A Graduate's Speech - June 2014

I’d like to start off today’s celebration by posing a question: What is education? Is it having a 4.0 GPA in high school? Is it getting a college degree from and Ivy League school? Or is it becoming a brain surgeon? In today’s world, most people would agree that these notions are considered to be a top education. However, I believe that education is so much more than this.

Yes, going to school is very important, but being educated doesn’t necessarily mean being book smart. It also includes learning outside of the classroom on a regular basis. In my opinion, education is the ability to meet life’s situations. It is making a variety of choices, learning from your mistakes, and then making a better decision in the future. Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or self-confidence.

A wise man once said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” This is what Spring Ridge Academy strives to teach us every day. Not only were we given a quality education academically with passionate and driven teachers, we were also given an opportunity to look at ourselves on a deeper level and to learn from what is not working in our lives.

So, it is with passion, courage, and a strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world. There will be times in our lives when we must go through difficult times and make many sacrifices. But the beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. It stays with you for the rest of your life. Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” So, if I may give you all some words of wisdom from the graduating class of 2014, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”-- Anthony J. D'Angelo