There are a lot of things I would have said at my high school graduation if anyone had asked me to give a speech. No one did, in fact, so I guess no one cared too much about what I had to say. But recently my sister was named Salutatorian of her high school class, and she enlisted me in helping her think of ideas for the speech she would have to give. It got me brainstorming about all the things I would have told my graduating class.

Apparently, there comes a time where it isn’t totally acceptable to do things for instant gratification and instead, you should be doing things that have relevance to long-term satisfaction. A lot of what happens in high school is forgotten and erased in due time; for example, SAT scores quickly become irrelevant and no one cares that you had braces and a middle part freshman year. But the decisions you make in college can be more indicative of your future; you’re figuring out what you like and starting to ponder what you want to do in life.

It is also significant to note the concepts of independence and freedom. You don’t have to love this next part, and, in fact, it is probably appropriate to fight it sometimes, but accept the restraints put on you by teachers and administrators and realize that one day, the freedom you have to do virtually whatever you want, wherever you want, and with whoever you want is a little daunting. You don’t need to appreciate how they sometimes treat you like eight-year-olds; it can be suffocating and constraining and that’s ok to believe. But know that having little to no guidance has its downfalls too.

Grades are important, but they are not everything, and the value of being committed to something else holds a lot of importance too. Being passionate about a cause or an activity, whether it be Relay for Life or the club soccer team, is meaningful and provides you with the opportunity to be dedicated and curious about how you can further your interests. It is a way for you to be involved and choose the role you play in society.

High school is not the be all end all, though it sometimes seems that way in the moment. GPA's and resumes feel like the equivalent of your self-worth, and they're not. I would've told my graduating class to accept the fact that this is the case because other things become important later on. Other things eclipse the arbitrary and become more meaningful than your AP Calculus BC score.