P 060718Pg1

W
JUNE 7, 2018
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880
G15
Student speeches
B S A
C E
Administrators, teachers,
family, friends, and class of
2018:
There is a lot I wanted to say
to you all today; I didn’t want to
be cliché , and I didn’t want to
speak for hours up here, so I ’ve
managed to condense everything
into one message that I hope resonates
with most of you.
The four years we spent together
as a class were interesting,
to say the least. W e’ve
seen seen glimpses of both the
very best in the world and also
the very worst. W e’ve made it
this far, and I congratulate each
of you, but we still have a long
way to go from here. W e have a
lot to get done.
I f I ’ve learned anything in
high school, it’s that we are not
all given the life we want, or
even the life we might deserve.
Some of us have been treated
unfairly, some of us have been
treated too fairly, and some of
us seem to be sitting on the
Class Essayist: Don’t sit on
the sidelines, choose to act
sidelines watching the way everybody
else is being treated.
B ut if there is also something
else I ’ve learned, it’s that everything
that happens, everything,
is susceptible to our actions,
whether good or bad. I t
is possible to change the course
of events, and it is possible to
do something, even when you
think you c an’t.
And if you don’t believe me,
look at the walk out that was organiz
ed by a small group of people
here, most notably my good
friend K irsten Crowe, who I feel
lik e deserves some appreciation
for everything she did.
I t’s possible to do anything,
as cliché as it may sound, and
I hope that this fact will drive
all of you to do some of the
greatest things ever seen in the
years ahead of us.
e’re all standing in this
room today with roads ahead of
us, but the harsh reality is that
some of us may have the roads
already paved for us, and some
of us have to find our ways
PHOTOS | SPENSER HASAK
PVMHS Class Essayist Sarah Abdulghani addresses her class
during graduation.
through the land. Either way,
we will make it. W e’re sitting
in a room filled with future doctors,
teachers, lawyers, nurses,
and maybe even a president. I
believe all of us will tackl e the
injustices and endeavors presented
before us with courage.
To wrap it all up, I wanted to
say thank you. Thank you to each
and every single person who in
any way over the last four years,
made the day a bit more bearable,
taught me something, or
helped me up when I was down.
You k now ex actly who you are
and I genuinely thank you. M y
incredible teachers, my k ind
hearted friends, everyone.
And of course, to my parents.
None of this would have
been q uite possible without you
two. For those of you who don’t
k now, my parents and I immigrated
to this country when I was
very young, and I can’t begin to
imagine what that must’ve felt
lik e. Truthfully, I can’t imagine
what it must have been lik e, especially
since in this country,
people lik e us are not always
welcomed with open arms by
all. That’s another harsh reality
that we have to face.
B ut again, fellow graduates, that
is just something else that you can
set out to change. I k now I will.
Again, thank you all and congratulations.
I wish you all the
very best in the years to come.
Please, when you are presented
with the choice to do something,
or to do nothing, please, please,
always choose to do something.
Congratulations and the best of
luck to the Class of 2018!
Follow Your Dreams
Peabody Veterans
Memorial High
School graduates
take in the
ceremony.
Kate Fabrizio | 978.314.0196 | www.katefabrizio.com
Congratulations & Hats off to all
Gene’s Barber the 2018 Graduates!
Stylist
535 Lowell Street, Peabody
978.535.9872
Gene and staff offer their warmest thoughts
and wishes for a Safe & Happy Future