Commencement Speech, 2011
Well. Here we are: Faculty, Family, Friends, and, of course, the graduating class of 2011. Does it seem real, sitting here? You’re all in your seats, relatively still, but can’t you still feel the energy pulsating throughout the stadium, the constant buzz of excitement and anticipation? Yes, you’re in your seat, but you’re perched on the edge of it, and the energy is like a tightly wound spring ready to….spring. This is the culmination of how many years, how much planning, how many tears, smiles, laughs, late-nights, dragging mornings, frustrations and exultations…after how many memories, and how many moments? One moment can mean so much. The implications of a single action are endless, but it is that small window of time that comes just before the action where the possibilities abound.
Even as an inanimate object sits on a shelf, it has energy. The energy of an object is a constant. It cannot be created, nor can it be destroyed. It can only be transformed.
In a similar sense, each of us has a capacity for success, however we choose to define the word. We have our own potential energy, which is both fascinating and frightening. High school has been our time to sit safely on that shelf and try to ascertain our own potential—to see just how far we can stretch ourselves. When we first enter high school we’re encouraged to try all sorts of new things and ideas— to join a variety of clubs and take a broad spectrum of classes. As we climb the high school totem pole to the senior status, these interests narrow as we begin to recognize our limits and explore our strengths. Reflecting on our experiences, there are certain moments that stand out from among the others. The failures and successes are so clear in our memories, but do we remember that critical moment—the split second before—the store of potential, ready to burst? The slow click of your cursor as you finally submit that college application is potential. It’s the moment before you open that testing booklet, with the products of last-minute cramming still spiraling through your head. It’s your freshly sharpened #2 pencil hovering above the answer sheet. It’s that moment before the crack of the bat. It’s the silence before the starting gun.... It's instruments and bodies poised, eyes focused on the conductor, waiting for that... moment. Preparation, Belief, and Hope-- That moment before I opened my mouth on stage, right before the first sound came out—that was Potential. It’s the difference between what is and what can, should, and ultimately will be. It’s that moment when something hangs in the balance, teetering on that thin line. It's that infinitesimal moment separating the past from the future. That moment is right now. Right . . . Now.
Potential energy wants to transform—to become kinetic energy, energy in motion—energy that does rather than just is. It is in each of us, crossing this stage today, completing Act 1 of our lives and anticipating the beginning of “what’s next,” the transformation to being defined by what we do rather than by who we are.
With this short walk across the stage as our catalyst, we will take the knowledge that we've accumulated over these past four years and transform it into action. Our shelf life has, essentially, expired. Each of our names will be called alone, singled out from among those of our peers, marking the beginning of our new individual journeys. Many of our friendships were formed long before we even entered the doors of Groves High School and many will continue long beyond. In classes we have both competed with and shared experiences with one another. We've spent these years together, knit tightly into a community. From this moment, our energies disperse as we go forward into new communities, new schools and new homes. We will send ripples and waves into this world. And though we may be far apart, standing on this common foundation which we have built together, we can face our future with the confidence that each of us has something to share and the energy to see it through.
When you walk across this stage today, don’t focus so much on trying not to stumble—remember that it is your moment. It is the catalyst--The transformation from learning to doing, from potential to success- - your success. Your diploma. Your stage to cross. Your energy to transform. Your moment to live. And, Class of 2011, it is well deserved. Congratulations.
