Graduation Speech
Here I am at my own graduation and I have to say I wouldn’t have thought that this day would come so fast. I still remember the first day I entered this school 4 years ago. I was anxious as this was the first time in my life I had been to a Japanese school; moreover it was the first time that I really got in touch with the Japanese culture itself. However this school has blessed me with great people who would always try to understand me and those people gave me the chance to develop my Japanese to a stage where I can talk flawlessly and confidently. So today I would like to express my gratitude to those people along with my many memories.
First of all, how could I have enjoyed my time here so much if I had not had my friends by my side? Well I guess that would have been impossible. Since I was in middle school my friends were the reason why I would want to return to school even though the rules here are strict. Every time a new member joined our class the more fun it was as each of us was unique. When I got into high school I was a little bit startled by the number of new faces, but as I got to know them more, I found out how joyful and kind hearted they were and in the end it was them who made me laugh every day. Playing volleyball every afternoon, eating sweets in the dormitory and complaining about the smell afterwards, going for a run and having a long chat afterwards, all those happy memories make me smile now. Even now I can recall how much I was touched by the letters they wrote me every time I had a hard time, and knowing that they were by my side made me strong and kept me going on. Especially in my last year I realized how much my friends mean to me since the seniors, who I had relied on, had left the school. Talking with them about the future that awaited us and learning with them, they had a huge impact on my attitude towards studying. They made me feel like I had to study more and only because of that I was able to make it into my dream university. Therefore I am more than thankful and I can’t help but love them.
However friends were not the only people who cherished my days here. The teachers were also always by my side supporting me whenever I needed them. Talking, joking, eating and playing sports with them made my time here into something special so that it is now hard for me to leave this school. I have to say every teacher helped me in different ways to give me new challenges and widen my horizon. Some teachers took me on a project outside school and made me familiar with another kind of world, whereas other teachers told me stories about those worlds I have never known, which were entertaining as well as enlightening. Therefore I cannot thank them enough. This does not only go for the Japanese teachers but also my private teachers, Biology and Chemistry teacher, CT as well as history teacher and at least but not last my EC teacher who has watched over me for my entire time here at school. Even though I was not a big fan of the hard homework she gave me, the long grammar lessons, and the long essays she wanted me to write, looking back only those hardships were the reason why I could improve my English. Because now I can confidently raise my voice and state my opinion and how crazy it may sound I came to enjoy writing essays from time to time. But moreover I was able to achieve a grade in IELTS which I would have never dreamed of. And this all was only possible because I had great teachers helping me out and preparing me to win over every insurmountable challenge so here I am again saying thank you very much.
At least I have a few words to my juniors. This school has given me the chance to attend many projects and I cannot emphasize enough how much these precious experiences have helped me to see the world from many different aspects, constructing the basis of my thinking which were needed in times like debates and writing essays. Therefore I hope that all of you get more ambitious and active. Don’t wait for someone to approach you asking if you want to join a project. Just give it a try. And I am not only talking about the projects which this school offers, but also volunteer projects and summer schools. I myself went to Peru for a volunteer project and I also did two summer schools on my own. Each experience had a huge impact on me as they were fun and made me realize new things. I know that to some of you those projects might sound a bit off, but I can promise you that those experiences will become a precious part of your life and give you a new insight to the world. As I said it will help you to form your own opinions in your future. So if you feel like you want to have more of the world, take a chance and enjoy it!
Well, here I am at the end of my speech. I am sad that I have to leave a place which I came to love a lot, because here it was where I made great friends no matter what their age was, and here it was where I made wonderful memories and huge improvements. On the other hand I feel proud and happy that my classmates and I have grown so much that we are now ready for a new world. As it is often said “Every ending brings a new beginning”. So I wish that all of us can start our new journey with a smile knowing that the friends we have made here will always stay on our side.
Sincerely and from the bottom of my heart thank you all
I will never forget my time here.
