By Vinay Ravinder, class salutatorian
Here is the Hillsborough graduation ceremony address by Vinay Ravinder, class salutatorian:
"Class of 2016, how quickly these last four years have gone by. It feels like just yesterday we were getting off the bus and walking into high school for the first time, still tired and not used to being awake at 7:30 in the morning.
It feels like just yesterday we were getting lost in the maze of hallways on our way to the Commons to meet our peer mentors, and memorizing the bell schedule, and trying to wrap our heads around the idea of getting a yellow pass and signing in and out whenever we go to the bathroom.
And now, after four years of hard work and dedication, four years of effort and sweat and blood and tears, four years of trying, failing and trying again, we’re finally here. How did we get here? And how did we change along the way?
We are sitting here today because through all the tough times and all the good times, we kept looking ahead, toward the future. We set goals for ourselves, sometimes small and sometimes large, and we pursued those goals undaunted by any obstacles that stood in our way.
When it was time to take our first midterms, we freaked out and studied hard, knowing that we would have to take a lot more exams throughout our time in high school, and so we might as well learn to do them well. We took our classes seriously each year because we understood that they would prepare us for our classes next year and the year after that. We agonized over college applications and the SAT because we recognized how important they would be in shaping our future in college and beyond.
Our student athletes were so successful over the years because they were always focused on that next game, or that next meet. And our phenomenal class cabinet was able to bring us all together for Spirit Night each year because we all knew that the next Spirit Night would have to be better than the last, that winning it once wasn’t enough for us, and that this would be our chance to show the school just how much we were capable of.
We enjoyed our years here, and we made memories that we will never forget, but we never became complacent. Instead, we kept our eyes fixed on the future and kept marching forward. As the great figure we know as Dr. Shah once said, “Never be satisfied, only content.” This was our attitude for the last four years, and it should be our attitude for the next four years and beyond.
Sometimes, though, it is good to stop and reminisce on the past, and enjoy the moment. Case in point, we all enjoyed the reappearance of the old cafeteria cookies, aka the good cookies. Today is one of those times. Today we pause to remember all that we have accomplished over the last four years and more. We stop to thank our parents and our teachers and our friends who have done so much for us over the years, and without whom we certainly would not have made it this far. We enjoy spending our last days with the people we have grown up with, people we might not see again for a long time.
But soon, after this day is over, after the next few weeks of grad parties are over, after our last summer before college, we will have to stop looking back and start looking forward again.
When we get to college, we’ll have to focus on the future. We’ll sign up for classes and join clubs and play sports and choose a major and eventually get the kind of job we want. These things won’t happen overnight. And they won’t happen if we don’t plan for the future and set goals for ourselves.
Yet if all these things seem terrifying, and they certainly do, we can remember this day and be reminded of how much we’ve been able to accomplish already. We are inimitable and original, and remembering our high school graduation should inspire us to keep looking ahead because that is how we got here.
We are smarter, more mature, more talented, more accomplished, and more prepared for the world than we were four years ago because we kept our focus on this day and worked toward it relentlessly.
Now that we’ve reached this milestone, let’s start working toward the next one. As senior sightseers, we will now set our sights on the horizon, on the future, and we will rise up. And so, Class of 2016, with faith in ourselves and pride in what we’ve accomplished, let us move boldly into the future, confident in the road ahead. "
