“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” These words by Eleanor Roosevelt signify a challenge, a call to action, and a reminder of the power within us. We are celebrating a milestone. Graduation marks not just the end of our time here at Prairie Ridge, but the beginning of our lives as dreamers and doers beyond the walls of this school. My message is simple: Our dreams are valid and vital. They will shape not only our futures, but the future of our world. I want to reflect on how our belief in our dreams has carried us this far, how our community has helped that belief, and how we must take responsibility for turning our dreams into actions. As we turn our tassels and take our first steps into our new lives, let’s begin by remembering where we came from.
From the very beginning, it was a belief, no matter how small or uncertain, that gave us the strength to start and keep going. Think back to freshman year: we walked through those doors nervous, unsure of ourselves, and maybe even a little excited, but always hopeful. We dreamed of making the varsity team, getting the lead in the musical or play, and finding friends. I remember my freshman year being nervous and having low confidence during tryouts. But my dreams and determination to make the team, and to eventually make the varsity team, carried me through the nerves. Each late-night study session, every small success, and every lesson learned added up, not just to grades, but to confidence. All of us have worked so incredibly hard to get where we are today. At the start of my senior year, during volleyball tryouts, we got a new coach. None of us knew what to expect, and it was an adjustment in the beginning. We went through struggles as a team, and there was a lot of pressure to live up to people’s expectations. But even through our hardships, we found a way to achieve our biggest dream. This team and my coach taught me how to love volleyball again. It also taught me that success comes not from knowing the answer, but from believing you’re capable of finding it and achieving it. Belief in yourself is not an easy road for some, but it can give us the courage to keep walking, even when it gets steep. And while belief in ourselves is essential, we wouldn’t have gotten this far without the people who believed in us.
Our families, teachers, and friends created a web of support that lifted us. Math is not my best subject. I’ve always struggled with it, and I never felt like I got the support I needed. But then, Mr. Powell became my math teacher this year. I remember telling him on the first day of school that math wasn’t my thing. In response, he laughed and told me that he could change that. At first, I wasn’t sure if the year was going to go well. I had a rocky start, I wasn’t confident, and I wasn’t motivated. But by the end of the year, I can wholeheartedly say that my relationship with math has changed because of him. He taught me that a grade doesn’t define me as long as I try. And even though I made a lot of mistakes and had a lot of bad tests, he was always there encouraging me to keep trying. Each of us has had moments like that; moments when someone else’s belief in us gave us the strength we needed. Maybe it’s a parent making time out of their day to help you study, or a coach pushing you harder every day because they see potential that you haven’t realized yet. That kind of belief is powerful because it reminds us that we are never alone in pursuit of our dreams and aspirations. Now, with belief in ourselves and the support our community has brought us, it’s time to take the next step: action.
Dreams are wonderful, but they only make an impact on the world when we decide to act on them. Some of us dream of becoming doctors, lawyers, engineers, or maybe not sure what their dreams are yet, and that’s okay. I still don’t know what I want to do in the future. I have ideas, but nothing seems like the right fit. Although I’m unsure of my career goals, I have a starting point, and that’s all that matters. What matters is that we take the first step, no matter how small, and trust that our paths will reveal themselves as we move through life. In my junior year, I thought I wanted to be a photographer. So I took the micro-internship class and started a photography internship. Doing this internship made me realize that I didn’t want to pursue photography as a career, but kept it as a hobby instead. Taking that first step helped me determine what my future would look like. And I encourage all of you to take that first step. The world is waiting for our voices, energy, and ideas. It’s time to show them. So, as we graduate here today, let’s carry our dreams with us. Not just as hopes, but as goals we are ready to pursue.
We are celebrating more than just our high school career ending; we celebrate the dreams that guided us here and the belief that will carry us forward. This ceremony marks our accomplishments and the beginning of our next chapter. I talked about how belief in ourselves helped us overcome challenges and push ourselves to be the best we can be, the incredible people in our community who have helped us and believed in us, and how it is now our time to take responsibility for our dreams and then turn them into action. Eleanor Roosevelt once said that “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Class of 2025, let’s not just believe in the future, let’s build it. Congratulations, fellow graduates, the best is yet to come for us.
