Graduation Dinner Speech

Elsa Cross

March 2, 2013

The great poet Robert Frost once stated in a poem that two roads diverged in a forest, and taking the path less travelled made all the difference. The constant struggle between school and graduation, to ensure that you get a good education can be compared to this statement; graduating is something that not everyone does – and indeed most people in the world do not – but it can often be one of the most important choices in one's life, and a choice that makes all the difference.

I have been lucky enough to know Becky from when we were both very young. Even from an early and innocent age, Becky always seemed to have life figured out more thoroughly than most fully grown people. Despite this very mature aspect of her early nature, she was always the playful one while i maintained more an air of seriousness. She would even call me a spoilsport, saying that i spoiled her fun and that i only every enjoyed 'playing church'. I knew this was only teasing, and the fact was that Becky really reveled in being young, and she was always determined to live her youth to the full. She loved life wholeheartedly, which is a characteristic which she carries to this day. Her love for youth has been reflected in her education, and her pursuit of a career where she can be surrounded by children every day.

Yes she is fun loving, but she has always been an extremely hard and dedicated worker, setting a studious example for all that met her. She has managed to gain a good education and study hard despite the various hurdles she has faced since school, not least the child she had after high school. But nothing could have ever stopped Becky from chasing her dreams, and nailing them down. This really does make her an inspiration, and there are many people which haven't got anywhere near as far as her with a far less amount of obstacles. Life is often compared to a winding road, being a journey that all in life must take. Some do not see a road but a racetrack, and hence see life as a race or competition. Others see the road as a lazy country lane with no need to hurry. Becky has a mix of both of these; she has always moved surely towards her goals, though she has never been afraid to make shortcuts through the thickets, jump over fallen trees, or stop in a clearing to relax and simply admire the view and her surroundings.

So, to all of my welcome guests on this most happy of occasions, i ask all of you to raise your glasses with me in honor of Becky's achievement. To her accomplishment, her success, her choice of the road less travelled, and an undoubtedly bright and prosperous future. To Becky!