Graduates of the Class of 2025, Speech Example

I welcome you to the senior graduation at Hollywood High School. Over the past four years, you all have worked diligently to be where you stand today. As a graduate of this very high school, I am aware of the hard work and dedication that you all must have put in during your time here. I am also happy to say that it is this same hard work that will prepare you for college and beyond.

When I stood as a high school graduate 11 years ago, I was just as you were. Sitting among your peers, getting ready for what lies beyond now. I was also wondering what I would say if I were ever to be invited to speak at a graduation. 11 years later, that answer is now before me, and I am now full of knowledge that I wish I had known back then. In order to help you all get a head start on this new and exciting adventure you have before you, I plan to impart this wisdom on you.

When I first began high school, I was worried about the change it would bring. Some of my middle school friends were no longer with me, and I was probably one of the shortest people in the building. However, once I realized there was nothing to worry about, I knew I was destined for greatness. I made new friends, aced my classes, and even learned some new hobbies along the way. Not to mention, at the end of my high school career, I wasn’t the shortest student anymore. This goes to show you that while things change, they aren’t always for the worst. In fact, think back to what the beginning of high school was like for you. Were you scared? Well, how do you feel now? Chances are that you are no longer that person you were when you first came to Hollywood High School. You grew up. You made friends that will last a lifetime. You look back on your fear and laugh. You loved your high school experience, and this change has made you ready to take on the world.

So what’s next? Some of you are going to college and others are finding jobs. Whatever challenges now wait for you in the future, you are ready for them. Change is always scary at first, but every major change leads to something even greater. Graduating high school marks your transition from teenagers to young adults. To some of you, high school was the best time of your life and you may be afraid to let it go. Don’t be scared! The end of high school is just a new beginning, and with this beginning, you have the opportunity to make a new future for yourself. Every single one of you get to be the person you want to become.

But, what if the choices you make are wrong? Is there really such a thing as a wrong choice? It is important for you to consider that the choices you make are always the right ones in your current situation. Even if you regret your choices, you will end up learning from them, and this knowledge will continue to benefit you for years to come. When I was in your shoes, I expected that I would graduate, enter college as a biology major, and become a doctor! While it was an excellent ambition and correct decision for me in the moment, I recognized several years into my education that my new right choice would be to accept change. This is why I switched my major to business and became a successful owner of a chain of businesses. If I had been afraid of change, I would have never recognized my own perception of success.

I therefore ask you to consider what success for you is in that moment, and to let it guide you. However, do not let this take control of you. It should serve as your guiding mission, but allow it to change as you change. And, you will certainly change. As you grow, you will gain new friends, and keep old ones. Your interests will grow, and your old ones will develop more. You are able to use your current experiences to accomplish anything, changing your experience if necessary. You can be want you want to, and the only thing holding you back is your former self. Let yourself change.

As you encounter these changes, feel assured that your friends and family will be there to support you, through the good changes and the bad. Overall, you should feel good about the choices you have made and will make in the future. As graduates of the class of 2025, you hold the world in your hands. The future and everything in it belongs to you, if you learn to accept change. It is with this advice that I wish the best of luck to the class of 2025!