Ashley Benson

From a very young age, we have all been taught that “anything is possible.” Our parents and teachers have told us that with hard work, we can be anything we want to be and accomplish anything we set out to do. As the celebrated philosopher Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

While we may have thought the saying a little too clich and rather childish at some points, for the most part we have embraced this advice and taken the aphorism of “anything is possible” to our hearts. We have kept this in the back of our minds when making any academic or athletic goals. We have kept this in the back of our minds in order to get us to where we are right now.

Getting here hasn’t been easy, but we did it. Knowing that anything is possible, we have succeeded in overcoming stress and in juggling busy schedules with too much homework. We have succeeded, most importantly, in overcoming our reputation as the biggest slacker class Bothell can remember. We have shown the teachers that our procrastination, indifference to late assignments, missed tests, dislike of the Model UN, and an overabundance of absences hasn’t stopped us from getting to where we wanted to be. We have proved, to ourselves, and to our families and teachers that as the saying goes, anything truly is possible.

From this experience, we take away more than just a diploma and a yearbook full of memories. We leave Bothell High with the knowledge and assurance that the saying of “anything is possible” is more than just an age-old witticism – it is the truth. And we can use this knowledge to accomplish our wildest dreams and our seemingly unattainable goals.

The question is often asked after graduation, “Where do we go from here?” The answer? Anywhere we want to go. We can do anything we want to do. We can become anything we have ever wanted to be. We can continue setting higher and higher goals. We can strive to achieve our very best. And it is sure that we will accomplish everything we set out to do, in the face of any level of difficulty.

To again quote Thoreau, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” I want every single one of you sitting here tonight to know that the dreams you thought were unattainable are not. You have your dreams. All you need is to make them happen. Take those dreams that you have, and turn them into reality. This will take work and patience, and it will require dedication. Above all, it will require what it took to get you here: a belief that anything is possible. I urge you to take the advice of your parents, your teachers, and of Thoreau, and use it to your utmost advantage. I urge you to again take the advice that helped to put you where you are sitting now, and use it to build the foundations under every goal and dream you have. I urge you all to realize the power of your own perseverance, and use it to make your dreams come true. We are ready, now, to take this advice and attempt everything we’ve ever dreamt of. And no matter what, we will succeed.