Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

[Go up with Senior Homecoming t-shirt and hold up front and back so everyone can see] "Seniors. We just don't care." I feel that this has been our slogan for the past four years, but what I wanted to talk to you about is the opposite of what our shirt says. When I was chosen to speak, you have no idea how honored I was. It was completely unexpected. There's so much that I feel for you as I stand before you at this moment and I can feel the tears coming on, but I'll try to hold back until after the ceremony. There's so much I want to say to you that putting it all into words is difficult. I know that to some of you I'm just one of those annoying people that yell during assemblies and sometimes I'll tell you to do it, too. But despite the fact that I yell at assemblies and despite that fact that I want you to, too, there's more to it than that. As big as an advocate I am for school spirit, I admit sometimes the importance of it is not always clear. But the importance of something else is clear and that is compassion. To me, compassion is a deep sense of love, understanding, and sympathy for others. Someone with true compassion can feel it for someone they don't even know, someone who is entirely different from them, and someone who they might not even like. For this reason, compassion is not an emotion. We must be able to share it regardless of who the person is. Can you walk down the street and see a random face in the crowd and feel concern for their well-being? I have seen the amazing compassion that people are capable of and it moves me to tears. September 11th stays vivid in our minds. One aspect that touched me was how America came together with each other in order to share sympathy and comfort. Americans f... ... you continue on from high school, before you look at another in contempt, consider compassion instead. Will it take someone's death before you realize their worth as a person? Some of you are my close friends, some of you I only say hello to, and some of you I've never had the opportunity to speak to, but no matter who you are, I feel compassion for you right now. You are the people I have shared high school with and all I want for you is success and happiness in your future. You are all important to me. Before I end, I want to give thanks to the one I couldn't have gotten through high school without and that is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate example of compassion and love for me. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak and thank you for making high school so incredibly memorable and special to me. May God bless you all.