Commencement speech by Grace Yang
As we gather as a class one last time, I want you to look at the people around you. Some of you, I met in our freshman year, and I continue to call my best friends. Others, I would have never thought I would be close with, but have learned to deeply appreciate over the course of these last few months — shout out to G5. Personally, I’ve met so many wonderful friends here — people I’d love to grow old and gray and wrinkly with. I’ve met teachers whom I will continue to ask for help and pester incessantly, even when I’m no longer in their classrooms. I’ve met mentors, peers, and cheerleaders — and I know all of you have too.
Archmere’s ability to foster these ever-growing connections is so special. As we move from our small high school into the bigger world, remember the relationships you have made here. Hold tight to them, even as you continue to meet new friends, classmates, and coworkers. They will support you through anything, because that’s the kind of person that Archmere forms.
However, don’t be scared of those new connections either. As David Bowie said, “Turn and face the strange changes.” New things will come rapidly into your life over these next few months and years — new people, new experiences, new challenges. I, along with many others, don’t have the option to request a specific roommate next year. Arlene Chiu and Jack Chesman are going all the way to California. Richie Angiullo and Emily Desimone will have to face 2,600 stairs on Lehigh’s campus every day.
Some of you might even be spending part of your freshman year abroad, and will have to adjust to both your new campus and a new country. On top of the assignments that we’re used to worrying about, a large majority of us will face anxiety about making new friends, adjusting to a new environment, and dealing with the challenges that come from all these new things. Times can and will become troublesome, but as you’ve been taught here, “have courage and persevere.” Archmere has instilled in us the skills to push through long nights, to seek support when we need it, and to create innovative solutions.
One of my favorite songs is “Smoke Signals” by Phoebe Bridgers. There’s a line in there that goes, “The future’s unwritten, the past is a corridor / I’m at the exit, lookin’ back through the hall.” Today, we walk through the Archmere halls as students for the last time, looking back on the pathway that has guided us to right now and onwards.
For years, this road has consisted of writing papers in English class, mixing solutions in the science labs, and shaping art pieces in the Manor. As we leave for this unknown future, we must take initiative in writing what has not yet been written — we take our creativity and form our own future.
Fellow graduates, this future can be anything you want it to be — anything as outlandish as reaching the moon. So, “minions, tonight we steal the moon”! In all seriousness, you really can do anything. Of course, there are many things we don’t have control over, but we do have control over what we do today. One by one, these days will lead us to where we need to be. So now, class of 2025, one more time, I implore you to go and make it a great day. Thank you.
