In May, Liana Akopyan was selected as the winner of our first-ever GHS Graduation Speech Contest. Here is the address that she delivered at the 2023 graduation ceremony on June 7th.
“407136”
Good afternoon, and welcome family, friends, faculty, and graduates. I stand before you today, with honor, to share an important piece of me: 407136.
My teacher, Mrs. Kingsbury, repeated time after time, in my ear. “You have to remember this, Liana: it’s going to be your special ID up until 2023.”
2023? I thought to myself on the first day of kindergarten. “That’s way too far”. I turned my head to our class calendar, seeing the year 2010, and wondered, when will that time ever come?
I went home to my mom that day and asked her, “What does 2023 mean to me?” She giggled, “It’s special to you, it’s the year you graduate, Liana.”
Six-year-old me, still confused, went back to Mrs. Kingsbury, and asked, “What happens to 407136 after 2023?”
She replied, “Well, in 2023, the graduate’s ID retires. It’s passed on to the next generation of kindergarteners, just like you right now. Keep 407136 proud, Liana, because it’s only in your hands for a given amount of time.”
From that day forward, I woke up every morning, and remembered my teacher’s words, “Keep 407136 proud.” A special number, given to our class 13 years ago, expires today, right now.
While we walk this stage in our final hour as high schoolers, our lives are changing. We are no longer students of Glendale High School; we have become proud alumni.
Through the ups and downs, difficulties faced, and successes we hold dear to our hearts, it’s important to be proud of who you have become. We are not the same students who received their IDs years ago. We have grown, improved, and changed.
I want you all to take a moment and reflect upon your scholar years, beginning in elementary, up until the final school bell ringing on the last day. Ask yourself this question: as we leave here today, are you able to confess your satisfaction with how you have upheld the honor of your generic id number given as a child?
If your answer is yes, congratulations. You have met your expectations and are pleased. If your answer is no, congratulations, because your old ID is expiring, and it is time to start a new one for yourself.
As our high school career comes to an end, it is important to take with us the lessons, and memories created. Take a look to your left and to your right. The people seated around you, who grew up with you, will soon become a memory you one day catch yourself reminiscing over.
Though the uncertainty of the future may be frightening, we must remember, as one door closes, another opens. As one ID expires, a new one is created. Time is at your fingertips, trying to rush away. Grab onto it, and cherish it, because just like our ID, we don’t know how much of it we have left till it expires.
While I plan to continue my educational journey at UC San Diego, I look back upon my years and thank my parents, family, friends, and teachers for shaping me into the young woman I am today. I stand before you all, for one final time as 407136, signing off, awaiting my next journey, and my new ID.