If you've done anything that you are proud of this year, then this message is for you.
Commencement Speech Given to Highline College's Class of 2021:
Graduating Students of 2021,
We can undoubtedly say we are a class unlike any other…
We've weathered the storm, and that is something within itself to be proud of. Whether you’ve maintained a high GPA, have earned a certificate, degree, or just feel good to have just made it through the year… Going completely virtual and being the first graduating class to do so is no small feat, and if you feel like it takes away from your accomplishment, NO, it adds to them, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
So let’s take a moment to commemorate our journeys to this point. At Highline, you’ve been part of one of the most diverse college populations in the states. And I know this is something I’ve heard a million times before from staff and faculty and always been like yeah yeah yeah, but now, I find myself saying it! I mean, when you’re on a field trip and someone’s playing the ukulele in the background while you’re chopping it up with international students there’s no denying it.
Myself, I moved here from Queens, NY two years ago. I’m a proud Black and Italian-American woman, a first-generation college student, and come from a single-parent household, shout out to mom! But that’s just a few of the hats I wear. Before Highline I was working tirelessly at multiple jobs, spreading myself so thin I never had anything left to give and that’s how I ended up in Washington. I knew something had to change. But as a former high school dropout with an online diploma, I didn’t have many options luckily though I came across Highline… Highline’s website was actually what helped me through the admissions process and apply for FAFSA and this was extremely helpful because I had no idea what I was doing. And, knowing I had no one to turn to for advice about college, I searched for more resources and found academic assistance programs like TRiO and there is where I really found the guidance I needed.
I’ve never had much of a community before either. However during the winter quarter of my freshmen year just as I was getting settled… the relationship I was in, one of the main reasons I moved here, came crumbling down. I was now facing homelessness, working full time, going to school full time, all while trying to figure out where I was going to go from there. And before I made any drastic decisions like move back to the east coast, Highline's staff, faculty, and peers really supported and showed up for me. My advisor, Kathy Nguyen, even connected me with resources that led me to find housing... And although I thought I would fail that quarter and there were so many nights where I had no sleep nor peace worrying about what would come next, I ended up making the vice president's honor roll, because I wasn’t gonna let anything stop me from finishing what I came to do… And at the beginning of the pandemic, as I’m sure like many of you, was another time I contemplated not only whether I could finish my degree but what really mattered to me in life... I watched my community get hit by covid at a disproportionate rate.. my city become the epicenter of the virus... and George Floyd murdered- like so many of my other black and brown brothers and sisters. The world was literally burning to the ground- but we rose from the ashes.
And there were so many times where I was scared for what the future would bring. Whether I would repeat generational patterns… whether my upward trend would start to go down... But in the past two years, I have gotten my high school diploma, enrolled in college, and have now completed my associate’s degree... I have stable housing and am able to support myself which is a blessing on its own... And one of my biggest achievements, being awarded a scholarship to continue my studies at a prestigious university… a dream I once thought was long gone.
Now if I could leave you all with one thing today it would be a message of resilience… No matter how many bumps may come across the road or detours you have to take, never let that stop you. And when you think the road has ended, TRUST that there is a new path waiting to emerge. And if it doesn’t, then go out and look for it... There is no such thing as success without commitment and although it wasn’t my time to graduate back in 2017, today is our day. It's never too late, you’re never too young or too old. We made it. And no matter what happens or where we go from here there will always wins like today. So be proud, stay safe and always show resilience.
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