Change is a challenge that we face in life every single day of our lives. Big or small, it can shake our faith and belief in ourselves and in others. The end of a student’s high school journey ushers great change in his or her life, but with courage brought about by close ties and bonds among friends and family, anything is surmountable.
Delivered during the 2018 Commencement Exercises
To the teachers and faculty of MIT International School, the parents, the esteemed guests, my fellow students and graduates, good afternoon. My name is Elijah James Blanco, resident pessimist and according to my classmate Tony, “depressed guy” of grade 12. I am here today to give my valedictory address and showcase just how bad I am at public speaking (shout-out to Ms. Mae and all my public speaking classmates, I don’t know how I passed that class).
To begin, I’d like to quote one of the greatest minds of all time, “Started from the bottom, now we here.” – Drake.
When I first set foot in MIT International School, I never once expected to find high school so difficult. Adjusting felt awkward and interacting with people was weird to me because it usually went like “Yo! Who’s the fat, Mexican looking kid?” 7th grade was probably one of the most difficult transition periods for me; it was rock bottom, but that just meant that I had nowhere to go but up, right? With the prior idea in mind, I’d like to skip stories about 8th grade because 7th grade was definitely not rock bottom. 9th and 10th grade were a blur and honestly I don’t remember much, which brings us to grade 11.
Last school year was a difficult time for me. My friends and my classmates transferred schools, I felt as though I’d been left behind. I had assumed everyday was going to be constant boredom and I felt like it would be a struggle to get out of bed and come to school. Instead of this mundane and boring life that I had seen for myself however, I found something else, something unexpected. It took me awhile to realize what I had found because for so long I was blinded by my own fear of the future and what’s out there for me, I had forgotten that it was okay to step forward into the unknown. With baby steps, however, I took chances and found nothing less than a home and a family that I wouldn’t trade for the world. To Tony, Jessie, Katy, Jin, (Rachel and Taylor too, wherever you guys are), here’s to you guys for making me feel at home.
All of these experiences, all of these assumptions made, and risks taken, bring us now to the 12th grade. These steps I’ve taken on a path of which the existence I had forgotten, bring us to this final year in high school, the present, the now. As a family, we’ve grown so much, changed in so many ways; things that were strange to us are now commonplace. We have learned things such as “don’t mess with Ms. Yo (this also serves as a warning for her future students out there),” “It’s not okay for me and Tony to both be asleep in AP Chemistry class,” and of course “I shouldn’t fall asleep on the bus ride home because I’ll wake up in Manila.” We’ve learned many useless things along the way such as “pigeons in Korea are so fat, some of them can’t fly,” but… we also learned many valuable things.
We’ve learned how to be a family, how to stick together, how to push each other forward to reach for whatever it is that we want to achieve. We’ve learned to adapt, deal with others, and we’ve changed for the better in so many ways. I, personally, have learned to do something very difficult. Stepping forth into the unknown, taking the leap of faith, taking risks, these are not easy things to do. For the longest time I’ve had the habit of being a worrywart, I’ve had problems with anxiety and the fear of what may come next. The past 2 years of senior high was no exception to these fears and doubts
I, however, have overcome these things with the help of others. First and foremost, thanks to the Lord for everything. To my parents, my uncle, my grandmother and my brother, thanks for always understanding me, I wouldn’t trade you guys for the world. To my teachers, thanks for dealing with my mood swings and not failing me. To Ms. Luz, I made it po, last one standing. And to my friends, I’m afraid I can’t thank you one by one for fear of droning on too long and this becoming a thanksgiving speech, but I don’t know where I’d be without you guys.
Honestly speaking, I don’t think I could have made it this far without these people and I don’t know if that says something about my own willpower and strength as a person, but isn’t that what success is about anyway? Being able to find where you take inspiration from, being able to find what makes you relevant, whether it’s something only you have, or something you may find in others. Over the years and with the time I’ve spent with everyone, I have learned to let go of my fear of uncertainty and step forward into the path ahead of me. I have learned to stop being afraid and I have moved forward to find something that I do not regret finding. At the end of the day, the choice really is up to each and every one of us. Do we stand still and stay where we are? Or do we tread along and see what lies ahead, what possibilities are awaiting us?
To my fellow graduates, I urge you all to keep pushing forward. We’ve already made it this far and with what we’ve learned from school and from each other, I believe we can go even further. We’ve worked together to get to this point, to the here and now, and though we can proudly say that we have finally graduated, there’s a new chapter ahead of us. It’s time now, more than ever, to push further along the tides of life and see what’s in store. Let me go back to what I’ve said earlier, “we have started from the bottom, but together, now we’re here.” Together, we do not need to fear what lies ahead. Take the leap of faith or even baby steps. Take chances, be bold, be daring, for “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.” – Soren Kierkegaard.
Again, to my fellow graduates, congratulations; and to everyone, thank you and good afternoon.
