2020-2021 Senior Speeches

You are allowed to have ups and downs and you are allowed to show up imperfectly. You are not here to get everything right. You are here to learn and grow. Making peace with yourself through every step of this grand becoming of life, because you are exactly where you need to be, and you are enough.

Moreover, I performed mock interviews with my mother – who is a business manager – to seek advice for better improvement. The process was really rewarding, and with these adequate preparations, I confidently completed the NetEase interview and successfully won the internship position.

Whether you are a believer or not, I want you to know that no matter what you have been through in the past, or what you are currently going through, there is always a reason behind these hardships and you’ll always come out stronger in the end.

My skin color motivates me to get up every morning with the intention to prove to people who believe I cannot succeed, that I will. I will achieve because of my blackness and not despite it. I will prove them wrong and surpass their expectations of me. And that is why I will say it again, I am a black man before I am anything else and I'm proud of that.

As I am about to leave RHP, I find myself filled lately with the same mixed feelings I used to have on the plane between China and India—sorrow at leaving one home combined with eagerness to reach my new destination. I have never stopped reflecting on my journey, though. I am lucky. I am proud. I am confident. I want to dive into the world and see what more it has to offer.

In order to conquer these problems and feel better, I write poetry. It allows me to think and gather my thoughts. It allows me to put my emotions into writing. Without poetry, I would be stuck with my thoughts and I would not be able to move on.

So until you can confidently assert that you, in all your existence, are whole, it only stings to suppress your starvation. Instead, accept hunger--both yours’ and others’--and honor it.

The bond between Cement and I grew stronger. She seemed to recognize the hard work to care for her and she grew even closer to me. Every day when she climbs up to my bed and lays next to me and I watch her quietly fall asleep, that is the moment when all my stress and tiredness fly away.

Next time the world seems like it’s collapsing inward on you, think about how you are approaching adversity. Are you stoking the flames of negativity? Or are you taking an active approach in recognizing what you can and can’t do? Right now we are living in a time of unprecedented chaos, but I rarely hear people discuss how out of our hands most of it is. I say we move forward with what we can do and choose optimism.

Throughout my time at high school, I grew closer to my teachers and friends. Although my future probably won’t include pranks with barbasol and fart bombs, I am looking forward to going to college and beyond.