Congratulations Class of 2004 on reaching this milestone in your life.

You have fulfilled a quantifiable set of requirements, but what did you really learn? You learned a little something about quadratic equations, how to write the perfect English essay, or the causes of the Civil War. Our most important lessons, however, cannot be recited or written down and turned in for a grade. These lessons involve friendship, hard work, love, and dedication.

None of us is really smart enough to go at it alone. We are educated by every experience we live, every interest we pursue, every book we read, and every person we meet. We learn from our parents, friends, teachers, co-workers, classmates, teammates, coaches, and people, who although we have never met, touch our hearts with their lives. Education is, perhaps, the only wealth that cannot be robbed. It is the bridge between cultures. Knowledge transcends education; it transcends the walls of this school.

No matter what the future holds for you, the little things you learn from other people will have the most impact on your life. Our friends gave us a reason to drag ourselves out of bed every morning while making our days that much more enjoyable. We have experienced pain, happiness, tragedy and success, but it has always been together. At the end of you life you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more football game, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spend with a friend, a parent, a loved one. With that in mind, I'd like to thank everyone who's had an effect on my life. My family, for their support. My friends, for their understanding. And, especially today, my teachers, for their inspiration.

As we sit here today we should consider the wise words of Aristotle: "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." Our climb through high school is complete, but just like middle school seemed like a bump in the road compared to high school, high school will be just a hill compared to the life we have ahead of us. There's not only one more mountain out there for us to climb; there is an entire range of them. In the future we are going to choose the mountains that we climb and the paths we take.

However, if you want something to change, you personally have to do something different. You have to defy your own group. Rebel against yourself. Knock known your walls and get out of your way. It is you, and only you, who determine who you will be and what you will do for the rest of your lives. Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

Remember, there are three tricks in life: a sense of real purpose, a sense of humor, and a sense of constant curiosity. Keep using those to the grave because learning never really ends. And when you are demoralized, with no hope in your heart, crawl over to the box of junk you never quite got organized, pull out your diploma, and remember the best part of all: If you made it through this place, you can do anything.

In conclusion, I’d like to leave you with a poem whose words are very dear to my heart. “It seems that wherever I go people come into my life or go out of it and I wasn’t through with knowing them. How do I halt my life to gather and keep those around me that I’ve known and loved? How do I know when I’m seeing you for the last time? And how do you keep fairy tales from losing their magic? And so ends an exciting chapter of our lives but also begins another chapter. And though we must part we know we can always return to flip fondly through the gold-bound leaves of our memory. For fairy tales are the happiest stories we read and good books are made of little chapters. There remains so much to say yet nothing really needs saying you already know. Forgive the tears… they are only bits of selfishness that could be contained no longer. I only wish to keep you a little longer within the boundaries of my immediate life…” Thank you.

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