Jacob Lucas, Archbishop Murphy High School Salutatorian speech

Salutatorian Jacob Lucas was selected by his peers to address the graduating class at Archbishop Murphy this year.

From the moment that Jacob stepped onto campus as a freshman, he embodied a “Renaissance Man” way of life by understanding, engaging and excelling in a wide range of offerings to become the well-rounded young man is today. He truly does find joy in all that he commits to, from the courtrooms of Mock Trial to the wrestling mat; from the cross-country trails to the golf course; from the musical stage to the lanes of the swimming pool; from the track to a third-place finish at the international DECA competition; and from countless AP and Honors classes to being a school leader on ASB.

Jacob has demonstrated not only his personal commitment to excellence, but also an appreciation of that Renaissance Man mentality, that learning never exhausts the mind.

His peers describe Jacob as humble, wise beyond his years, earnest and purposeful, involved, invested and always ready to crack a joke.

Jacob has left his mark on AMHS and is a distinguished example of what it means to be a Christ-like leader working for the transformation of the world.

Salutatorian’s Speech by Jacob Lucas

Well, here we are. It’s been 4 years now of seeing each other every single day. I know all of you have made friends and memories that will stick with you forever. I am sure you all faced challenges and hard times, but I hope that in the end, the good outweighs the bad. Now let’s talk about some of the good, and a little bit of the bad.

Our freshman year nobody really knew what they were doing and it brought with it the typical challenges one would expect from freshman. We were scared, timid and above all else, really short. By about the middle of the year, we started to get more comfortable and develop a little personality. Unfortunately this personality brought with it the trends of teepeeing, saying “dough” instead of “though” and for some reason, saying the number 7 over and over again. We had some fun dances, some not so fun football games, and we all made our first friends at Murphy. For some of you, these friends remained steady and loyal aspects of your lives for the next four years, and maybe they will for the rest of your life. All in all though I’d give our freshman year an 8/10 with a bonus point from Mr. Smith.

This brings us to sophomore year when we thought we knew what we were doing, but really didn’t. We showed up already knowing who our friends were, much more confident than the year before, and ready to mock the freshman despite the fact that we were only a couple months older than them. We started to find our place and really make a difference on campus. Our presence became noticeable and not just obnoxious to the upperclassmen. Although this year did bring with it pantsing, saying “daaad”, and more teepeeing… We found out just how athletic of a class we were with a boy’s swim and soccer state championship, along with great individual success on the fields, courts, pools, tracks, and mats. I would give this year a 9/10 and an “inspired work” from Mr. Lavin.

Junior year we thought we were hot stuff. To be fair, this is when we really hit our stride. We were recognized for the general quality of our class and how we would hold conversations with teachers and be kind to underclassmen and just make the campus a better place to be. Football team started us off strong taking 3rd in state and giving us a team to rally around at the beginning of the year with most of the starters being from our class. We had numerous performers in the musical and excellent representation in the classroom. Now we may have racked up a few dress codes, started saying “cuz”, and uhh still teepeeing? But administration had its hands full with last year’s senior class, so we’re in the clear. Considering the fact that breaking dress code is just more comfortable, and I mean we all still passed right? I would give this year a strong 9.5/10 with an “I’m proud of your hard work” from Mr. Crane.

Alright that brings us to this year, when all the teachers finally admitted that we are their favorites. I don’t think I need to stand here and list off our accomplishments because we all know how hard we worked to achieve the level that we did eventually reach. It is this hard work that matters far more than any goals we reached or trophies we obtained. All this hard work gave us need for release which came in the form of dabbing, mannequin challenges, the word “lit,” and still teepeeing? Really, that’s the one constant in our 4 years of high school is that we toilet papered people’s houses? But in all seriousness, it has been 4 years of working and grinding to be the best version of ourselves that we could possibly be. And I think we did it, and I think the teachers, faculty, and parents would agree. So congratulations, our senior year earned a 10/10 with a “Wow, didn’t see that coming” from Mr. Glass.

Now Mr. Crane told me I could give advice in this speech but I don’t think I’m really qualified to tell you guys how to live, so I found a couple quotes that I think are important for the years ahead. 1. “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” Margaret Mead. This is a pretty common message, but a vital one to remember. We all matter equally, and never let anyone tell you differently, and don’t ever make anybody feel as though it’s not true.

2. “A day without sunshine is you know, night.” Steve Martin. Do not over-complicate things, sometimes the easiest most straightforward solution really is the best route. You will face new and exciting challenges, and never forget to take a step back and address it with a simplistic and purposeful approach.

3. Finally, “I may be a living legend, but that sure don’t help when I’ve got to change a flat tire.” Roy Orbison. Stay humble. No matter how much success you find, never forget where you came from and the people that helped you get to where you are. I hope that some of those people came from Murphy, I know that for me they certainly did. If you ever need a friend, think of the people you have met at this school, teachers, students, and coaches, and turn to them, because I guarantee they will be there in your times of need.

With that in mind, I’m about finished here, but one final thing: I hope that each and every one of you finds what they’re looking for, whatever that may be. You all deserve happiness and success and I firmly believe you can and will find it, though that comes in different forms for all of us. Thank you.

Jacob plans to attend the University of Washington. He received a University of Washington ROTC Scholarship.