking forward to this moment: The studying is over, the
diploma is about to be in our pockets and w
e will be free to do what we like. But I want you to look around
you and remember this moment.
Let me start by saying that I, Claudia Hernandez, senior class president, am very proud to be addressing you today as the students of San Benito High School for the last time. In a few moments we shall receive our diplomas and become the graduating class of 2007. We’ve all been seen in quite a variety of clothing – but now, we’ve all come together for the last time as a class, sporting our red and white gowns for graduation. I guess that during the strain of final tests, projects and exams, most of us were looking forward to this moment: The studying is over, the diploma is about to be in our pockets and we will be free to do what we like. But I want you to look around you and remember this moment.
Remember how many times we’ve daydreamed about this moment in the middle of class? We sometimes drift off during lectures, fantasizing about how we would spend our days if life were an eternal summer weekend… and that’s usually when Coach Tari wakes us up with his unexpected pounding on the desk. Well, this is the moment; this daydream is just now becoming a new and fascinating reality. But before we shred and burn our old planners, we should remember what we’re actually leaving behind. Look around at your teachers, because from now on life will scatter us around the world.
From first place in our oh-so-famous Air Jam act, “Spartan Cheerleaders,” to our first place class float that took weeks of preparation, seniors have left new legacies. We are the first class in SBHS history to fund a ‘Baler brick. Remember the best times we shared. Remember the events that took us through personal hardships, such as Hurricane Katrina, or our community catastrophe, such as when half of Hollister was outside of Target the night it was burning. Remember the gorgeous decorations at Winter Ball 2006 “Arabian Nights,” which our senior class officers were determined to perfect. Recall the time we had guest celebrities Bill Cosby, Jesus and Bill Clinton attending our panoramic picture. David Smith and James Schafer – our two very sexy water polo boys that could not leave a room without filling it with laughter first. Josh Schroder – our top pole-vaulter in California. Peter Pham – too intelligent to go to prom with some of the most beautiful girls… can you believe that girls have been asking him since his freshman year? Camille Vargas – how can her voice be so strong and so beautiful? Matt Thorpe – he’s going to be famous for sure, his acting is incredible and he knows how to entertain us all. Kayla Ferriera – she’s painted our class walls with beautiful colors for years, she has incredible talent. The MEChA ladies – their Air Jams are too creative to be forgotten. Nate – he’s been preparing for fireman training since grad trip … way to put the fire out in the trash can.
Remember the surprise we all felt when we understood that we were no longer the youngest on the campus; when the freshman fussing around and asking for directions caused us to patronize them. Remember your favorite teachers who made you feel a tiny spark of interest glowing inside you and managed to support this spark, and helped us to discover who we are and what we’d like to do in the future.
What we’ve accomplished over our brief years at San Benito cannot all be measured by a grade point average, it cannot be entirely conveyed with a transcript, and it cannot be summarized in a diploma. For, in addition to our quality education from San Benito High, we’ve received an education in life from each other. It is time to create our lives. As John Updike said, “You cannot help but learn more as you take the world into your own hands. Take it up reverently, for it is an old piece of clay, with millions of thumbprints on it.”
So my first piece of advice is not to hesitate to step over the threshold of the door that is already open for us. With the knowledge and friends we gained from San Benito High School, we will overcome every obstacle. The main thing is to search hard for the right path, and have persistence and faith. But however winding and different our life paths will be, we are all the graduates of one school, and we share the common concepts of our school: Knowledge and freedom. Each and every one of us are strong individuals, with more potential than we might give ourselves credit for. It took a lot to graduate from high school today, not only grades and teachers, but dealing with the judging eyes of peers, society’s perceptions and the future. Never worry what other’s say, and never try to meet other’s expectations. Instead, set your own goals and follow your own dreams.
Let us continue our vertical voyage. Reaching for the stars and never settling for mediocrity. We’re each given but one life with which to make a difference. Fellow graduates, what will you do with yours? In a society rife with violence and hate, we are given the opportunity to rise above the stereotype of the apathetic teenager. We have the power to do anything, to achieve anything, and to soar beyond all expectations. We have all given up one person for whom we care most. We have all benefited in one way or another from experiences that we have learned along the way. I’m sure to at least hear from most of you in the Jell-O movement MySpace forum.
We are the graduating class of 2007 – strong, intelligent and, yes, incredibly attractive and prepared to take the world by storm. So let me wish you luck and perseverance. I wish you all successes in your life path.
