Graduation Speech

Hello and welcomeÐ'.....

As a matter of formality I would like to introduce myself. My name is Bruce Richard and it gives me great pleasure to address you all today at Valencia High School. Thank you very much for this unique and rewarding opportunity. It is one I will never forget. I regard this as rewarding and memorable because I am being asked to recount my high school experiences and the impact they have had on me. This is particularly valuable in that I can retain this as a permanent record to look back and reflect upon in the future. As I look back in retrospect and ask myself if I always tried as hard as I could, I am left with the fact that maybe I didn't put my entire effort into all my studies and take full advantage of the free education I was offered. As I recall, the subjects that most interested me, such as science and the hands on approach, tended to sustain my level of interest and motivation. On the other hand, subjects such as government and others were harder to stay focused on for some reason. I am certain that most students have the same experience. I guess some things just require us to buckle down a little more in order to really learn.

(Brief Pause)

I am truly proud of the fact that I shared in the successes of the school as I was part of the drama class for four years and helped us win 5th place amongst 60 schools for the "Taming of the Shrew". I played varsity football in my senior year where we had a great 9-2 season. As I go on to Fullerton, I only wish I had stuck to my intentions of playing all four years, instead of being influenced by other people, particularly the opposite sex. I have learned that it is important to stick to your convictions if you feel as strongly about them as I did. When I was part of the cross country team in my sophomore and junior years I did quite well and always gave it my all, learning the value of struggling to achieve by discovering more about myself and my abilities. The part of me I never thought existed gave me the confidence to know that anything can be accomplished with the right determination and desire. I am committed to succeed and looking forward to playing football at Fullerton.

I would like to talk about my future plans and the affect my time here and my family and friends have had on my decisions and plans. I am grateful for the community service hours I had to complete and how I learned respect for other people and interaction