Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

As I look back upon the past four years, in some ways it seems like my time at Kiper has been a lot like a day at the Magic Kingdom. From the moment I heard about Disneyland, I knew that I wanted to go. I counted the days until I got there, much the way that I counted the days until I left Harbour Pointe to migrate over to Kiper. Time passed so slowly because I was anticipating the great times ahead. At the end of middle school, my classmates and I thought we were so cool because we got to make that trip to someplace fun and exciting. On the first day of high school, we got up early like eager kids ready for a day of play. At Disneyland, people line up early to get their tickets and begin their enchanted day. As freshmen, we lined up early to get our class list, incredibly thrilled to finally be here. Our heads were full of the stories we had heard about how exciting it would be. Little did we know what awaited us. With our admission pass, commonly known as the schedule, we too got a map. Like Disneyland's, ours had pictures of the paths to take, leading to our varied destinations. Some thoughtful senior had actually color-coded mine, so I knew which direction to go. Our maps led to the science hall, the English hall and the Performing Arts Center, while Disneyland's led to Adventure Land, Toon Town and Main Street. Their map listed various places to grab sustenance like the Rainforest Cafe, Mickey's Kitchen and Rocket Pizza, while our map boasted four: the Commons, the East Campus Cafeteria, the Student Store and, God help us, the vending machines. With 10 minutes to go, the class of 2003 hurled themselves into the crowd of hustling students. Some of the freshmen were simply so glad to be there that the mod didn't... ... as a freshman and stared up at the brick edifice known as Kiper. It is incomprehensible that we have grown up so quickly and are about to leave forever. Never again will we all be in the same place in time. All good things must eventually end, but the wisdom, the friends and the experiences that have changed us will remain a part of us forever. It is unbelievable that the admission pass has expired and the gates are about to close. It is time that we leap out of a storybook fantasy and into the real world. Four years later, as graduating seniors and young adults, it is time to stow the baggage we collected, climb back into the car and drive down the road to the future, never looking back. It is time to journey out into the world, to make our places as individuals, a group no longer and to make our own unique mark upon the world. Congratulations, Class of 2003!