Graduation Essay

I'm coming back next year. You bet! And I have. Every year of my life. This chant has been stuck in my head since I was three, and my hot pink Crocs entered the front playground of Chautauqua Children’s School. I couldn't get enough. One would think that I’d be sick of school and want nothing to do with more learning in the summer. Not me. A lifetime of summers at Chautauqua Institution is a gift. Chautauqua's mission of lifelong exploration and discovery has molded me, inspired me, and…

Washington D.C. is made up of many historical landmarks. Each landmark has its own meaning and can teach future generations on how the United States of America got to where we are today. Although all seventy-four historical landmarks sound interesting and educational, there's only one I would love to visit. The Vietnam War Memorial will always hold a special place in my heart because my grandpa was one of the fortunate soldiers who made it home after the war. Throughout my life, my…

I cried every day my first semester of school. I almost dropped out countless times. There were many moments where I felt like I did not belong in the world of academia. I did not anticipate that suffering would be such a big part of my academic journey. I was thoroughly unprepared. It is custom to highlight victories but we must not allow the pain that is part of our experiences be forgotten. Especially pain that makes you feel alien to the spaces you are trying to fit in, and improve, and…

It's scary to be out here as in out in a 'new girl in high school' kind of way, airing my opinions which may or may not be same as yours. Oh and to have people think I'm a parenting expert: Uh, what she say?. I most certainly I'm not. Like you, I'm just a brave new girl stepping out into the matrix of life. Fit to nurture is born out of the realization that no matter how young or old I am, how crazy or sane I am, how emotionally battered or sound I am..., I've been given (or taken, thank you!)…

LIFE BEFORE PROTANDIM JIM’S TESITMONY Let me begin at June 28th, 2013 (my first heart attack) and I’ll expedite my life to March 9th, 2015 (my second heart attack). Going on 30 years I contracted this horrible disease called Diabetes; 12 years ago I had a stroke in my right optical cord – leaving me partially blind; and 6 years ago I began having seizures after learning I deal with Epilepsy. Around that same time, I found myself to deal with Sleep Apnea. I still deal with an equilibrium issue…

"The State of Our Union is strong, strong has been for the past seven, and will be for the year to come. The First Lady and I are wishing to last until eternity. I may not be present at this chamber a year from now, but I can not express how fortunate I am standing here as a human being, a citizen, an American with a Muslim father and a Christian mother, as well as the President of our beloved nation, the United States of America. America being a country, regardless of our appearance,…

Hello, I’m Rose Nolan. You don’t know me but if you’re reading this; Congratulations! You got hired to work on the ninth floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. I too used to work on the ninth floor of the factory, well before the fire. “What fire?” you ask. Oh, I forgot to mention I'm from the future. Let’s just forget I said that thing about the fire. Anyway, let's get to the point. You want to know how to survive the factory. First of all, you may be as young as twelve. You should not be…

The Speech I knew I would need to start writing my speech at some point, but there were much better things to be doing than homework. The speech had to be about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. I had terrible writer's block. The topic and instructions given by my English teacher were vague. I was sure I would never get the speech done. The Washington D.C. trip was a big deal in the eighth grade. Everyone was so excited to be able to take a trip so far away. Before we could go…

The Values of the Athenians in the Hospital: Florence Nightingale In "My Graduation Speech," Neil Postman, an author and professor at New York University, asserts that the values and ideas originated by two ancient groups over 2,500 years ago still survive and influence us today. In his essay, Postman presented the Athenians and the Visigoths, the former virtuous and creative, and the latter crude and careless, with the suggestion that we all "must be on one side or the other." We owe the…

Good evening parents, classmates, teachers, staff, and visitors. Thank you for coming out and supporting the class of 2016. We are able to be here today because of the help and motivation of our principal, Dr. Sledge, our counselor, Ms. Dechant, and our senior advisors, Mr. Markofski, Mr. Farrell, and Ms. Alderdice. Also, we would like to recognize the scholarship organizations and contributors here tonight for aiding us in continuing our educational path. We are here today because these people…