Salutatorian Address- Meghan Lauzé

Very Rev. Kazimierz Chwalek, Provincial Superior of the Marians of the

Immaculate Conception, members of the Trinity Foundation Board of Directors,

faculty, family, friends, and classmates, good morning and welcome to the

graduation ceremony for the Class of 2015. It is truly an honor to be standing

before you today, and I truly hope you can actually see me standing here. I’m only

5’3” in these heels.

All joking aside, high school has been a time of growth. I still remember the

first time I saw many of you—chubby, baby faced, and completely in dress code.

As we sat in the old study hall, nervously scanning the room for friendly faces to

sit with at lunch, there was hope in our hearts and anticipation in our eyes. What

would the next four years bring? How would we change? We had no way of

knowing then—only time would tell. And time has since told some incredible

stories. The boy who introduced himself to me with a Star Wars joke is our

Student Council President. The shy girl with the harp has become an award-

winning artist and hurdler. The kid who dropped his plate on the cafeteria floor on

the first day of school is now our valedictorian. These and countless other stories

of growth and progress show just how far we have come since our first time

 

 

driving through the entrance gates. Class of 2015, you have blossomed into classy

and confident young adults. Take a look at the blazers and white dresses around

you. Here sit SENE champions and class officers, dancers and engineers, future

politicians and future doctors. Be proud of yourselves and your accomplishments,

and know that this is just the beginning of great things to come.

There is, of course, no easy road to success. Success requires sacrifice,

which, in turn, requires a great deal of courage. Have the courage to pass up a

night with friends to finish a term paper. Have the courage to ask for help. Have

the courage to put others before yourself. Most importantly, have the courage to

rebound from failure with a smile on your face and even more determination to

succeed. For eighteen years, we have been guided towards adulthood. Now, we

are about to receive our diplomas and leave this last phase of childhood behind. It

is time to free ourselves from our parents’ and teachers’ and finally explore the

“real world” on our own. It’s a daunting prospect, but we are ready.

Speaking of the “real world,” I recently started a cashier job at my local deli.

Being a cashier has definitely encouraged me to stay in school. As I ring up

customers’ sodas and sandwiches, many of them ask what the giant “M” on my

jacket stands for. I am proud to explain that I go to Marianapolis. I want to brag

 

 

about my second home. I want to tell stories about jumping off cliffs in Costa

Rica, bonding with freshmen and seniors alike on the track bus, and being late for

class because the MOMs have decorated the senior locker room with candy and

piñatas. To an outsider, it’s hard to comprehend how much of an impact

Marianapolis has had on our lives. To us, however, it is the reason why we’ve

made friends from across the globe, spent four days of our lives raking huge piles

of leaves, and, for some alumni, come back to teach future generations of Golden

Knights.

Mostly, I am a proud Marianapolis alumna-to-be because we have gained

more than just the knowledge necessary for a diploma. Outside of the classroom,

we have learned respect by exploring our classmates’ cultures and thanking the

Sage Dining staff at the end of every meal. We have learned leadership through

formal roles and everyday actions. We have learned sportsmanship and dedication,

as evidenced by all the spirit awards that Ultimate Frisbee brings home and the

Math Team’s perennial dominance. The list goes on: integrity, faith, and service,

to name a few. To be honest, I’m not sure how often we’ll need to know the

Pythagorean Theorem, Membean vocabulary words, or the just war theory in our

futures. I do know, however, that we will need strong consciences and characters

 

 

for the rest of our lives. Some people joke that the only lesson we learn in high

school is that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. They complain that

we haven’t learned “real world” skills, like how to pay taxes or how to cook

something besides macaroni and cheese. And that’s okay, because we have been

provided with the lessons we’ll truly need to succeed in the future.

On behalf of the entire class, I’d now like to thank the men and women

sitting behind me and sitting behind the graduates. There are over eight hundred

people here to celebrate our accomplishment. Eight hundred! That’s roughly eight

and a quarter people per person, and no one wants to be a quarter of a person, so

we’ll round up to nine. That is an incredible amount of love and support. We

could not have completed our high school journey without all of you, and we are

honored to have you here with us today. To our teachers: thank you for being

more than just teachers. Thank you for taking us to Turtle’s Tacos, cheering us on

at games and practices, and making sure that we thrived both inside and outside of

the classroom. To our families, especially to our parents: thank you for giving us

the wonderful opportunity to attend Marianapolis. We truly appreciate the

sacrifices you have made to ensure that we received a quality education. To my

own parents: thank you for bringing me to America. Thank you for pushing me to

 

 

be my best for all these years. You’ve given me the world, and I hope I’ve made

you proud.

So, Class of 2015, we made it. We survived. These are the last moments

we’ll spend as high school students. We will never get this time back. We will

never again see these eight hundred people gathered together as one celebratory

body. Cherish today, because this moment, right now, is ours. Take a second to

rejoice that you never have to take the SAT, ACT, or TOEFL ever again. Think of

the good times you spent with your friends, teammates, and classmates. There

were victories and heartbreaks and everything in between, and as cliché as it may

sound, we really couldn’t have survived high school without each other.

Remember how nervous you were on your first day of school, be it freshman year

or even this fall, and look at how confident you are now. Look towards the future

with the same bright eyes and excitement that you brought to Marianapolis, and

never forget that you can always call 26 Chase Road your home. Congratulations,

everyone! We did it! Thank you.