Graduation Speech: Value Of Education At Xavier High School
Good evening…
Before I begin, I just want to say how grateful and humbled I am to be speaking to you tonight and thank you for the work that you do to make my education at Xavier High School possible.
In The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri once said, “Consider your origin: you were not made to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge”. And for the past seventeen years, I have lived by these words. These few words have made me think of where I am from, and whether or not I will let it limit and define me. Whether I want to be out in the streets, or be something more. Whether I wanted to be like everyone else in my neighborhood or if I could change the norm by being something more.
I’ve always been a religious kid, I guess that …show more content…
On the roof where we practiced and on the Drill floor where we competed, I learned the value of teamwork and brotherhood, and was able to be myself and mature into the man I am today. Our motto was “All for one and one for all”, taken from the Three Musketeers, and are words I still live by and try to live up to, not only at Xavier but in my everyday life. Through years of hard work and dedication, I became one of the Commanders of the team, and to this day, lead them in Regulation, Inspection, Exhibition and Color Guard, much like Kevin did 4 years ago. At times, it did seem superficial, all I did was march around a gym floor with a rifle or an American flag, but it gave me a purpose, something I did not always have in years prior. I was able to feel like I actually belonged in Xavier, and without Drill, I may not have made it through Xavier with the motivation and confidence that I did, to become the man who could stand here today giving you this speech. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities and lessons it taught …show more content…
Yet, here I am. Next year, I will be attending the University of Chicago on a full tuition scholarship. I don’t know if I’ll become a pastor like my father, but I do know I want to spend my life living out the Gospel through my words and actions, being a true Man for Others like Xavier calls all its students to be. In keeping with my Jesuit education, I want to live out the words of St. Ignatius Loyola, who said “Go forth and set the world on
Before I begin, I just want to say how grateful and humbled I am to be speaking to you tonight and thank you for the work that you do to make my education at Xavier High School possible.
In The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri once said, “Consider your origin: you were not made to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge”. And for the past seventeen years, I have lived by these words. These few words have made me think of where I am from, and whether or not I will let it limit and define me. Whether I want to be out in the streets, or be something more. Whether I wanted to be like everyone else in my neighborhood or if I could change the norm by being something more.
I’ve always been a religious kid, I guess that …show more content…
On the roof where we practiced and on the Drill floor where we competed, I learned the value of teamwork and brotherhood, and was able to be myself and mature into the man I am today. Our motto was “All for one and one for all”, taken from the Three Musketeers, and are words I still live by and try to live up to, not only at Xavier but in my everyday life. Through years of hard work and dedication, I became one of the Commanders of the team, and to this day, lead them in Regulation, Inspection, Exhibition and Color Guard, much like Kevin did 4 years ago. At times, it did seem superficial, all I did was march around a gym floor with a rifle or an American flag, but it gave me a purpose, something I did not always have in years prior. I was able to feel like I actually belonged in Xavier, and without Drill, I may not have made it through Xavier with the motivation and confidence that I did, to become the man who could stand here today giving you this speech. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities and lessons it taught …show more content…
Yet, here I am. Next year, I will be attending the University of Chicago on a full tuition scholarship. I don’t know if I’ll become a pastor like my father, but I do know I want to spend my life living out the Gospel through my words and actions, being a true Man for Others like Xavier calls all its students to be. In keeping with my Jesuit education, I want to live out the words of St. Ignatius Loyola, who said “Go forth and set the world on