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Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the commencement exercises for
the graduating class of 2009. To make things a little less stuffy, welcome to graduation.
My name is Andrew Mehrmann, and I am the Senior class president.
I have attended HKIS for 5.5 years now. As each year has passed I have found my self more and more
attached to the unbelievable group of students sitting next to me. They are my
classmates, my teammates, my peers, and, most importantly, my friends.
There is some recognition that needs to be given to the class of 2009. Throughout the
past 4 years of high school, as well as all the other years of middle school, elementary
school, kindergarten, and preschool, we have put in an extraordinary amount of work.
Please join me in congratulating the class of 2009 for making it to this point.
During my sophomore year I told a joke that became quite infamous throughout our
class, appearing on our sophomore T-shirt as well as this year’s junior class t-shirt. This
joke, usually referred to as “the muffin joke,” has haunted me since I first told it. For
tonight, however, I’d like to share it with all of you.
There were these two muffins...... blah blah blah.......no way! its a talking muffin!
Though very few of you may laugh at the extremely dry and crude humor contained in
this joke, there is actually a good life lesson to be learned from it. You will never know
what your words might affect. I’m not talking only about words that are spoken, I’m
talking also about the words that precede you. Some may call it reputation, however it is
much more than that.
Great figures such as Albert Einstein, Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandella, Adolf Hitler,
and Barrack Obama, all have lives that speak for themselves. The impressiveness of
the accomplishments of these individuals speak more of their characters than they ever
could be able to. To put it more simply, their lives speak.
Whether we realize it or not, the class of 2009 has accomplished so much and worked
so hard, that our class really does speak for its self. With olympic level athletes,
Grammy worthy musicians, future Nobel Prize winners, and samaritans with hearts
more charitable than even the most giving of people; we have created a name for
ourselves. The faculty who taught us, the administrators that oversaw our learnings, the parents
that raised us through our childhood, and those who look up to us all know who WE are.
In a sense, we have become the talking muffin. We have given our class name, just a
few inanimate words, a reputation that speaks for itself in the HKIS community. To put it
more simply, our class speaks.
Now, as we prepare to move on to university in the United States, Canada, Europe, or
wherever else our endeavors take us, will we be able to make our lives speak for them
selves? This is my challenge to all of the graduates, and everyone here tonight. Will
your actions and your words bring a voice to your reputation? Do they already? I know
that every single person sitting up here tonight is capable of making their life pour out in
an endless flow of words.
So now, I am challenging you to make your life speak for its self, just as we, collectively,
have been able to make our class speak for its self. All of you have the power to make
your life tell a great tale, however, it is up to you to make it happen. That, is my
challenge to you. Thank you, and once again, welcome to graduation.
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Page 2 |
Wow. There are a lot of you.
More than I had thought.
Rob and Drew, you’re up here soon.
I’m nervous. Are you not?
The people in this gym tonight
Are quite a daunting crowd;
You’re powerful… and beautiful,
You’re rich and smart and proud.
I want to help you celebrate
The glory of this class.
I hope that what I have to say
Delights you, or will pass.
So if you like the points I make
Please answer with applause,
Or yell or shake your jewelry
Or smile when there’s a pause.
The last thing that I want to say,
Before I really start,
Is thank you for the chance to speak.
I mean it. From my heart.
So actually, I’m okay up here;
I’m feeling pretty cool,
I’ve “done commencement” once before
At my own high school.
Ten years ago I gave a speech
At my own graduation;
Ten years, eight days, eleven hours
By my rough calculation.
And I was nervous that night, sure,
But things went pretty fine
As I addressed my high school class:
The class of ninety-nine.
But guys, since then I’ve seen some things
And maybe grown a bit;
I don’t have all the answers now,
But maybe that’s just it:
I’m on a path, not unlike yours,
I’m just some steps ahead;
I’d like to share what I have learned
And seen and heard and read.
I think I have a sense of what
You’re going through, maybe.
It’s not exact, but I can feel
Your anxious energy.
You know that I am leaving school
For India next year,
It’s fun and new and thrilling, yes,
But it’s a source of fear.
I don’t know what’s next for us,
Well, maybe no one does,
But moving toward whatever may be,
I long for all that was.
So if I get emotional,
It’s just – I can’t believe
That these four years are done tonight,
And that we’re going to leave.
Four years ago we started here,
You and me the same,
Freshmen, young and terrified,
And weird and kind of lame.
Things were pretty different then,
We worked a little more,
We weren’t big or confident,
But won at tug-of-war.
Those early years were easier,
No college apps to write,
But a gross banana-eating race
And afternoon delight.
Austin danced a special dance –
Um, he can tell you more,
And someone called me “ham sap lo”
Though I was twenty-four.
Thinking of those first few years,
And recent years as well,
I’m proud to say, yeah, that’s my class
…And that’s your cue to yell.
Okay, but we’re not finished yet,
I do have some advice,
I think these might be good ideas,
So listen and be nice.
The first thing that I want to say
Is look around a lot;
Take note of what you see and feel,
Record it in your thoughts.
I hope that you will all believe
That now’s a special time,
And that your future memories
Will one day seem sublime.
Remember what your life is like
In these peculiar days,
Remember how you said goodbye
A hundred different ways.
Remember how your backpack felt
With all those heavy books,
And how your friends could talk to you
With only knowing looks.
Remember how your locker smelled
And how your teacher yawned,
The yellow lights at school at night,
The fish… inside the pond.
And don’t forget this town, you know,
Don’t forget Hong Kong.
Don’t forget that Russian place
You like in Lan Kwai Fong.
Remember lunch, the steaming heat
Of noodles in a bowl,
The smell of steaming rice and beef,
That squash that tastes like coal.
Remember how the big brown birds
Swooped down above the field,
And how this winter you got sick,
And how this spring you healed.
Don’t forget that beeping sound
You hear on the MTR,
Or that temple that you pass
Each morning in your car.
Remember standing in your flat
And looking at the sea,
And how the quiet, sparkling waves
Could make you feel so free.
Make a point of noticing
The way this city blooms,
And don’t forget how water
From the tap is warm in June.
And now the first important thing:
Appreciate your friends,
The ones you like to see in class,
The ones you can’t offend.
And that one friend who always knows
When you are still upset,
The one that you can see right now,
The one you won’t forget.
Okay, so that’s the memory bit;
Well, part of it, I guess.
But now I want to share with you
Some wisdom, more or less.
One thing that you have to know
Is the importance of acceptance.
That’s letting go, not giving up,
And choosing peace and patience.
A fool will curse the timing
When the timing isn’t right,
And curse the way things have to be,
Curse darkness in the night.
There are some things you cannot change,
Some battles you will lose,
So focus on the things you can,
And change them, if you choose.
Know when you should compromise,
And know when you should fight,
Learn how to apologize
And set the wrong things right.
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Explore yourself, and yes, have fun,
Indulge in what you crave;
Let loose, freak out, and break the rules,
Go crazy at a rave!
Was that too much? Okay…
So don’t. But do try out new things
Like skiing, knitting, chopping wood,
Or learning how to sing.
Forgive yourself for everything,
For all mistakes you’ve made,
The times you hurt the ones you love
With silly games you played.
Forget that boy who broke your heart,
Forget that time you lied,
Or don’t forget, but grow and learn
And leave behind your pride.
There’s just one rule, one certain truth,
And everyone agrees:
It’s “Do no harm” to anyone,
Not us, not them… not me.
And let me add that you should treat
Yourself with kindness too.
That sounds like quite a simple thing,
But can be hard to do.
So recognize your health and strength,
The beauty of your face;
Understand that you are loved –
Loved deeply – and with grace.
Now I want to ask that you
Revisit your own past.
(Once again the memory bit,
The second part, and last.)
There was a time not long ago
When all you guys were kids,
And you liked puzzles, beads, and glue,
And had a book on squids.
This was a time – think back, think hard –
You’re maybe four or five;
Jon and Katie hadn’t met
And Kelly couldn’t dive.
Yvonne had not yet written poems,
And Greg was well behaved;
Will was just a little guy,
And Roahan didn’t shave.
This was a time before your “stuff”
Would occupy your mind;
You cared about important things
Like sharing and being kind.
Jaguars were your favorite cats
And GaGa didn’t seduce;
Twilight was a time of day
And Juicy was a juice.
Back then your bathing suits were clothes
No matter how much you spent.
Your Dad’s blue coat? The fancy one?
You made into a tent.
Your Mom’s perfume would just remind you
Of being tucked in bed,
And smelling that sweet flowery smell
Your Dad would kiss your head.
Remember that? Remember when
Your Dad could make you laugh?
Remember when your Mom sliced pears
And always gave you half?
And then you changed; you kissed a girl,
Or squeezed your boyfriend’s hand,
You sipped red wine for the first time,
Or danced on warm white sand.
Now I don’t mean in any way
That you changed for the worse;
I think you’re awesome now, I do,
But you were that kid first.
So now let’s stop remembering,
And now let’s look ahead.
I’d love to guarantee pure fun
But here’s the truth instead:
The next few months are going to be
Well, yes, a lot of fun;
But you might feel quite restless too,
And wish this time were done.
You may feel some loneliness,
Or strangely be depressed,
But that will pass eventually,
And then you’ll just feel blessed.
You may fear you’ll never have
Such friends like you have now;
You might, might not, but if you do
You’re doubly blessed, somehow.
The point is all those feelings, they –
They mean that you’re alive;
Enjoy them, watch them, nurture them,
Breathe deep and let them thrive.
And after all these changes stop
(Well, they never really do),
But when things feel like they’ve calmed down,
There’s some things you should do.
The first is find your center-point,
The search may be intense,
But find that place in mind or heart
Where everything makes sense.
Allow yourself to stray away
Far from that middle place,
Explore extremes, but watch your steps,
And when you’re done, retrace.
Make mistakes along the way,
They happen now and then;
And when you do, forgive yourself
Again, again, again.
And after that, be thankful
For the chances you’ve been given,
The freedom that you’ve had to fail,
Succeed or be forgiven.
Go on from there, keep giving thanks;
Give thanks for everything;
For love and music, trees and dogs,
And even bugs that sting.
Give thanks for storms and yellow beaches,
For every grain of sand;
Give thanks for parents even though
They might not always understand.
Be brave in life and persevere,
Create and don’t destroy,
You’ll find the bliss designed for you
By bringing others joy.
Share your life with everyone;
You have a story. Tell.
Find the thing you love to do
And do it, do it well.
That’s it. That’s all.
That’s all I have to say.
And if these things make sense to you,
Then do them. Start today.
So when we’re done, and that is soon,
Embrace your happy peers
Hug your parents, teachers, friends,
And remember this for years.
Remember overwhelming love
Once made you smile and cry;
Remember how tonight you said…
Thank you. And goodbye. |
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