I never received the opportunity to speak at my own graduation, so I thought maybe I could instill wisdom to the upcoming graduation class of 2018:

1,460 days of wondering, wondering if we would make it to this day. Today marks the culmination of our 1,460 day journey — we are the graduating class of 2017.

Graduation is one of those awkward times in our lives when we are torn between the joy of our memories and the excitement of our future. Should we look back on what were the greatest four years of our lives, or instead, should we focus on the next stage in this journey called life?

We’ve been impatiently waiting for this day for four years — and now, we just want to hit pause. We want to slow it down and enjoy the last fleeting moments. Our lives will be forever altered after we toss our caps into the air.

They say that high school is the best time of our lives. For some of us, this isn’t the case. But, whether some of us will admit it or not, there are things we are all thankful for throughout these past four years.

We are thankful for the everlasting memories, the spontaneous adventures (even if they are to McDonald’s at midnight for brain food) or spray painting the camel that sits in front of the school. We are thankful for the people we meet, good and bad, because no matter what, they each played a small part in sculpting us into the people we are today.

The optimistic take on life is having one heck of a time until life comes back and punches them in the face. The pessimist would go through life and punch oneself before life was even able to make a fist.

One of the flaws in human nature is to focus on the negative things in life. Because of this, over the past few years, almost all of us have been sitting around groaning about how excited we are to leave this town behind us.

We’ve lost a lot of beautiful souls to demons hidden behind their smile. Our closest friends have moved to states on the opposite side of the country and left us to fend for ourselves. That dreadful walk from the junior lot in all kinds of weather is one that I’m beyond happy to see disappear in my rearview mirror.

Let’s be honest, all those movies we watched growing up, gave us such unrealistic expectations about high school which fueled our negativity. Growing up here, the underdog doesn’t get the high school hottie. At one point or another, we all imagined ourselves in the shoes of the kid who was always overlooked but came out on top at the end.

Even though that may not have been the case, watching those movies and putting ourselves into perspective ignited a flare of hope. That fire burned brighter and brighter every day for most of us. For others, it was too quickly extinguished. It may not seem like it, but those souls are here with us today in our hearts and they will never be forgotten.

Let us not concentrate on the evils of high school, but let us turn to the good. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to miss the many clichés of high school: those enthusiastic taunting screams from our student section under the Friday night lights, the frantic 38 minutes at lunch we’ve all spent going to get fast food and back while still getting a good parking spot, sitting back and enjoying a bowl of popcorn while soaking in all the latest drama and love triangles, hollering at our friends at the opposite end of the halls, or submitting that paper at 11:58 AM to still walk away with a passing grade.

We entered high school four short years ago as an unwritten book eager to fill the pages. A book that would be written in our own terms. The diploma that we receive represents success and achievement, but we must remember more of the journey that accompanied this achievement – both the heartache and happiness.

The diploma itself is gently tucked away in the appendix of our book, while the journey to attain it fills page after page.

I was told that with every speech, advice is to be given. So, here is my advice: This isn’t the time to make hard, fast decisions. The moment you cross this stage, be a little reckless and carefree.

Go make mistakes, major in philosophy, get on the wrong flight, and fall in love over and over and over again. Hold on to your old friends. Kiss your Mama. Admit what your dreams are. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t know what you’re going to do tomorrow, work hard and don’t be lazy (procrastination is the exception), and put away your darn phone every once in awhile. Be nice to jerks, because we still don’t know the criteria for getting into heaven yet.

Each and every one of us was meant to do something big, something life-changing. I cannot wait to see what paths you all take, and the obstacles you overcome.

I spent many nights writing this speech until my eyes went cross-eyed. Never was there a time when I was sure where I was going with it, but one thought kept returning to me like a broken record. That thought being: thank you.

Now, I know I’m not close with all of you, but I am thankful for every single person sitting in front of me. You have taught me extremely valuable lessons these past four years, lessons I don’t even remember learning. Lessons that no one else could ever teach me, lessons that I will take with me for the rest of my life.

I’ve said it a thousand times already and I will probably say it a thousand times more: thank you, Class of 2017! And may I be amongst the first to say, congratulations!