when I was four years old the craziest
thing happened one day I was sleeping
and my mom woke me up it’s like 11:00
today and I was like hmm and she told me
to put on a green shirt and some cap
keep khaki pants and then she gave me a
Scooby Doo backpack and then we got in
the car we drove drove and then she
stopped in front of this giant
rectangular building called a school and
then she just threw me in there and I
was confused I was like whoa whoa what’s
going on I was sleeping did why why am I
here
and then she I was with a bunch of other
kids and I was like hey why are you here
and there one my mom made me I was like
same here and then around 7:45 what they
started rushing us to these things
called classrooms and in these
classrooms you know we were standing in
a circle and we started to introduce
ourselves you know like oh hi what’s my
name you know things like that and then
the weirdest thing happened they started
to teach us teach us this thing called
the ABCs and it was really quite simple
you know a B D F G X element of Z Y X
and then you know they started teaching
us how to write and how to read and
honestly it was it was the best best
thing ever you know I was learning I was
having fun and then then around noon
they rushed us to the cafeteria they’re
like we have food for you I was like
food
how much is it and they’re like it’s
free I was like oh it’s time to eat and
then after after we ate we get went back
to the classrooms and then they told us
that we had an hour to the to do this
thing called nap which was basically
sleep and no I don’t even do that at
home
and they’re letting us do that here this
is great
I’m just when I didn’t think things
could get better they did this thing
where they just opened the door and just
let us out and they said you have recess
I was like recess they were like yes do
whatever you want and I was like –
whatever I want this is amazing so we
were just we were little kids jumping
off the jumping off the monkey bars
swinging you know having fun going down
the slide and I was just thinking life
couldn’t be better
you know there was like if I have to go
through 12 years of this I can totally
do it and then what they didn’t told me
though was that one I got to third grade
they we were doing that learning thing
and they told us okay guys
tomorrow you have a test I was like a
test what for they were like it’s the
tax if you don’t pass it you fail the
great and you stay here another year I
was like whoa whoa you guys didn’t tell
me this one I started I would have
backed out if you told me that and then
they were like I’m sorry that’s just how
it is
and I felt an immense pressure and I got
scared I was like are you kidding me you
mean to tell me that if I fail this one
test I have to stay here another year I
just a lot of thoughts went through my
head I mean that means I don’t I don’t
get to move on with my friends I’d have
to start off basically fresh with like a
bunch of new people that I don’t know
and I just felt so pressured and I got
so involved in my
that I just started to study study study
and then I had to do it again the next
year and again the next year and slowly
that recess time that we had those nap
times we had they started taking that
away from us and that made me so upset
because I was like oh you give me this
freedom and then you kind of take it
away and then a middle squat thought
maybe it gets better you know maybe
maybe they give us back recess maybe
they give us back in that time but no on
the contrary they give us more work and
more classes and then in high school you
know I thought hopefully now it gets
better
no it got worse they just gave us more
more work harder work this thing called
calculus the hardest thing I’ve ever
done and I just I got lost I got so
involved with school and got so much
pressure all I did was work and all I
did was study and what happened was that
school became my comfort zone I knew no
world outside of school all I knew was
school I would get home I would do my
homework I would do my classwork and
then I just sit in my room staring at
the wall wondering what was there left
what was there left to do I did all the
studying I did all the work
am I gonna study more am I gonna do more
work what do I do now and I just felt an
emptiness a void inside me that it
wasn’t happiness
it wasn’t sadness it was just no emotion
I’m just feeling empty feeling lonely
and honestly it sucks and I hope no one
has to go through that but I went
through that and I wanted to change that
I wanted to you know break the habit of
you know just focusing on school and
focusing on my work so what I did this
year is I made my hanging out with my
friends and getting them to know the
people around me my priority
and although you know we do school
didn’t stop so it was really hard at
first because I found it difficult to
balance both hanging out with my friends
and also doing my work because I still
had to get it done you know I still have
to graduate and but overall it was one
of the best decisions I made in my life
because what I learned is that you know
there is a world outside of school and
there will be a time where I’m not in
school anymore and I’m gonna have to
face a reality that is life and I feel
like I’m now this year that I focused
more on my relationships with people and
getting to know the people around me
I’ve learned just more about myself that
I didn’t know I feel more happy with
myself you know like I’m glad now I’m
actually excited well excited an
overstatement excited to go to school
but I’m glad to go to school and see the
people around me and know hey you know I
know their name and I know you know
their secrets and although you know
that’s but one of the main things I
learned was that about you know people
was I learned a lot of things but there
was three things that kind of stuck to
me and one of those things were that
people are kind before
before I knew you know a world outside
of school I always had this
misconception that people were selfish
by Nature I thought people were greedy
they don’t care about anyone but
themselves you know I just thought that
was how life was and how people were but
this year when I met so many new people
and I got to know my friends better I
realized that that’s not the case at all
there are a lot of people out there that
are actually put their need there others
people’s needs above theirs and I think
that’s unbelievable because you know I
had always thought you know you know
people are selfish but realizing that
there were people out there that you
know cared more about others and
themselves kind of gave me hope
because there’s a lot of things in the
news and a lot of things in the media
that are so negative and just knowing
that there are people who are kind and
there are there are people who are nice
really just gives me hope for the future
a second thing I learned is that people
can relate I used to think that what I
was going through no one else was going
through I thought that my problems were
only my problems and no one else had
those problems but I was wrong again
and I was happy to be wrong because I
realized that a lot of people a lot of
my friends too were going through the
same thing as I was going I had the same
feelings I had they had the same worries
that I had and by having that having
people relate to me it made me feel like
I wasn’t alone which was a major thing
in my life that I felt alone but having
these people having my friends I can
relate to me made me realize that I
wasn’t alone and I feel like that’s
something we all need people we can
relate to people that can relate to us
to make us feel like we’re not alone a
third thing I learned was that people
can change your life out of all the
people I met this year I don’t think I
would be standing here I don’t think I’d
be attending a four-year college in
Maine I just don’t think I’d overall be
happy with myself if I hadn’t met the
people I met this year and I feel like
we all might we can all have that
experience that people can change our
lives and you know why why should you
care you know why should you care about
you know me feeling better about myself
why should you care about oh I got to
know my friends better or why should you
care you know that I basically
prioritized my friends over my work well
I feel like school is something we’ve
all been through or that we’re all going
through right now
some of you might be in college some of
you still might be in school and it also
applies to the workplace some people
might have they have jobs and in both
school and jobs
there’s work and we can get overwhelmed
by this work and we we lose focus we
lose focus we don’t realize that there’s
people around us that there’s a world
around us that doesn’t involve you know
our work that doesn’t involve the
schoolwork that report your boss told
you you have to do have Dubai tomorrow
that 100 my 10 10 page essay that is due
for your English class tomorrow we
forget and it’s crucial because when you
grow up when as I’m going up I’m
starting to realize this there’s a world
outside of school and there’s a world
outside of work and in those areas when
you have problems at home when you have
issues with your family when you’re
going through tough times that 100 you
made on your math test isn’t gonna be
there like hey what’s up Oscar are you
feeling down come on cheer oh man that
that report isn’t gonna be like come on
Oscar let’s go get a drink
come on they’re not they’re not gonna be
there it’s gonna be the people who are
there the people are gonna be there to
support you to give you a hand whenever
you fall down to just overall make you
feel better about yourself it’s the
people and your relationship with those
people not your relationship with your
work not your relationship with your a
school it’s your relationship with the
people and I feel like that’s so it’s
something so important that everyone
I just felt like I needed to share this
because the people I met this year and
the memories are made with these people
and the just the overall happiness
they’ve brought me have filled that void
that I felt have filled that emptiness
that I felt inside me that no matter how
many a is I got no matter how many
classes I passed no matter how many
hundreds I got regardless of those
grades and regardless of the work I did
it didn’t make me feel any better about
myself and it didn’t make me feel any
emotion it just it was just a great it
was just a number that I didn’t really
see the point I just saw him oroszova a
fear factor that’s something that was
put upon me that I had to do or else I
wouldn’t be able to advance in life and
now that I focused on my relationships
with people I can finally say that I’m
happy I’m happy with where I am I’m
happy to be here and these are some of
the people that have changed my life I’m
going all these nine people I’m going to
college with in Maine and I’m getting to
know them and there’s some of the most
the smart intelligent beautiful kind
people I’ve ever met this is a I we went
to the rodeo and honestly was such we
had such an amazing time I was just to
be there it felt so surreal it felt like
it wasn’t me you know it felt like it
wasn’t me that was there it wasn’t it
just felt so surreal and I was so so
happy to get to meet these people and to
just get to experience this last year
with them because you know I don’t know
once the next time I’m gonna see them I
don’t know when once the next time I’m
gonna see them and that’s something I’m
and I really love this pitch because
and and these people have really changed
my life and I love every single one
person that I’ve met this year and again
the reason I share this with you is
because I don’t want you to make the
same mistake that I did lose track of
what life is really about which is the
people you enjoy life with the
connections you make so please take my
advice and go out there and make
relationships meet new people and just
be happy thank you [Applause]
thing happened one day I was sleeping
and my mom woke me up it’s like 11:00
today and I was like hmm and she told me
to put on a green shirt and some cap
keep khaki pants and then she gave me a
Scooby Doo backpack and then we got in
the car we drove drove and then she
stopped in front of this giant
rectangular building called a school and
then she just threw me in there and I
was confused I was like whoa whoa what’s
going on I was sleeping did why why am I
here
and then she I was with a bunch of other
kids and I was like hey why are you here
and there one my mom made me I was like
same here and then around 7:45 what they
started rushing us to these things
called classrooms and in these
classrooms you know we were standing in
a circle and we started to introduce
ourselves you know like oh hi what’s my
name you know things like that and then
the weirdest thing happened they started
to teach us teach us this thing called
the ABCs and it was really quite simple
you know a B D F G X element of Z Y X
and then you know they started teaching
us how to write and how to read and
honestly it was it was the best best
thing ever you know I was learning I was
having fun and then then around noon
they rushed us to the cafeteria they’re
like we have food for you I was like
food
how much is it and they’re like it’s
free I was like oh it’s time to eat and
then after after we ate we get went back
to the classrooms and then they told us
that we had an hour to the to do this
thing called nap which was basically
sleep and no I don’t even do that at
home
and they’re letting us do that here this
is great
I’m just when I didn’t think things
could get better they did this thing
where they just opened the door and just
let us out and they said you have recess
I was like recess they were like yes do
whatever you want and I was like –
whatever I want this is amazing so we
were just we were little kids jumping
off the jumping off the monkey bars
swinging you know having fun going down
the slide and I was just thinking life
couldn’t be better
you know there was like if I have to go
through 12 years of this I can totally
do it and then what they didn’t told me
though was that one I got to third grade
they we were doing that learning thing
and they told us okay guys
tomorrow you have a test I was like a
test what for they were like it’s the
tax if you don’t pass it you fail the
great and you stay here another year I
was like whoa whoa you guys didn’t tell
me this one I started I would have
backed out if you told me that and then
they were like I’m sorry that’s just how
it is
and I felt an immense pressure and I got
scared I was like are you kidding me you
mean to tell me that if I fail this one
test I have to stay here another year I
just a lot of thoughts went through my
head I mean that means I don’t I don’t
get to move on with my friends I’d have
to start off basically fresh with like a
bunch of new people that I don’t know
and I just felt so pressured and I got
so involved in my
that I just started to study study study
and then I had to do it again the next
year and again the next year and slowly
that recess time that we had those nap
times we had they started taking that
away from us and that made me so upset
because I was like oh you give me this
freedom and then you kind of take it
away and then a middle squat thought
maybe it gets better you know maybe
maybe they give us back recess maybe
they give us back in that time but no on
the contrary they give us more work and
more classes and then in high school you
know I thought hopefully now it gets
better
no it got worse they just gave us more
more work harder work this thing called
calculus the hardest thing I’ve ever
done and I just I got lost I got so
involved with school and got so much
pressure all I did was work and all I
did was study and what happened was that
school became my comfort zone I knew no
world outside of school all I knew was
school I would get home I would do my
homework I would do my classwork and
then I just sit in my room staring at
the wall wondering what was there left
what was there left to do I did all the
studying I did all the work
am I gonna study more am I gonna do more
work what do I do now and I just felt an
emptiness a void inside me that it
wasn’t happiness
it wasn’t sadness it was just no emotion
I’m just feeling empty feeling lonely
and honestly it sucks and I hope no one
has to go through that but I went
through that and I wanted to change that
I wanted to you know break the habit of
you know just focusing on school and
focusing on my work so what I did this
year is I made my hanging out with my
friends and getting them to know the
people around me my priority
and although you know we do school
didn’t stop so it was really hard at
first because I found it difficult to
balance both hanging out with my friends
and also doing my work because I still
had to get it done you know I still have
to graduate and but overall it was one
of the best decisions I made in my life
because what I learned is that you know
there is a world outside of school and
there will be a time where I’m not in
school anymore and I’m gonna have to
face a reality that is life and I feel
like I’m now this year that I focused
more on my relationships with people and
getting to know the people around me
I’ve learned just more about myself that
I didn’t know I feel more happy with
myself you know like I’m glad now I’m
actually excited well excited an
overstatement excited to go to school
but I’m glad to go to school and see the
people around me and know hey you know I
know their name and I know you know
their secrets and although you know
that’s but one of the main things I
learned was that about you know people
was I learned a lot of things but there
was three things that kind of stuck to
me and one of those things were that
people are kind before
before I knew you know a world outside
of school I always had this
misconception that people were selfish
by Nature I thought people were greedy
they don’t care about anyone but
themselves you know I just thought that
was how life was and how people were but
this year when I met so many new people
and I got to know my friends better I
realized that that’s not the case at all
there are a lot of people out there that
are actually put their need there others
people’s needs above theirs and I think
that’s unbelievable because you know I
had always thought you know you know
people are selfish but realizing that
there were people out there that you
know cared more about others and
themselves kind of gave me hope
because there’s a lot of things in the
news and a lot of things in the media
that are so negative and just knowing
that there are people who are kind and
there are there are people who are nice
really just gives me hope for the future
a second thing I learned is that people
can relate I used to think that what I
was going through no one else was going
through I thought that my problems were
only my problems and no one else had
those problems but I was wrong again
and I was happy to be wrong because I
realized that a lot of people a lot of
my friends too were going through the
same thing as I was going I had the same
feelings I had they had the same worries
that I had and by having that having
people relate to me it made me feel like
I wasn’t alone which was a major thing
in my life that I felt alone but having
these people having my friends I can
relate to me made me realize that I
wasn’t alone and I feel like that’s
something we all need people we can
relate to people that can relate to us
to make us feel like we’re not alone a
third thing I learned was that people
can change your life out of all the
people I met this year I don’t think I
would be standing here I don’t think I’d
be attending a four-year college in
Maine I just don’t think I’d overall be
happy with myself if I hadn’t met the
people I met this year and I feel like
we all might we can all have that
experience that people can change our
lives and you know why why should you
care you know why should you care about
you know me feeling better about myself
why should you care about oh I got to
know my friends better or why should you
care you know that I basically
prioritized my friends over my work well
I feel like school is something we’ve
all been through or that we’re all going
through right now
some of you might be in college some of
you still might be in school and it also
applies to the workplace some people
might have they have jobs and in both
school and jobs
there’s work and we can get overwhelmed
by this work and we we lose focus we
lose focus we don’t realize that there’s
people around us that there’s a world
around us that doesn’t involve you know
our work that doesn’t involve the
schoolwork that report your boss told
you you have to do have Dubai tomorrow
that 100 my 10 10 page essay that is due
for your English class tomorrow we
forget and it’s crucial because when you
grow up when as I’m going up I’m
starting to realize this there’s a world
outside of school and there’s a world
outside of work and in those areas when
you have problems at home when you have
issues with your family when you’re
going through tough times that 100 you
made on your math test isn’t gonna be
there like hey what’s up Oscar are you
feeling down come on cheer oh man that
that report isn’t gonna be like come on
Oscar let’s go get a drink
come on they’re not they’re not gonna be
there it’s gonna be the people who are
there the people are gonna be there to
support you to give you a hand whenever
you fall down to just overall make you
feel better about yourself it’s the
people and your relationship with those
people not your relationship with your
work not your relationship with your a
school it’s your relationship with the
people and I feel like that’s so it’s
something so important that everyone
I just felt like I needed to share this
because the people I met this year and
the memories are made with these people
and the just the overall happiness
they’ve brought me have filled that void
that I felt have filled that emptiness
that I felt inside me that no matter how
many a is I got no matter how many
classes I passed no matter how many
hundreds I got regardless of those
grades and regardless of the work I did
it didn’t make me feel any better about
myself and it didn’t make me feel any
emotion it just it was just a great it
was just a number that I didn’t really
see the point I just saw him oroszova a
fear factor that’s something that was
put upon me that I had to do or else I
wouldn’t be able to advance in life and
now that I focused on my relationships
with people I can finally say that I’m
happy I’m happy with where I am I’m
happy to be here and these are some of
the people that have changed my life I’m
going all these nine people I’m going to
college with in Maine and I’m getting to
know them and there’s some of the most
the smart intelligent beautiful kind
people I’ve ever met this is a I we went
to the rodeo and honestly was such we
had such an amazing time I was just to
be there it felt so surreal it felt like
it wasn’t me you know it felt like it
wasn’t me that was there it wasn’t it
just felt so surreal and I was so so
happy to get to meet these people and to
just get to experience this last year
with them because you know I don’t know
once the next time I’m gonna see them I
don’t know when once the next time I’m
gonna see them and that’s something I’m
and I really love this pitch because
and and these people have really changed
my life and I love every single one
person that I’ve met this year and again
the reason I share this with you is
because I don’t want you to make the
same mistake that I did lose track of
what life is really about which is the
people you enjoy life with the
connections you make so please take my
advice and go out there and make
relationships meet new people and just
be happy thank you [Applause]
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