About four years ago on a rainy day in September of 2008 I stepped into the doors of Robinson for my first day of high school. Nervously, I headed up the stairs of the 9th grade sub school to find my locker and friends and began a journey that is finally coming to a close. I was young, naive and just excited by the fact that I was now able to carry my backpack around between classes and actually go to the games and cheer for the football team instead of socializing by the Oasis.
As I was getting through the awkward transitional phase of freshman year, so many of you had a greater vision of what you wanted out of our four years in high school that I have been able to see play out right in front of my eyes. For some of you this meant giving up your summers to lift weights at our school in hopes of getting that extra edge and avenging Lake Braddock for knocking us out of the Regional tournament during our Junior year, pushing yourself to take IB English because you love the subject even though you knew the class would be a struggle for you. For others it meant exercising and eating healthy so that you were able to lose 80 pounds and become a stand out athlete, starting Kindness Club so that knew students felt included when they came to our school, busting your butt to get into William and Mary-the school you’ve dreamt of attending since you were little or, finally getting nominated for a Cappie Award. These are only a few examples of what our class has done and, whatever it was for you, no matter how big or small, you set out with a dream and you achieved it. You worked hard, stayed after school, lost a significant amount of sleep, put fourth your best effort to make a difference, had some fun along the way and, that is why you are where you are today.
As we look back at our four years of high school, let’s remember with pride all the things our class accomplished and recognize that it was not small feat. Finishing high school is our first step towards the future, and as you move forward in your life, realize that you have the world at your fingers. It may take a few setbacks, sidetracks and failures, but if you dream it, you can achieve it. College and the real world, or whatever is coming next for you, is just the next level in which we may prosper and see our dreams come true.
It’s a common saying that the only people who end up changing the world are the ones who are crazy enough to believe they can and it’s true. The only students who believed they could change the school or change their lives did so. So remember this as you move on to whatever your next step in life is. Our class is leaving Robinson better off than we found it and it’s all because we dreamed we could achieve. If you choose to take any advice with you on your future ventures in life let it be this: “Your future is only as big as your dreams.”
