Everyday I am more convinced that the next generation will be a great one!
I was certain of it Saturday while attending my grandson’s high school graduation. There I heard one of the best speeches on my lifetime; it was certainly the best ever by a high school student!
This young man spoke of his gratitude to those who helped him succeed. I know that sounds kind of routine and a bit dull, but let me tell you about it.
First, he thanked his friends who helped him, studied with him, laughed and played with him. He went on to mention many other reasons for thanking them but concluded with, “I especially want to thank you for being nice to me!” *
Next he thanked the teachers and the high school staff who helped him, taught him, and believed in him. “Without you I would not be standing here!”
Of course he thanked his family and reminded his class mates of the debt, “We all owe our parents.”
Finally he thanked “This wonderful country we all share! I know you all appreciate it, but I see it from a different viewpoint.” Then he went on to tell of his being born and raised in Argentina and moving to New Jersey when he was in eighth grade and unable to speak English.
He was pretty miserable there, and, “… developed a really bad attitude.” The attitude did not change when he moved to Brentwood and was rejected from a charter school. He started public school taking general core classes hoping to somehow get through the school year with a chip balancing on his shoulder.
“Then, some of the teachers started to notice me and took a special interest in me. I found some friends who were nice to me, and things began to change.” He spoke of this transition and the work he, his family, his friends, and his teachers did. “My attitude changed and my GPA followed it.”
He concluded without a foreign accent, “I will be attending one of the country’s best school [Georgia Tech} on a scholarship. If I can do this with your help, think of what we all can do together.”
He sat down to a standing ovation! The first one I have ever seen for a high school salutatorian! And well worth it!
There is a “Gratitude Attitude” movement in the country. Join it; see how we can change the world by being grateful for what we have, what we are, and what we can become!
*To read more about the value of being nice see Chapter 23 “Just Be Nice” in “Messengers in Denim,”