William Cozart, Marysville Getchell High School Valedictorian speech

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 13, 2017

William Cozart, Marysville Getchell High School Valedictorian

There is a common misconception that a diploma is simply a symbol of all that you have achieved during high school, but in truth it is much more than that. A diploma is not just a testament to what you HAVE achieved, but it more importantly shows all that you CAN achieve. It proves that for over thirteen years you persisted. Despite anything life could throw at you, you toughed it out and achieved your main goal: graduating. Sometimes it would have been easier to quit, to give up right before reaching the finish line, but instead you’ve chosen to persist down a much harder path.

Some may see graduation as an end of the line. Many of our lives to this point have been dictated for us, and now that we’ve reached graduation our future paths are, for the first time, uncertain. Our future is now in our own hands. While that is a scary thought, and the prospect of graduating may be surreal, it cannot and will not deter us. Graduation is NOT the end of the line. It is a doorway in which our diplomas are the key; an entire future of opportunity just waiting for us to take advantage. If you ever come to a moment in which you think you cannot accomplish a goal, think back to this diploma, to this day, to all who have supported you to this point, and remember: you’ve proven that you have the perseverance to achieve anything.

Whether your future involves college, the workforce, or the military, know that you’ll always be a Charger at heart.

Class of 2017, welcome to the first day of the rest of our lives.