Chris Nguon, 18
McClymonds High School
Oakland, California
Because you see class of ’03, we’re a special group. We have set a standard that future McClymonds classes will now strive for. We’re the first class at McClymonds in seven years to graduate over 100 students. We’re the first class that can say we walked the stage on the McClymonds field. We’re the last class that can stake claim to not having to take the dreaded exit exam.
But now we begin our new lives. And for many of you parents, relatives, friends, and teachers out there, I’m sure you all feel equally proud of this class. You should. We’ve all come a long way. But the truth of the matter is, we haven’t done anything yet. As the old saying goes, “the longest journey begins with the first step.” Today is where we take that first step in the journey we call life. Now, by no means will it be easy. By no means will it be all fun and games. But hey, it’s not suppose to be. Because after Principal Dodd hands us that piece of paper, we will all officially become adults. Now I know for a lot of us, the realization that we will now have to take care of ourselves might seem like a daunting task. But, as many wise men and women said before, as long as you try, things will work out. They always do.
Case in point. Two years ago, people wondered why I was coming out for the basketball team. You see to them, they only believed what they saw. To them, what they saw was a skinny, weak, little 5-foot-5 Chinese kid without a lick of athleticism. So they figured I would never make it. But you see to me, it wasn’t a cut and dry case. To me, it was all poetry. Poetry. Like how Bill Russell slapped opponents shots when they tried to get him; or like how Zazu Byrd drives baseline and dunks on fools; or like how Paul Silas took his 1960 McClymonds team to the TOC championship. Poetry. Like how writing for the school newspaper changed my life. Like how powerful words and diction could really be. Like how crucial it is to express things that are important. Poetry. It’s all around us. Everywhere we turn, everywhere we look, everywhere we sit, everywhere we walk, it’s here. Right here. In the heart of West Oakland. Right here at McClymonds High School. That’s how I looked at it. Because you see all I wanted was to be a little part of that great history. All I desired was to not be labeled and stereotyped. All I wanted was to be extraordinary, and not ordinary. All I wanted was to be one of those people that said “I did that,” and not “I could’ve or should’ve done that.” And now, two years later, I can honestly say I’ve left my mark. And all I had to do was try. That’s all. Just try.
You see because I realized it was ok to be afraid, that it was ok to be intimidated, or confused, or scared. Everyone has gone through it. You and I are no different. As author J.D. Salinger once wrote, “I think that one of these days, you’re going to find out where you want to go, and then you’ve got to start going there. But immediately though. You can’t afford to lose a minute. Not you, not I, not us. And I hate to tell you, but I think once you have a fair idea where you want to go, your first move will be to apply yourself in school. You have to. You’re a student. Whether you like it or not. You’re in love with knowledge. And I think you’ll find that once you get past all the ghetto mentalities that has been instilled in you, you’ll see that.”
Now who knows what the future is going to hold. Who knows what will really happen after we take that first step. For many of us, and I hope one day for all of us, that next step will be college. With that, a little advice from humorist Dave Barry might just come in handy. You see, Barry says you will learn two kinds of things in college. First, you will learn things you won’t need to know in the future. These are things you memorize, write down in little notebooks, and then soon forget.
Second, Barry says you will learn things you will need to know in later life. This list, would include examples like:
“Yes, you will learn how to make a collect call.”
“That yes, you will learn how to get pizza stains out of your pajamas.”
“That yes, you were smart in high school, but so what?”
“That you will learn no matter how late you scheduled your first class, you’ll still sleep right through it.”
“That even though promising yourself not to, you will go to that party the night before finals.”
“That yes, you will know everything and still fail the test.”
“That yes, you will learn that free food served at 10 o’clock will be gone by 9:50.”
“That dorms will be your savior and personal hell at the same time.”
“That you will learn to love a lot of different people in a lot of different ways.”
And finally: “That you will change so much, and barely even realize it.”
Because isn’t this what it’s all about. Change? How we all want to be different. How we all want to be better, slimmer, stronger, faster, smarter? But you see class of ’03, no matter how much we change as our lives progress, there are some things that will never change. Things that will always stay the same. Things like yes, we did start out together at Prescott or Lafayette elementary. That yes, we did come from Lowell Middle School. That yes, we did graduate from the Mack House. And that yes, we damn proud we did.
See also:
ou know, when I was preparing this speech, I didn’t want it to be boring. So, I thought I could come up here and maybe talk about how the Raiders stunk it up in the Super Bowl; or maybe talk about what happened down in 12th street last night; or maybe talk about how LeBron got $90 million before he even crossed a stage like the one we on now. But, I sat down and conti plated the real reason why I was given this opportunity to speak, and instead, thought I would say something that you, and I, could use in the future.