Courtesy photo. Jurate Lukosaityte is valedictorian of the New Smyrna Beach High School class of 2009. The 18-year-old will attend the University of Florida and major in health science. She gave the following speech to her classmates at Wednesday's graduation ceremony at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach:
Welcome everyone, and thank you for attending this special occasion that is dear to all of our hearts. I am truly honored to have this opportunity to speak on behalf of my fellow classmates.
In all honesty, I believe that they, along with myself, have been eager to graduate since the first day of our freshman year at 100 Barracuda Boulevard. I remember my first day of classes at the old school less than a mile away from the beach. I was a shy, nervous girl, completely unprepared to face what was ahead of me. Graduation seemed like it was a lifetime away, unimaginable and far from reach. Even as a child attending the graduations of friends and loved ones, I remember wondering what it would feel like to be all grown up and finally walk across this very stage and receive my high school diploma.
This very night has been on our minds day in and day out, trust me, most of us have kept a count down in our planners since the first day of this school year. Now that this critical point in our lives has finally arrived, and now that we are all finally “grown up”, I cannot even begin to express the emotions that accompany me on this memorable night.
Our class will most clearly remember you: our family who has always been here for us, true friends who we hope to never lose touch with, and the amazing faculty of New Smyrna Beach High School for always keeping our best interest at heart. We will remember all of the support you have showered us with since day one. You have stood by each and every one of us as our cheeks began to hurt from smiling too much for our homecoming pictures, and as we complained too much when our legs were sore the next morning from dancing for hours.
Through success and heartbreak, the memories that we have created with your love and guidance throughout these past four years are now engraved into our spirits for the rest of our lives to come. As I think of this, all I can do is smile. I think the rest of the class of 2009 can agree with me when I say thank you for the motivation you all have bestowed upon us to get us here today.
Although this traditional ceremony marks the end of one chapter of our lives, we should also remember that today is only the beginning, the birth, of a new adventure. Some of us, who couldn’t get enough of high school, may go on to college and continue our education, others may work tirelessly as they learn the skills required of their current career, and others may have selflessly and graciously enlisted themselves into the armed forces of this great nation. Others may not have even decided what they will do after tonight. Regardless which category each of us fall into, I hope that we all find our paths to be fulfilling.
Writing this speech finally helped me to appreciate our class motto by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
It is up to us to take charge of our future, and make the best of every situation, always remaining optimistic. We are all young adults with aspiring dreams and the world is in our hands now. The adults in this room have high expectations of us, no pressure guys, but we need to take risks that will allow us to fulfill every goal we have envisioned for the future, our future.
This is the time to embrace opportunity, even if we fail in the process, but we must never forget that failure is truly a blessing in disguise; we should never let it discourage us. If anything, it is a force that can strengthen us.
As we embark on this new phase in our lives, I know that we have been prepared for what we will face. We must grasp everything that comes our way, taking full advantage of it, living life to our fullest potential without any regret.
So tonight, as we each finally walk across this very stage and receive our diplomas, we will remember all of our cherished high school memories, we will remember the wonderful people that were a part of them, and we will be confident in one another to create an inviting future that will one day be remembered by our children.
All I have left to say is congratulations to my fellow graduates who have each made a lasting impression on me, and thank you to all others here tonight; you are all greatly appreciated by each and every one of us.
Thank you.