Now, before I get started: trust me, when I elected to do this speech, it was a bit nerve-wracking googling “how to write a graduation speech,” but rest assured, I can tell you all (especially the English department) that these were solely my own words and not ChatGPT’s.
So when trying to come up with a focus to my speech, I felt that with all the awards and recognition I’ve had the honor of receiving in the subject of English, I’d be doing a disservice not to tie this to literature in some way. I found myself often returning to the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Was that partially because it was my last summer assignment for AP Literature, so it was easier for me to remember? Possibly. But more importantly, I found its theme of endurance in the face of adversity to be largely applicable to my class’s high school experience.
Firstly, we endured the transition into high school. A moment that feels simultaneously like yesterday and eons ago. We endured the trials and tribulations of submitting assignments to Schoology for the first time, of navigating our way through the hallways, and of finding a friend group with whom we could properly fit in. We did all of this unknowing of the storm that was looming on the horizon. Because ultimately, we endured having our freshman year cut short as a result of COVID-19. We endured quarantine and the era of ghosting teachers for the entirety of fourth quarter. We endured a school year that ended up not even feeling like one. We endured. We endured. We endured.
We continued enduring through the fever dream that was sophomore year. Through a seemingly never-ending battle between online and in-person classes. Through many of us getting our drivers licenses and having to park in the neighborhoods before school. And through an incredibly humbling spirit week loss. We endured. We endured. We endured.
And so the infamous and dreaded junior year quickly arrived. The year of APs, the SATs, ACTs, and more. The pressure of this year is no light matter; but, as the pattern continues, the Class of 2023 endured. We endured the transition into becoming upperclassmen, the notorious Junior Thesis, and growing closer as a class through one of Prep’s most unique and meaningful experiences: Search. Junior year was where we truly came together as a class. The year we finally saw ourselves as the community we had so long felt robbed of. We endured. We endured. We endured.
And now we’ve endured the year our entire school career has built up to: senior year. “Our year of lasts” as Mrs. Christopher put it during the first day of school. And we’ve endured through those as well. Our last first day of school, our last Prep Pride, our last Knight Flight, football game, food drive, retreat, Spirit week, Prom—the list goes on. We endured college applications, seemingly never-ending supplemental essays, Ticketmaster crashing during 5th period when everyone was trying to buy Taylor Swift tickets, crippling senioritis, our final round of finals, and now our final days together as a class. We endured. We endured. We endured.
I hope that I’ve delivered my point: the Class of 2023 is an unstoppable class. In a time when the world seems to constantly change in the blink of an eye, the Class of 2023 has prospered. We’ve faced astounding and treacherous circumstances during our time here at Prep—much of which could not even have been imagined in our wildest dreams. And so now, as we look to the future, I ask you all to endure like I know you all are capable of doing. Fight the great war that is life. I see so much good that this class can accomplish in the world. I believe that we are better equipped to handle the ups and downs of life because of how we’ve endured the ups and downs of high school. Moreover, a high school experience amidst the age of a global pandemic, an age of immense polarization, an age that makes it out to seem that it’s “us versus them.” We saw this age and we said “no,” refusing to tolerate it. We saw this age and decided to combat it with love and community. We helped establish affinity groups, celebrated diversity, and raised awareness through courageous conversations—all so that our campus could become a safer and more welcoming environment. We sent students all over the nation. To Washington D.C. for football and the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice (shoutout to my fellow IFTJ people); all across the state for activities like cross country, basketball, golf, and band; and through the Margins program we sent students to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New Orleans—the list of what the Class of 2023 has accomplished goes on. This class has established a legacy of not only making Gonzaga Prep an open and more-welcoming environment, but also the world. Long story short, we have endured, and we will continue to endure, and we will prosper.
And so I will leave everyone with this: Class of 2023, continue to endure. Endure life’s ups and downs. But use that endurance and channel it into something that solidifies a better future for not just us as the Class of 2023, but also every class that comes after us. I have so much hope for the story of us because I know each and every one of you has the power to secure that future. So Class of 2023, let’s celebrate this huge milestone in our lives and let’s go set the world on fire—though please not like Spokane in July and August…Anyways, thank you everyone and congratulations. I am so proud of us all.
Andrew Happy will be attending Reed College in the fall.