Congratulations, Class of 2010! You’ve Finally Made It

Although at times it may seem as if a high school diploma is not looked at as an incredible accomplishment, all of you should be proud of yourselves for making it to this day. Over the past four years all of you have faced various challenges and your will to continue through the long grind of high school has weakened at times. Regardless of what college you are attending next fall or your plans for the future are, you have to realize that you have persevered just by graduating, just by making it through.

The bottom line is that no matter what society tells you, or your parents tell you, or your peers tell you, you should look at yourself as a success for just completing high school. Now, for those of you who have regrets in high school, who wish you would have worked harder and set yourself up better for your future, understand that you still have plenty of time to make all of your wildest dreams come true. During the past four years high school has seemed like the end all be all of your existence, but it’s not. So what if you got a few C’s or you botched an opportunity with a pretty girl or got arrested. The truth is that if your sitting here right now, it’s not too late to be the person who you want to be.

I’m sure that in your time at Berkeley High School someone has told you that in order to be successful in your life you need to do this and this in high school, join these clubs, get these grades, but those people were and are sorely mistaken.
The only thing you need to be successful and happy in your life is passion and the willingness to pursue that passion. As much as society tries to tell you otherwise, what your passion is really doesn’t matter. The sooner you realize this, the simpler life will become for you. Some of you have found that passion here at BHS, while some of you may find it further down the road. Whenever you do find this passion though, don’t let anyone deter you from pursuing it, regardless of how far fetched your dreams are. So as you soak in this day and the fact that you are done with high school, remember that you have the rest of your life ahead of you and that you are still capable of doing whatever you set your mind to.

The transition between high school and the adult world is a scary one, and those of you who are nervous have every right to be. However, for the most part everything that you have built thus far in your life will still be here for you whenever you want it to be. As you move into the adult world you have the unique opportunity to choose the relationships that you want to continue and those that don’t mean as much to you. Those people who are close to you and love you will not let you slip away, and you will not let those who you love slip away either. Although, there may be issues with those who you are close to that does not mean that those relationships have to end. Hold on to those who are close to you, in any way you can and although these relationships will change form, embrace it.

All of you have graduated from one of the most complex and diverse high schools in the world and if you have learned to navigate BHS, you can really navigate any situation in the future.

Good luck, Class of 2010!

Photos:

• Senior Class (courtesy of Mark Coplan)