Off to Great Places ©
"Turn the Tassel" graduation speech by Thailandia Alaffita
Given at the Northbrook High School Graduation, May 27, 2006

 

     When I was younger, reading Dr. Seuss books, I never thought that his words, would someday, in the near future, mean more than just childish rhymes. But not so long ago, I read "Oh The Places You'll Go!" for maybe the hundredth time and this time it was more than just a children's book, it was inspiring, for it seemed as if he had the class of '06 in mind when he wrote: "Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to great places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go."

     Congratulations class of '06 for making it this far. Sitting here, anxious to know what life has in store for us, makes us so happy to finally be able to say, "I'm done with this stage of my life," but let's take a minute to count our accomplishments and make plans for those yet to come.

     Seniors, we have grown and matured together. We have evolved as a class, becoming the great people we are now, and ready to go out on our own to discover new things. I see our eager faces to finally go to all those great places we plan to go, but rather than leaving everything behind as some might see it there are some skills that we will need to take with us, such as confidence which we have learned to experience. Confidence that we have learned everything we need to know to finally step unto the next level of our lives. Confidence that we know where we're going and are able to make the right choices. Confidence that we know who we are and what we want. I, myself, am confident that we all will accomplish anything we set our mind to do. It's as if he was describing our class when he said, "You won't lag behind because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly you'll be the best of the best. Wherever you go you will top all the rest." because I've noticed, in these four years, that our class has been one of the most competitive and successful yet; the methods we took in high school to reach our goals we will apply later in life to be the best. 

     Together, we've shared joy, but there have been times of adversity that need not be mentioned at a time like this. But we have to understand that all that was not in vain, for we've learned to manage and that is yet another skill that we need to take with us wherever we go. Manage to keep going even when we fall. Manage to laugh when we feel like crying. Manage to looks past the times of sadness and disappointment because we will have a lot throughout our lives. I have witnessed this skill being mastered by us, when there was loss of a classmate and fear of the future we managed to provide each other with courage and eventually keep going.

     Then there's the greatest skill of all; responsibility. As he mentions in his book, "You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life's a Great Balancing Act." We have grown into responsible young ladies and gentlemen without even noticing. I remember as freshman we had absolutely no idea what awaited us in the future, and now we have a master plan that we created ourselves because we have been responsible. This is a skill that we have to remember to carry with us wherever life takes us because it is important that we take responsibility in everything we do. Responsibility will be needed when we go to college, later at work, and with our families.

     With this in mind, I congratulate you once more, for these great past four years, and I congratulate you in advance for the great future that we will create. Take the skills you have learned and mastered wherever you go because they will get you to the top. Have fun and be the best you can be for the rest of your life. And as we turn our tassels we may ask, "And will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed. (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed). Kid, you'll move mountains! So ... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O' Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So ... get on your way!"

Thailandia Alaffita
May 2006