McKenna Kanaby, Class of 2025 Salutatorian and Eagles Media Center staffer, shares her speech…
Good morning graduates, family, friends, and faculty. Thank you for coming to the commencement of the Galway Class of 2025.
When Mr. Miller asked me last month how my speech was going, I laughed it off and said “it isn’t”. Last week, when he asked if I had started it yet, I had a bit more of a panicked reaction. So, like any good student, I put it off for another couple of days.
Many of my most fond memories at Galway come from inside the four walls of Mr. J’s classroom. Besides derivatives, integrals, and personal Finance, Mr. J also has a passion for bowling.
Unlike him, I do not possess the ability to bowl a 300, so my safest option is usually putting up the bumpers. Though they stop the ball from going into the gutter, they also cause it to ricochet so horribly that it usually only hits one pin.
You’re probably wondering where this is going. Well, every day we have the choice to use bumpers or not. You can take a test and say “I don’t feel that good so I’m probably going to fail,” or blame not being involved on going to a small school.
As someone who earned the nickname “sandbagger” from Mr Darlington, I am no stranger to putting up the bumpers. For me, it’s an easy way out of the guilt of a bad grade, the stress of waiting for results, or the disappointment of not doing as well as I thought I would.
This fall, I was dragged to a college tour by my mom. I was tired and in a bad mood, so I had no desire to go anywhere. I remember telling her “why even go, it’s not like I can get in?” She made me go anyway.
That tour was of Colgate, which is where I’ll be going in the fall. Thank you, Mom.
I was going to let my bumpers get in the way of what I was capable of, simply because I thought it was better to not try at all than to try and fail.
Taking away your safety nets doesn’t only allow you to succeed, it also gives you permission to make mistakes. Like that time the Earth Science class jumped out of Mr. Levin’s window.
This is the time for us to learn. Not only as students, but as humans. Like the saying goes, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Every day, you have the opportunity to choose success and work for your future, or to sit back and wait for the future to happen to you. Don’t let your mind limit your potential.
The world just got much bigger for the Class of 2025, so don’t let it pass you by. You’re going to find love in unexpected people, opportunities in unexpected places, and friendship in current strangers. You just have to let yourself.
So as you leave the nest, don’t be afraid to take down the bumpers, whether you throw a strike or a gutter ball. Thank you, and congratulations!
