Hani Nakkour, Mountlake Terrace High School ASB President
Good afternoon and welcome administration, faculty, parents, relatives and friends, and most importantly the graduating class of 2017. My name is Hani Nakkour, and standing here today is somewhat of a surreal shock for myself. Writing the phrase “graduating class of 2017” for this speech brought me to a halt and continued to do so every time I would look over it. I believe I just have a hard time with moving on and especially with change, and graduation is the epitome of that. However, I associate change to growth as there is no possible way to grow and improve yourself without change. Change results in pushing yourself outside your own boundaries. You become uncomfortable and feel out of place. This school year allowed me to realize what great things come from change. So, although I feel offset by graduating and moving on, I find solace in the thought that the future holds a myriad of treasured opportunities and experiences.
The thought of graduation merely crossed my mind near the start of this school year. It was more of a worry at the potential that was yet to be reached during our last year in high school. Our freshman year we would never have thought about what potential we would reach as our senior year of high school unfolds. The Merriam-Webster definition of Potential is to be “existing in possibility; capable of development into actuality.” Although high school is a mere sliver of our lives and experiences, it is among one of the most important and soul-changing four years we’ll ever experience in our lifetime.
For the duration of my senior year, I had the honor to serve the student body as the ASB president. The experiences and life lessons that have come from it are all worthwhile and a treasure to say the least. Aside from the spirit weeks, assemblies, sports games, and decking out from head to toe in terrace pride, I had the opportunity to build relationships and grow as an individual. This brings me back to Potential. I can only speak from a personal experience about this, but I believe it can be related to each of us as seniors. I walked in freshman year and had thought about two things, the first being how much of an outcast I felt and the second was how I thought that Mr. Schwab was one of the tallest human beings ever. I had never thought during freshman year that I would break out of my shell during my junior year and run for a position that involved communicating with a vast majority of students and staff, as well as maintaining a positive attitude throughout all the hardships. Mr. Schwab was one of many administration I had maintained a level of communication throughout the school year with. His office doors were always wide open for any student that needed advice, help or someone to talk to. Mountlake Terrace High School has been blessed to have had the stalwart leadership and guidance of Mr. Schwab throughout the years and I would like to say a great thank you on behalf of the student body for your hard work and dedication to the community of MTHS.
See, during high school you go for things you wouldn’t think to have potential for. It’s a sign of growth in an individual, and courage. Mountains of courage. We all have grown into our potential, whether it be working towards making it onto a sports team you wanted so badly, or achieving an award for an article you wrote in the Hawkeye, or more simply building the strength to present something in front of a large audience. Similar to what I’m doing at this moment. Nevertheless, this whole year we have been proving ourselves with our capabilities as students, showing how special we are as individuals and all that we have to offer in the world.
Of all the endless lessons high school has taught me throughout my four years here, one in specific stands out the most. It struck me especially during my senior year. There are so many people out there that try to keep you from moving forward. These are like blocks in the road throughout your life that are the tests of your perseverance as cliche as that sounds. Your job is to not listen to a single thing they have to offer. I realized this year, that although there are amazing individuals that will cross your life, there will be moments when people pick on your successes and find weak spots. That is your chance to brush it off, take that criticism and put it as your driving force to succeed and prove them wrong. Multiple times I’ve come across classmates who believe they aren’t good enough because they don’t fit a certain standard, or didn’t do so well on a certain area in their life, or have slipped up a couple times. These feelings of inadequacy are not true; I encourage you to remember this. Self doubts happen all the time. Don’t let them stop you.
I had my doubts throughout my four years here, this year more than ever. I owe today all to my family for the constant encouragement and love, my friends who make me a better individual, and of all my teachers and advisors especially Kim Stewart who has been a guiding figure this past year and I thank him for all the endless support. Lucky is an understatement for the students of Mountlake Terrace High School, because the amount of dedication and effort put forth by our teachers and administration are part of who shape us as adults and are why we are able to be seated here today receiving our diplomas. There are many of you all to thank, but somehow thanking will not equate to all the hardwork you all put in for us to be successful individuals. I just want you to know you are appreciated and loved by us all.
Moving on, I’d like to touch to base on our school motto. Terrace High School sets its students to the standards of the phrase “To be, not to seem.” Flashback to October to Mountlake Terrace’s Homecoming week where this senior class right in front of you had one of the most iconic show-ups in terrace history. After the spirit dwindling the past two years or so, the senior class took the initiative to be and not to seem. The amount of love shown, and the family bonding that was created was something that cannot be forgotten. Also, the day that we had dressed up as senior citizens was a day that was hard to be forgotten as well. The halls were swarming with walkers, canes, gray hair, khaki pants and sweater vests. It was a day completely full of excitement and Thomas Braun rolling around in his wheelchair yelling at underclassmen to get out of the way. That same week the senior class became the US Olympic Track team and jogged around the Hub chanting. We started our school year off together with a senior sunrise, and just last night completed our year joined together at our senior sunset. There were a bunch of fond memories and amazing accomplishments in academics and other areas this year for the class of 2017 and I cannot wait to see the success to come out of every individual seated before me. I told myself freshman year that high school was going to be a roller coaster ride, and boy was I right. But now that the ride has followed its course and we’ve made the stop to get off and move forth with our lives, I want to thank every single one of you all for the memories, good and bad, and most of all the friendship that was built in our four years here that will most definitely continue on past today. I would like to leave you all with a quote by Bradley Withford that has been near and dear to my heart this past year and I hope it speaks to you as well. “Take action. Every story you’ve ever connected with, every leader you’ve ever admired, every puny little thing that you’ve ever accomplished is the result of taking action. You have a choice. You can either be a passive victim of circumstance or you can be the active hero of your own life.” I love you all and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today.
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