Graduation Speech: I Have No Regrets :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I thought that I'd start by taking a picture, being as this is the last time that I'm going to see the majority of you. So could everybody smile? OK, now that that is done with, I would like to start out with a quote. "As people used to be wrong about the motion of the sun, so they are still wrong about the motion of the future. The future stands still, it is we who move in infinite space." (Rainer Maria Rilke, German poet). Webster's dictionary describes commencement as a beginning. Perhaps many of you believed that commencement was an ending. So instead of today being an ending, it is a day to celebrate a new beginning. But the big question is the beginning of what? It has been 13 long years since that first day of kindergarten. It may seem ages ago, but that was only one beginning. This first chapter of our lives is now ending, and we are here today to celebrate the beginning of the next, new stage in our life. It's sad, but true, that after this day, we are all going to go our separate ways. Some of us are headed to college, while others are going to work, or already own their own business. Whatever it is, it is going to be something different than any of us are used to. Even though this is a celebration of a new beginning, we couldn't possibly move on without remembering the past. I don't know about everybody else, but even now, this still feels unreal. I have been waiting for this day since sixth grade, and it is strange that it is finally here. I have had so much fun these past 13 years with all of the friends that I have made. I want to thank everybody for all of the memories throughout the years. It was you guys that made school fun and interesting. From back in elementary school getting intense on the four square court or playing some tetherball, to the Friday night football games and volleyball matches, and the whole time enjoying every minute of it just because I was hanging out with my friends. I hope that you made your time here was worth it because you have to live your life to the fullest. We don't know how long we have on this planet so cherish every moment like it is your last.