Graduation Speech: Listen Carefully -- Graduation Speech, Commencement

Listen carefully, Class of '2012, for the sounds you hear tonight will last a lifetime. Store them up and save them in your hearts, for they are priceless. Each whisper, each tick of the clock is a reminder of something you've gained here. Pay attention, so when you hear them later in life you will remember. When you hear a bell ring, remember our first day of school, back in September of 2008. The coolness of the desks chilled our sun-tanned skin as we sat timidly in our seats, quietly absorbing the shrill sound of our first high school bell as it rang at 7:30 in the morning. As much as our eyelids wanted to sink into a sweet abyss, fear crept through our bones as we eyed the monstrous seniors sitting nearby. For many of us, they may as well have been pro-wrestlers, but we did not run from them. Rather, we learned to pick the biggest one and follow him through the halls, avoiding the grueling task of maneuvering through a sea of students. We learned to problem solve quickly in those first days, a valuable skill. Don't forget this lesson, for it will take you far in life. When ...