Is 'Don't Ever Change' the Best You've Got?
Natick High sends off its 2012 graduating class this weekend. Have any words of advice?
It's the season of graduations. Locally, Natick High will celebrate its commencement Sunday.
It can also be the season of overwrought speeches and cliched advice. Each year, valedictorians, class presidents, guest speakers and administrators are tasked with imparting wisdom onto a new class of graduates. It's a challenge to stay fresh, to say something that hasn't been said before.
That said, some advice is worth repeating. What's the best graduation/life advice you've ever received? What would you tell the graduates about what lies ahead?
To get us started, here's a list compiled of the "10 best graduation speeches of all time."
Add to it with your advice in the comments.
Danielle Horn
11:46 am on Friday, June 1, 2012
I'll start..."don't ever change," while a well-intentioned sentiment, isn't the best advice out there. We should always be growing, improving, challenging ourselves: all of that requires change.
Immediate advice I can offer to high school graduates is to network like crazy. If you're going to college, get to know your professors. Take advantage of office hours. Join clubs. Make yourself stand out. You never know if that professor might help you get your first job down the line - it happens all the time.
Marty Luttrell
12:45 pm on Friday, June 1, 2012
One of the graduation messages that stuck with me over the years was from a valedictorian back in the 1980s who prefaced his speech with, “Remember, life is a lot like blowing your nose. The idea is to get as much out of it as you can.”
What I would say to the newly-minted grads is to not be intimidated by dreams that seem too big to achieve. Build on your experiences and successes. Great success doesn’t happen in a day or a year. Don’t forget those who helped you along the way, and try to think of the greater good, not just amassing a lot of material wealth for yourself.