Good morning Lower Merion. I’m Rachel Zhang, and let’s get started with today’s announcements.
After four years of hard work, we’ve finally done it. How exciting! It’s already difficult to measure our emotions as graduation looms not too far in the distance—it’d probably be impossible to quantify the quarter of our lives that passed at Lower Merion in just a single piece of writing. So, forgive me as I try my best.
I like to think about life as a series of decisions. This year, we’ve made more decisions than any year before. We’ve made some good ones, maybe some bad ones, and hopefully, the good outweigh the bad. The beauty and the horror of decision-making both lie in the fact that you are in total control. The metaphorical ball is in your court, and it’s up to you now to not metaphorically fumble. After four years of decision making, I have to say, I feel like I fumbled a lot. I know, mistakes can be beautiful, and some things are meant to be, but come on, those are just things you say to reassure your friends that you don’t actually believe.
Regret is such a real feeling. It hurts a lot and sometimes it feels like it will never stop. It’s like a fight that keeps on going, no matter how many students are staring from the upper atrium, or how many policemen are called to speak to the students sternly. Any choice is a risk for regret, and in my opinion, high school is, if anything, full of regrets. That can be regretting not auditioning for the Players musical, wishing you hadn’t missed the District Championship game, or putting too much trust in the cafeteria’s fish taco.
It’s so easy to want to regret these past four years. To unwind the clock and do it over again and just hope things go better. But that’s just not possible, and it sucks. We can’t choose for life to go easier on us. However, there are other choices we can make.
Regret is a choice. When you look back on your time here, choose to not regret the bad days along with the good. Choose to not regret the doors you left closed, because you opened another. When we choose to not regret, we choose to move on, and we choose to remember.
To the Class of 2022:
As we prepare to leap out of the nest and finally test our wings in the real world, I implore you to do this as you fly high and far—approach everything as an active choice. You chose to learn, you choose to love, and you will choose to remember. Everything in your life is done with a purpose, and you’ve chosen to accomplish so many things, so be proud! Even if, as you spread your wings and leap into the big blue sky, you fall flat on your face, who cares! Look at you. You’ve already made it here, and I am so proud of you for choosing to come this far.
You all amaze me. My friends, you are phenomenal. Even when all I recognize is a face and the inkling of a name, I feel distinct pride seeing your successes and I feel a fierce love from afar. There is no doubt in my mind that you will all go on to do good and great things, and I can’t wait to see it.
Have a great day LM. Be kind to one another and remember that Character Counts.
Thank you.
