<p>Good Evening. </p>
<p>We stand, gathered together to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2013 class of ... To my fellow classmates, we've made it. Congratulations. Congratulations not only to us graduates, but also congratulations to our parents, friends, families. Our success is your success, for you have given us the freedom to dare, the courage to excel and the belief that we can achieve our best. Together for the last time, we stand on the edge of a great adventure, looking forward into a new world and leaving behind old ways. Soon each of us will go forth, in his or her own direction, seeking to make a mark upon the world. Our adulthood, so long anticipated, has now arrived. We have grown up. We must seize our future and taking it into our own hands, do with it what we will, striving towards excellence. As for each of us graduates I encourage you take a moment to live in the present.</p>
<p>As humans, we tend to focus too much on the past or the future. However, we fail to live in the present and walk the path that matters the path that leads to change. Yes, living in the present does require learning from past mistakes, and thinking of future consequences, but it also requires cherishing the moment. It is hard to forget and it is hard not to predict, but living in the present is how we can make a difference.</p>
<p>And that is exactly what we are doing today. As we step into this next phase in our lives, we are making a difference not only to the world around us, but also to ourselves. By having reached this concluding point, we have proved to ourselves that these last four years of our lives were worth it. Looking back, all these memories were accomplished by focusing on the present.</p>
<p>How can we focus on the present today? Well, for many of us, this day is not only to say goodbye to high school, but also a day to put on our grown-up shoes and greet the world of higher education and careers. But let's not be so eager to say good-bye. We want to be able to look back at this exact moment and remember the pride and excitement we felt; not what college we were going to or the regrets we had throughout high school, but how this day was just perfect. This day should not be a day of forgetting but a day worth remembering. </p>
<p>And, for the first time in a while, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Four years of friendship, laughter, and hard work have led us here and only great things await us in the road ahead. </p>
<p>Now as we look back, it might seem that ever year in high school seemed to end pretty similar. Finals, warm weather, and the countdowns to summer until this year. We had a new countdown to consider: how many days until graduation? That was the real question. And now the countdown is finally over.</p>
<p>It has been an absolute pleasure embarking on this memorable journey with all of you. We have experienced some great times together and have created many memories. I wish each one of you blessing in your future, and although we are never coming back, we will never forget because, "while memories may fade, they are never lost". Congratulations to us, class of 2013!</p>