Good morning, esteemed faculty and families of my fellow graduates. It's an honor to be standing up here today. I know that we all think we're immortal, we're supposed to feel that way, we're graduating. The future is and should be bright, but, like our brief four years in high school, what makes life valuable is that it doesn't last forever, what makes it precious is that it ends. I know that now more than ever. And I say it today of all days to remind us that time is luck. So don't waste it living someone else's life, make yours count for something. Fight for what matters to you, no matter what. Because even if you fall short, what better way is there to live?
It’s easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today. But there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days where you feel all alone. And that’s when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold on to hope. Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for you is to become hope. People need that. And even if we fail, what better way is there to live? As we look around here today, at all of the people who helped make us who we are, I know it feels like we’re saying goodbye. But we will carry a piece of each other into everything that we do next. To remind us of who we are, and who we are meant to be. I’ve had a great four years with you, and I will miss you all very much.