New Britain High School Graduation Speech
By Saimun Habib | NBHS VALEDICTORIAN at June 22, 2024 | 2:30 pm | Print
Faculty and staff, friends and family, members of Administration and the Board of Education, distinguished guests, and undistinguished guests, yeah you know who you are, thank you all for being here on this momentous day.
You know, I was nervous about writing and giving this speech, but after a nap; it was one of the best naps I’ve had; I woke up and realized, most of you aren’t paying attention, and most of you aren’t going to remember what I said.
And that’s alright. Class of 2017 has had the worst, absolute worst, case of senioritis. Give yourself a round of applause, we really outdid ourselves. But in all seriousness, today is our day. It is a celebration of all our accomplishments, it’s a celebration of everyone who has helped us get here. Look around and take a deep breath, the air is electric in this stadium; 12 years and you’re finally here, minutes away from graduation with nothing but me and a boring speech stopping you. In the immortal words of the famous poet and philosopher, Travis Scott, “It’s Lit.”
And as much as I want to be done with and graduate already, I realize this is the only time I’ll have the honor of speaking to all of my classmates and their families. So I want to share a few things I learned in high school:
- Firstly, remember to always give thanks. None of us got here alone and we owe the people around us so much. So I’d like to thank a few people myself.
- Thank you to my mom and dad. Words can’t capture my love for you all. Now that I’m graduating I can admit my parents were always right. Yes mom, she was no good. No dad, I shouldn’t have spent money on that.
- Thank you to my little brother, Tairan, for nothing more than being who you are. He’s probably the smartest and most annoying person I know.
- Thank you to Derick, Kevin, Lauren, Joey, Niko, Genny, Jesus, Dairen, Ian, and Romar, especially everyone in the Frisbee Club. 10, 20, 40 years from now I won’t remember what I learned in class, but I’ll remember you guys, I’ll remember the people I learned with and laughed with.
- Thank you to Mr. Clark for always keeping it real and challenging me. I appreciate you reminding me that the real world is a scary place and for calling me out when I am doing something incredibly stupid. By the way, I am going to destroy you at jousting at All Night Grad. Be there or be square.
- Thank you to Ms. Mazadoorian for checking all of college essays and helping me write gooder. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be literate enough to read my speech.
- Thank you, Mr. Zayas. I know we butt heads often but I learned a lot from our daily arguments.
- Thank you, Mrs. Mathur, for giving me guidance and advice these past two years.
- And thank you Mr. Pinchera for his continued commitment to this school.
- The next thing I learned in high school is that if you apply yourself, you can achieve it.
- I realize it sounds cliché but look at me. Look at you. Look where we are. Class of 2017 isn’t just the best looking class to come out of NBHS, but also one of the most successful. The odds have always been stacked against us. We have faced incredible obstacles like Ebola, 2016, and now fidget spinners, yet here we are, ready to graduate.
- The fact we sit here ready to graduate shows we have experienced success. I found great success and I think you all know what I’m talking about; it’s my stellar soccer career. Four years ago I couldn’t play soccer but with the help of my coaches and teammates, I became captain of the bench and we made it to states.
- We have all done the impossible already. After a year of being told that we can’t complete the Capstone in one day, we’ve all completed the Capstone the night before.
- But still, we have to remember to be realistic, When I was little, I wanted to grow up to be a fire truck. Not a fireman, but a fire truck. Then my mom said, “Saimun, be quiet, you’re graduating two weeks from now.” My point is chase your dreams. They probably won’t come true, but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you chase them. The pursuit of happiness is more important than happiness.
- The last thing I learned in high school is probably the most important. I think Kendrick Lamar said it best, “Sit down, Be Humble”
- No really, I’m serious. As angsty teenagers, we feel ready to take on the world. And we are, we are the future and the beacon that lights the way. But our parents and teachers were once angsty teenagers and once were the future. So listen to what they have to say, not just about school but about life. They’ve been on this Earth longer than we have and are wiser than us. They each have a story just as we do and you’d be surprised what you can learn from them.
I won’t keep you any longer, I want to graduate just as much as you do, but if I could leave one final piece of advice, it’s that if you choose to be good at something, let it be the ability to learn. No other skill will help you more in life. Congratulations Class of 2017. It’s been trill, Peace.
