Luke Jackson: My Story

Graduation

Today's the day, the first day of the rest of my life, high school graduation. I've waited four long years for this but I think my family could wait four more. Lauren and I had written our speeches but neither of us shared them with each other. As much as I really wanted to hear her speech and hear her feedback on mine, I stuck to our plan to keep them a secret from each other. But I was anxious to hear what she had to say about her four years of high school.

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I was standing behind the curtains watching my peers fill the bleachers on the stage. On stage, royal blue and shimmering white colored the once bright brown scenery. The audience was packed with people, my family was in the front row. I think I saw Hera a few rows behind them somewhere next to her was Athena. I saw the Valdezs, the Underwoods, the Zhangs and the Graces all jam packed in the audience. After the ceremony, the graduation party was at my house, we had tons of families coming over to celebrate.

I took a deep breath as Principal Getty introduced Lauren, the class' first valedictorian, Lauren looked nervous, she could hardly speak in front of the class, she must be scared out of her mind now. But I had confidence in her, I knew she could do this, I was proud of her. She had overcome every obstacle someone could possibly go through and she rose to the top, she was getting everything she could possibly want. Lauren took a deep breath before she began her speech.

"Hello, if you don't know me I'm Lauren Winters," she was talking a little fast but caught herself as her hands quivered while she held her paper.

"I'm sure all of you are expecting me to sugar coat how much I loved high school and how much I loved my peers. But I'm gonna be honest, I didn't really like high school...I know, not exactly something you'd expect from someone like me. But allow me to explain, high school isn't like it is in the movies with singing and dancing and how everyone gets along with one another and the mean girls realize who they are and decide to change themselves. That's not high school, for me, high school was hours of hard work, persistence, all nighters, and for most of the time; my peers didn't really make my life away from home very enjoyable.

"But there were a few things that kept me striving to succeed and without the help of my amazing teachers and my the friends." Lauren paused to glance at Ruth, Troy and Marcus behind her.

"I definitely wouldn't be the person I am today without my friends. And among the many other things high school has taught me, the one I took away the most wasn't my grades, or what my peers or my teachers thought of me. High school teaches you and shows you the kind of person you're going to be. How you act in high school gives you a preview of who you are and what you'll become. I knew from a young age that I was different, high school definitely confirmed that for me in more ways than one. But even after these long four years, I'll never forget them and wouldn't change any of it. I'm not going to focus on the bad memories because that isn't what we are supposed to take away from high school. What we need to remember is who we were, and understanding how important friendship is to us." Lauren turned and gave me a quick smile.

"High school is more than just a grade on a report card and fitting in with the crowd. It's about being true to yourself and never giving up even when it seems like the world is against you. That's what high school taught me, and I know that it taught everyone standing behind me this too. I wish you all the best of luck with whatever the future has in store for you. Thank you." Lauren took a step back and bowed to the audience, applause and cheers filled the gym. Great, how am I supposed to follow that up?

My hands felt clammy as I watched Lauren take her place on the stage, she gave me a reassuring smile just before Principal Getty introduced me, the second valedictorian.