I will never forget December 14th 2012
it looks my best friend’s birthday it
was also the day that I walked into my
house it’s not with my mom for hours as
we watch CNN and Fox update the nation
on the brutal events that had occurred
in Sandy Hook I students my own age
being led out of school by their peers
by their teachers I’m sorry as their
peers bodies lay around them I will
never forget watching megyn kelly cry on
TV I had never before seen a journalist
showed that much raw emotion I will
never forget watching President Obama
choke back tears as he addressed the
country but most of all I will never
forget that incident because it is the
first event that I can remember that I
followed closely I watched it on the
news with my parents I participated in
discussions in the classroom I read
about the controversies over gun
ownership and how other countries had
dealt with massacres like these in the
past I will never forget that incident
because it is the first time that I can
remember being fully aware of what was
going on around me fully immersed in
history as it was happening it was a
defining moment in my life I became
aware when talking to my peers I’m often
surprised at the indifference that many
people have towards the major issues
that affect us so today I’m going to
talk about why it is so imperative that
we be aware of what is going on around
us why we should find the side of the
political spectrum that we identify with
why we should pay attention to movements
like the women’s March or the hashtag me
to Trent why we should take a stand in
regard to gun control today I’m going to
talk about why being immersed in history
as it is happening is so crucial to our
we live in an age of technology for most
of us in this room our phones are like
our lifelines according to common sense
media the average teen spends
approximately nine hours on their phone
a day considering this you’d think we’d
all be highly aware highly informed
people however public knowledge on
current events is almost the same as it
was 30 years ago as found by the Pew
Research Center for the people and the
press so much for a technological
revolution I see this as a huge problem
but maybe that’s just me I mean in this
room some of us are going to grow up to
be doctors or accountants or teachers or
writers we even have a DJ so why should
we care about current events why should
we care about issues that don’t directly
affect us ignorance is not bliss our
world is constantly changing and in a
world of communication we should use the
resources that we have to be better
thinkers better problem solvers better
workers and better creators than those
before us in classrooms even at the
dinner table we converse and debate
ideas among each other whether political
social or something entirely different
at school at work and just in our day to
day lives we are constantly faced with
decisions that affect both ourselves and
others I believe with a more educated
community one that is aware of what is
going on here in our country and around
the world we can on a small scale become
more educated informed people and
broaden our horizons and interest and on
a larger scale improve the quality of
public discourse and conversation we can
become informed voters knowledgeable
debaters we can find things that we
don’t like or disagree with and take an
initiative to make a change we can stop
arguing with each other as a nation and
start arguing with ideas we are the
grassroots
the common people looking up to the
people in that had political parties and
social movements we have opinions as we
should
many many opinions on the things that go
on around us it is our job to be aware
get educated and speak out about things
that we want to change we often think
there’s no point to our opinions really
matter but we forget that they’re grass
roots the common people are the essence
of politics and social movements
it was the grass roots that dumped the
British tea into the Boston Harbor
it was the grass roots who fought for
marriage equality it is the grass roots
who can write letters make phone calls
create petitions and staged walkouts it
is our job to get educated and speak up
in order to see the changes that we want
to see now I’m not going to shine light
on a problem and then not offer you any
kind of solution as I said we live in an
age of technology it shouldn’t be hard
for us to access the news we can get
notifications for the New York Times CNN
Fox on our phones or on our laptops we
can read magazines like Time or The
Economist which will always have stuff
that interests us I also recently found
an app called the skin that I think is
really cool when you download the app it
provides you with current events from
that week and you can choose what
interests you from then on they base
your feed with stuff that they think
you’ll want to see the articles are
literally five-minute skins in my 15
minute ride to school I can learn about
the New York Fashion Week the government
shutdown and the DMZ between North and
South Korea you can also sync the app up
to your calendar so you can get
notifications for big events like the
start of the Olympics or the Royal
Wedding
I was recently also introduced to a
website called the conversation which I
think delivers the message that I am
trying to send it offers quick
insightful academic reads on everything
from art to politics to
– technology in an effort to create
awareness among its readers at some
point I’m sure that all of you will have
a moment like the one I had all those
years ago
and after the Sandy Hook shooting may be
something you are truly passionate about
will be challenged may be a travesty so
great will occur that you can no longer
ignore the issue regardless of what it
is I urge you to seize that moment get
involved advocate for your cause educate
yourself on that topic be aware I would
like to end by pointing out that it is
almost ironic that I was inspired by my
own feelings towards the Sandy Hook
shooting to talk about this today and
now in the last few weeks we can see
students our own age become aware get
educated and speak up in the aftermath
of the Sandy Hook of I’m sorry Florida
school shooting thank you [Applause]
it looks my best friend’s birthday it
was also the day that I walked into my
house it’s not with my mom for hours as
we watch CNN and Fox update the nation
on the brutal events that had occurred
in Sandy Hook I students my own age
being led out of school by their peers
by their teachers I’m sorry as their
peers bodies lay around them I will
never forget watching megyn kelly cry on
TV I had never before seen a journalist
showed that much raw emotion I will
never forget watching President Obama
choke back tears as he addressed the
country but most of all I will never
forget that incident because it is the
first event that I can remember that I
followed closely I watched it on the
news with my parents I participated in
discussions in the classroom I read
about the controversies over gun
ownership and how other countries had
dealt with massacres like these in the
past I will never forget that incident
because it is the first time that I can
remember being fully aware of what was
going on around me fully immersed in
history as it was happening it was a
defining moment in my life I became
aware when talking to my peers I’m often
surprised at the indifference that many
people have towards the major issues
that affect us so today I’m going to
talk about why it is so imperative that
we be aware of what is going on around
us why we should find the side of the
political spectrum that we identify with
why we should pay attention to movements
like the women’s March or the hashtag me
to Trent why we should take a stand in
regard to gun control today I’m going to
talk about why being immersed in history
as it is happening is so crucial to our
we live in an age of technology for most
of us in this room our phones are like
our lifelines according to common sense
media the average teen spends
approximately nine hours on their phone
a day considering this you’d think we’d
all be highly aware highly informed
people however public knowledge on
current events is almost the same as it
was 30 years ago as found by the Pew
Research Center for the people and the
press so much for a technological
revolution I see this as a huge problem
but maybe that’s just me I mean in this
room some of us are going to grow up to
be doctors or accountants or teachers or
writers we even have a DJ so why should
we care about current events why should
we care about issues that don’t directly
affect us ignorance is not bliss our
world is constantly changing and in a
world of communication we should use the
resources that we have to be better
thinkers better problem solvers better
workers and better creators than those
before us in classrooms even at the
dinner table we converse and debate
ideas among each other whether political
social or something entirely different
at school at work and just in our day to
day lives we are constantly faced with
decisions that affect both ourselves and
others I believe with a more educated
community one that is aware of what is
going on here in our country and around
the world we can on a small scale become
more educated informed people and
broaden our horizons and interest and on
a larger scale improve the quality of
public discourse and conversation we can
become informed voters knowledgeable
debaters we can find things that we
don’t like or disagree with and take an
initiative to make a change we can stop
arguing with each other as a nation and
start arguing with ideas we are the
grassroots
the common people looking up to the
people in that had political parties and
social movements we have opinions as we
should
many many opinions on the things that go
on around us it is our job to be aware
get educated and speak out about things
that we want to change we often think
there’s no point to our opinions really
matter but we forget that they’re grass
roots the common people are the essence
of politics and social movements
it was the grass roots that dumped the
British tea into the Boston Harbor
it was the grass roots who fought for
marriage equality it is the grass roots
who can write letters make phone calls
create petitions and staged walkouts it
is our job to get educated and speak up
in order to see the changes that we want
to see now I’m not going to shine light
on a problem and then not offer you any
kind of solution as I said we live in an
age of technology it shouldn’t be hard
for us to access the news we can get
notifications for the New York Times CNN
Fox on our phones or on our laptops we
can read magazines like Time or The
Economist which will always have stuff
that interests us I also recently found
an app called the skin that I think is
really cool when you download the app it
provides you with current events from
that week and you can choose what
interests you from then on they base
your feed with stuff that they think
you’ll want to see the articles are
literally five-minute skins in my 15
minute ride to school I can learn about
the New York Fashion Week the government
shutdown and the DMZ between North and
South Korea you can also sync the app up
to your calendar so you can get
notifications for big events like the
start of the Olympics or the Royal
Wedding
I was recently also introduced to a
website called the conversation which I
think delivers the message that I am
trying to send it offers quick
insightful academic reads on everything
from art to politics to
– technology in an effort to create
awareness among its readers at some
point I’m sure that all of you will have
a moment like the one I had all those
years ago
and after the Sandy Hook shooting may be
something you are truly passionate about
will be challenged may be a travesty so
great will occur that you can no longer
ignore the issue regardless of what it
is I urge you to seize that moment get
involved advocate for your cause educate
yourself on that topic be aware I would
like to end by pointing out that it is
almost ironic that I was inspired by my
own feelings towards the Sandy Hook
shooting to talk about this today and
now in the last few weeks we can see
students our own age become aware get
educated and speak up in the aftermath
of the Sandy Hook of I’m sorry Florida
school shooting thank you [Applause]
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