It is indeed a particular
honor to stand before you today as your Principal. You are a graduating class with outstanding
academic merit, amazing aptitude, and remarkable energy. I have been impressed, over and over again,
with your accomplishments. Your
baccalaureate, truly, was a demonstration of the diverse abilities that
distinguish the Class of 2016. From
musical performances, to riveting speeches, to NCS titles, you excelled and
exceeded expectations time and time again.
It would, therefore, not be difficult
for any of us to imagine that, within this graduating class, there will be respected
professionals, renowned innovators, future leaders of industry, and creative
geniuses. Your talent, tenacity, and, as
Ms. Hofinga mentioned in her speech, your “willingness to speak your truths,”
will undoubtedly lead to great success.
But, Class of 2016, will this
be enough?
Popular author Stephan Covey stated,
“Life is not accumulation, it is about contribution.” Think about it this way: each of you has an
individual capacity for happiness. You
can, throughout your life accumulate experiences, relationships, and financial assets
that will make you feel happy. But, at
some point, there is a threshold for your content; a point at which additional
experiences, better relationships, and more financial gains cease to increase substantially
the feeling of satisfaction.
So, what if, rather than
merely accumulating, you chose to contribute?
You contribute your time, your skill, your energy. And, with all this time and skill and energy,
you make an individual, a cause, or the world just a little better. That small investment outside of yourself
then generates more happiness for another – a happiness that you can share in
because you helped to make it happen.
Then, that threshold for content that was once contained in just your
singular being, multiplies exponentially.
My hope for you, graduates,
is that you will choose to be contributors.
That when you “speak your truth” it is a truth that builds bridges,
improves the lives of others, and, as a result, adds to your own sense of
purpose and self-worth. In a class of
such talent, I am humbled to think of what our future could be if each of you
followed this path.
Go Mats.
