This weekend there will be a slew of high school graduations taking place across the Golden Belt and throughout the nation. In addition, Barton Community College’s graduation ceremony takes place this Friday.
These aren’t the only milestones being celebrated. Barton will also have pinning ceremonies for nurses and medical lab technicians and a cording ceremony for paramedics on Friday. Last week, we attended a Core Community graduation and next Tuesday the Barton County Academy will hold a graduation ceremony. In each celebration, individuals and families have successfully completed a program of study that took weeks often years to achieve.
Looking back at some of the most inspirational commencement speeches of all time, we see graduates over the ages encouraged to move forward with confidence as they live their best lives.
Oprah Winfrey delivered a virtual speech to the class of 2020. Her conclusion: “My hope is that you will harness your education, your creativity, your valor, your voice, your vote – reflecting on all that you’ve witnessed and hungered for, all that you know to be true – and use it to create more equity, more justice, and more joy in the world.”
In 2024, Great Bend High School’s graduation speeches were delivered by the valedictorian Samantha Mayers and salutatorian Emilee Hall. Both expressed gratitude to their families and teachers.
Hall told her classmates:
“Today, we celebrate a chapter in our lives coming to an end. While yes that is scary and overwhelming, it also is an exciting and wonderful part of life. There will be many more chapters that will come to an end in our lives but that also means there are many more chapters that we haven’t started yet. The opportunities that each one of us has in our lives are endless and more doors will continue to open. We are all going to make mistakes, that is a part of life, but the way we overcome and learn from them is what is going to take us far in life. Each day is a gift and we have the chance to do something great with each one we are given, so go out and be the good in the world that others will be inspired by.”
Mayers had this to say: “Each and every one of you has the potential to make your dream come true, but it starts with getting out of bed on the days you don’t want to, and putting in that hard work. I challenge each of you to find your own version of the American Dream and give it all your time and energy. And when you do, I wish you all the success and happiness in the world.”
We are in complete agreement; the 2025 graduates have every right to celebrate before they roll up their sleeves and get to work on their next endeavors. As always, we expect great things from you in the future.
