SYAZA SYAHIRA BT ZAFIAN 16422
JAKIAH SHAHIRA BT SHARIFF 15914
Title : The Unforgettable Experience ( Giving Graduation Speech )
It was in 29th October 2010, where all the teachers and form 5 students of SMK(P) Sri Aman were celebrating our Graduation Night at Sultan Abdul Aziz Golf Club, Shah Alam. As I’m the Head Prefect, I got the honoured to give a graduation speech which is one of my unforgettable experience in my entire life. As I stepped on the stairs and walking along the stage, my feeling was overwhelming when I looked at each of the faces of my friends. It has been a long journey we have gone through together for the past 5 years. Through ups and downs, good and bad.
I started the speech, ‘No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever. Like footsteps on a beach. People come in and out of our lives, leaving us changed in some shape or form. Like footsteps along our trail of destiny. Love is the people who care about us, the people we care about in our lives. Our family, friends and loved ones have all contributed to who we are as graduates, today. Our parents have raised us to believe in ourselves. My fellow schoolmates, the magic word today is commencement. "Yea!" Relax, breathe. This is the big finale to a hectic, overwhelming yet no doubt unforgettable five years at SMK(P) Sri Aman.
Madam Chua once said: "The best way out is always through," and similarly we have also learned in our math classes that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. There will always be an infinite number of paths we can take to arrive at a desired destination. Yet, the decision we make to continue looking ahead, instead of behind or around, is ultimately what determines how quickly we will get there. As seniors, we have successfully travelled "through," and though our paths have not all been identical, they have indeed taken us to the same place, our graduation. To make the best of who we are. Our parents were raised by our grandparents with similar beliefs and expectations, as were we. My beloved grandfather once taught me to accept, to accept both life and death. He showed me that life moves on, people you love will leave you and that through it all it only makes us stronger in the end. It's loved ones in our lives, like my grandfather, who are the breath within us that give us courage to follow our hearts.
In retrospect, high school will fondly be looked upon as a time of memories or a time of discovery. Yet, when it's a gorgeous day in December and one happens to be a student plagued with a severe case of senioritis, "Show me to the nearest exit" "Get me outta here!" is a little more accurate. Whatever you may be feeling right now, I'm sure it must be a combination of these phrases and much more, for our years spent in high school can never adequately be remembered or described in one single expression. Friendship is the most important part of our high school years that we cherish the most. Every good friend that has come into our lives, like footsteps that we encounter along a walk on a beach, leaves us with a different perspective of who we really are. The activities that we are involved in throughout high school introduce us to life changing friends. These friendships are some of the most valuable aspects of our lives. Years from now, when we all look back at high school, we will remember most the friendships that shaped our teenage years.
Destiny is the paths, that lie before us. These paths are determined by many factors in our lives. People who go in and out of our lives influence the paths that we choose to follow. We all aspire toward individual goals of who we want to be, and what we want to accomplish. Yet, incredibly there is so much more that the world holds for each and every one of us. The different paths we must travel are rarely ever a straight line, and though our destinations are not always visible, it is comforting to know that we can always stop to ask for directions. The dedication, patience and generosity of staff not only nurture us, but also allow each one of us to discover ourselves without the fear of failure. Yet, when the big yellow building and all of its inhabitants got to be too unbearable, we could always look towards home and be assured that we're loved and appreciated. Today, as we sit here, the very same paste-eaters and craft-making geniuses of yesterday have now become mature and capable individuals ready to follow yet another path leading to success. It is because of the love and selflessness displayed by both faculty and our beloved families that we are here today, joined to celebrate not only the achievements of the graduating seniors, but also to recognize the contributions of the important people in our lives.
As we sit together as a mates for the very last time, I encourage you to focus on what you have learned and accomplished in and outside of school these past couple of years. Use this knowledge and experience to your advantage, as it will continue to help you find the best path towards your next destination wherever it may be. In closing, I would like to share a poem with you:
If you think you're beaten you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't
If you'd like to win, but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch, you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you've lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a person's will;
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you're outclassed you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger of faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can
Sriamanians of ’10, as you have the next destination in sight, remember that the best way to reach it is always through where there is no path and leave a trail.
If you think you're beaten you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't
If you'd like to win, but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch, you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you've lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a person's will;
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you're outclassed you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger of faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can
Sriamanians of ’10, as you have the next destination in sight, remember that the best way to reach it is always through where there is no path and leave a trail.
