(scroll to bottom of page for DVD purchase information)
Welcome family, friends, teachers, administration, and most importantly, fellow graduates.
This seems surreal. For thirteen years we’ve moved through the deepening waters of education and responsibility. We’ve made choices and had choices made for us. We've worked through countless classes. We've laughed and stressed. We've lost friends, gained friends. Now we have one last walk left before our high school career is over.
Some of us are excited, others are nervous. Some feel almost ready to move on and some have been ready to move on. Still more of us are a mixture of all of the above. But no matter where we’re going, we are all coming from the same place. Though we may have each experienced our own versions of high school, we have shared memories and a shared foundation. If people ever ask us what our high school was famous for, we'll all have a long list to choose from. Even though I may have never even met you, we are connected by the simple fact that we have been at Patrick Henry. We have been on the news several times, we have wondered why it is always hot during pep rallies, we have witnessed dodge ball, and we have chanted ‘12.
Of course, many people deserve acknowledgement for their impact on our lives. Thank you to our counselors for helping us individually and setting us up for success. Thank you to our parents for loving us and supporting us when we needed it. Thank you to our teachers for the lessons, both academic and personal, we will never forget.
Our class has always been unique. We have always known there was more to life than high school. I didn’t know what amazingly insightful message I could convey that you didn’t already know and wouldn’t put you to sleep. So instead I turned reflective. What appears true is that we are conditioned to believe that our lives revolve around great moments. Learning to drive, prom, graduation. But it seems to me that many truly great moments often catch us unaware—beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. Listening to a lecture by a certain teacher then having him or her change your perspective of the world, deciding to walk with someone you didn’t know because he or she had the same next class as you and discovering a friend, or hanging out with a sibling and developing an inside joke. These moments build our lives and remind us of what actually matters.
Time has always been problematic for me. I feel as if I’m conflicted between wanting to get to the next bigger and better stage of life and wanting to experience and enjoy the present while I can. After tonight there will be various graduation festivities and summer. Then some of us will board planes, and we will all begin the next phase of our lives. But right now, we are here—at our graduation. Enjoy it. Absorb it. Look around you. Notice your family in the audience. Realize the feelings you have now. Look at who you are sitting by. There are so many good people here and many that I will truly miss. We wait here, about to say goodbye, about to leave Patrick Henry behind. Today, we move on to the rest of our lives. To quote another legally blonde valedictorian, Congratulations Class of 2012, “we did it!”
- Rebecca Lee, Valedictorian
Patrick Henry Class of 2012
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2012 Graduation Speech
There are two things that I want to impart on the class of 2012 today. The first is thank you. While I did not have the privilege of having each of you as a student I believe I can speak for the whole staff at Patrick Henry when I say that this event is why we do what we do. It’s our hope that with each student that arrives at Patrick Henry that we can help them not only survive but prepare them for life after high school. I can tell you right now the almost 500 of you sitting right here are the proof of why we do the job. Thank you for making this job fulfilling.
The second is the reason I am up here is because as a class you chose me to be an inspiration speaker. I’d be lying to you if I said there wasn’t a Google search involved. But then when I got over 79,000 hits, I realized that the only place this can come from is the heart. So here it goes “Words to Live By, by Taunya Nicole Hinojosa. Now I have only been at this whole game of life a tad bit longer than all of you but I have learned a few things along the way. Don’t worry right now about the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Shoot I bet most of the audience is still trying to figure that question out and they have “real jobs” and are raising families. You will figure it out but you don’t have to have it all now. And yes you are going to have to make life altering choices and I encourage you to take risks. But I have never met anyone who regretted taking a risk but I can admit on my own regretting not taking some.
Fight like hell for the things you believe in and are passionate about. When you find that thing in life that makes you feel strong and that gives you meaning, don’t ever let someone else take it from you or tell you that you are no good at it. Get up each morning with a renewed spirit. Yesterday is done and over with. Maybe it was momentous, maybe it felt like you couldn’t catch a break. But guess what? There is no time machine to take you back and do it over so learn from it and move on. By the way when you figure out how to do this, can you pass on the knowledge to me? And when it comes to friends (and this works for relationships too), you choose them as much as they choose you. So when you talk about them behind their backs or complain about all their faults, think of what they could be saying about you. Make sure you are the friend you expect them to be.
In closing it had been an honor to know you as individuals and as the whole Patrick Henry Class of 2012. We look forward to the accomplishments in your future and can’t wait to see how you change the world. And to share some words that have helped me in life-- Love unconditionally, forgive quickly, and deal with life’s inevitable let downs with incredible grace.
- Ms. Taunya Hinojosa
Inspirational Speaker
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Both of the above videos are available for purchase in DVD format.
You may purchase the DVD on-line at
