Whether you’re graduating from high school or college, it’s a momentous occasion when you walk across that expansive stage to accept your diploma for the years that you dedicated to academic work. However, such ceremonies weren’t possible last year because of the pandemic, meaning that many graduation festivities were parades of cars decorated for the occasion and cheers from the parade participants and spectators. Although people would have preferred the traditional commencements, these parades were better than nothing.
The good news is that, a year later from the start of the outbreak, things seem much more positive. The vaccines have been rolling out, and because of that, restrictions have been eased to some degree. With that, there’s the possibility that schools may be able to go back to some aspect of normalcy in terms of having traditional graduation ceremonies. If that’s the case, then that means some speeches will have to be made, whether you’re the valedictorian, salutatorian, class president, or any other high-ranking student in your class government. June will be here before you know it, and May will be here much sooner for college graduates, so make sure you write a speech that’s going to be remembered as your fellow students emerge from one significant chapter of their lives and venture into the next.
As with many speeches, you want to remain composed. The reason why I bring this up here is because, since you’re still young, this may very well be the biggest audience in front of which you’ve ever spoken. This is an audience that includes your family, closest friends, and a large part of the community, so it’s justifiable that you would be nervous. In this case, it might help if you practiced your speech in front of your loved ones so that you can receive some feedback and get an idea of how it might be received by others.
Although there are differences between graduating from high school and graduating from college, you can pretty much talk about the same things. Talk about how much those four years of high school/college meant to you. Maybe mention a teacher or professor who inspired you and express your gratitude to those who helped you get to where you are today. Even thank your classmates for the memorable times that you shared. You’ll all be going your separate ways after your graduate, so use this time to express gratitude to those who helped shape your high school/college experiences.
You also want to be careful with how you use inspirational quotes. Try to stick with a single quote; two being the absolute limit. If you try to put as much of your speech as possible in your own words, it will come off as more sincere and will show people how much work you put into making something your own, which will help make it more memorable. If you want to include a quote or two, whether it be from a movie, book, song, or well-known individual, try to look for something that isn’t used too often and doesn’t sound like your typical inspirational quote.
Remember, there isn’t any need to be nervous. Graduation is a special day for you, your friends, and your family, and you’ll be receiving a lot of love and support from everyone as you take this next big step in your life. Use the best words that you can to let everyone know how much this day means to you. If you do that, there wouldn’t be a better way to celebrate the progression into the next exciting phase of your life.
