Freedom High School’s 49th Annual Commencement featured speeches from three student ambassadors of TOSS. They are documented below, in their entirety, in the order they were presented during commencement.
Austin Hunt
SGA President
Summa Cum Laude
North Carolina Academic Scholar
Presidential Academic Scholar
I would like to begin by saying Congratulations to the Class of 2022. High School was tough, but we were persistent and made it to the end of the road. I am so proud of everyone here for making it through a global pandemic, online school, canceled events, and wifi ransoms. I would also like to congratulate the parents, guardians, families, and friends of the graduates. You have been here for us the whole way and we could not have done it without you, which makes you an important part of our achievements. You have seen the good days and bad days, heard us complaining about teachers and classmates, and helped us through the tough times. You have contributed to our high school experience, even if it seemed like we didn’t appreciate it. Likewise I want to congratulate the faculty of Freedom High school. You have done your job well and have kept us on the right path. We may not have liked all of the assignments or exams, but whether we realize it or not, we will be thankful for you at some point in our lives.
Graduates, we are entering the next phase of our lives. Things are going to change whether we are ready or not. The future may be scary, but it is all dependent upon what we do now. Everything that happens from this point on depends on us. We are now high school graduates who have to make our own decisions. We won’t have teachers there holding our hands or parents telling us what to do. They have been through this before and know that it is now time for us to grow up and make our own decisions. They will still be here for us when we need them, but it is time for us to do the heavy lifting in deciding what our lives will be like.
Despite this new responsibility, this next phase of our life comes with a sense of freedom. We are free to do what we want in pursuit of our dreams, whether that means going to college or trade school, going to the armed forces, going straight into the workforce, or taking time to yourself to figure everything out. We have the freedom to choose what we are going to do. I challenge you to make those decisions for yourself, not to appease anyone else or live up to expectations that don’t fit your goals. Do what YOU want with YOUR future because you are the one who has to live with those decisions.
Life is full of ups and downs; it is a natural cycle that happens to everyone. However, the cycle is not the same for everyone. Each individual here has their own unique journey. A journey that will be full of happy moments, such as this one, but also trials and hardships. Take each of these moments, the good and the bad, as moments of growth. Let them shape you into who you were meant to be. At points life may not seem fair or it may seem like you’re never going to get out of the rut you are in, but keep your head up. Better days are coming and eventually those moments will help shape who you are. Use moments like these, when despite everything going on in the world you graduated high school, to power through those dark times.
Lastly, remember that you are not defined by your worst moments. In this social media heavy society where everyone’s judgements are made public it may seem like one mistake will ruin your life forever. However, that is not true. Everyone makes mistakes, and although society may make mistakes seem like they are the end of the world, they are not. It is okay to mess up and make mistakes. It is expected, so don’t let anyone make you feel any less worthy of anything because of one mistake you made.
Congratulations Graduates and I’m excited to see everything that you accomplish in the future.
Alisa Cruz-Mendez
Salutatorian
Summa Cum Laude
North Carolina Academic Scholar
Good evening everyone.
Firstly, I would like to congratulate the Freedom Class of 2022 and thank all of the people who have supported and encouraged us over the years.
I would like to dedicate this speech to my loved ones who ignited the Stonewall Riots and to those who have sacrificed everything so I could feel comfortable enough to speak to you all today.
Nearly every spring, my mother and I garden in a small rectangular section of our backyard. As a young child, I watched my mother plow the dirt as she placed me under a large umbrella to protect me from the hot scorching sun. As I grew older, I would join my mother and we would spend hours under the sun until the stubborn weeds lifted their roots allowing us to plant crops, and thus allowing our Mayan roots and culture to grow.
While I did not experience the harsh and deadly lifestyles of my ancestors, I am able to reflect on their lives. It is because of my fierce and resilient ancestors that it is in my nature to act with desire and purpose. The persistent willpower, determination, and dedication of my fellow migrant crop workers have shaped my character and have instilled the ambition and strength I carry today.
It is with this same strength that I am able to stand here before you all as a proud queer Latina woman.
Plowing the dirt in my backyard feels like the only “masculine” thing my mother allows me to do and for that reason, I find it liberating. It feels liberating enough that I did not let the comments about my long black arm hairs in Elementary school get to me. Liberating enough that I did not cave into the pressure of shaving my legs in Middle school. Liberating enough that I did not listen to my mother as she repeatedly told me to shave my facial and armpit hair so that no one would dare look at me in disgust today. Yet, I know she was just looking out for me.
I speak with this criticism and bluntness because it is truthful to who I am. I share this deep and intimate part of my life because I know there are others of you who are familiar with that isolating and overwhelming feeling.
That being said, as we venture off to our next chapters in life I hope that you become curious on your path to self-discovery. I hope that you are ambitious and vulnerable. That you are kind, eclectic, and empathetic. That you become visionaries in this large tapestry of life. That you fill your life with inspiration and creativity. Accept the ebbs and flows of your life. Be proud of your mistakes. Be intentional and be free.
Maya Angelou once said, “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.”
I appreciate you all coming out here today for this momentous occasion. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your evening and a marvelous rest of your life. Thank you all, Happy Pride Month, and godspeed.
Daniela Xiomara Gomez Euceda
Senior Class President
Magna Cum Laude
North Carolina Academic Scholar
Good Afternoon Graduates, For those of you who don’t know me, My name is Daniela Xiomara Gomez Euceda and I am your senior class president. I am tired and you probably are too so I will be quick.
I have spent my entire academic career, fueled by anger. Anger towards what I could not control, anger towards how I was treated, and anger towards how I was perceived. It felt unfair that parts of my identity opened and closed doors for me before I knew they existed. I entered school with the innocence of every other child, and I never felt different until someone told me I was. I remember being 8 years old and thrilled to bring home my first friend from school, but that excitement quickly subsided as she made clear to me every way in which we were different. The face she made at the smell of hispanic cooking, her eye rolls when I told her my siblings and I shared a room, and the look of disbelief on her face when I explained that my sister and I needed to go to the store with my parents because we were their translators. All of this established a clear divide between us and made me feel as if somehow our differences made me inferior to her. For the majority of my life my mother worked as a housekeeper. When my older sister had school or work and could not watch me, my mother would take me to work with her. I used to dread it until I found the houses with kids my age. Some of whom are sitting in a cap and gown with me today. Suddenly it wasn’t work with my mom it was a playdate, or the closest I would get to one. Somewhere around age 12 I gained self awareness. I remember when I stopped being seen as the friend that came over to play, and started being seen as the housekeepers daughter. Their parents owned the house, my parents cleaned it. I was never aware that this was something that made us different, until they made it clear it did. I take pride in what my parents have done and the jobs they have endured to better the lives of my siblings and I. All of these interactions, and the million more to come filled me with anger. I came to two realizations. One, my identity in some people’s eyes was simplified down to the weird loud immigrant girl, and two, I was not alone in this; (pause) many of my peers were facing the same issues. Realizing this, I refused to make myself smaller or silence my anger for the sake of keeping the peace. I am the person standing in front of you now because everything meant to deter me from my path has instead motivated me to strive for my goals more, and harder. I told myself in writing this speech that I would avoid incorporating a quote, but when reading Amanda Gorman’s Call Us What We Carry I came across what I felt that it summarized what I wanted to say to all of you, the quote reads: “So when you’re told that your rage is reactionary, remind yourself that rage is our right. It teaches us it is time to fight. In the face of injustice, not only is anger natural, but necessary, because it helps carry us to our destination.” If I suppressed and ignored my anger, I would not have come half as far as I have. I have used my anger to push myself to prove to those who expected less of me that their definitions were flawed. I share all of this with you now because my experiences are that of many. The majority of you at this point in your lives have encountered experiences that have provoked anger in you as well, perhaps in a different way. So I ask that you use that to push you to rise above those who invoke it, and be the change that would have helped you. Anger alone helps nothing, it festeres and makes you bitter if you allow it to. Too many people will tell you the worst is over, they’re lying. Whether that be school, the current state of our world, or just your individual lives. Every day from here on out has the potential to present us with experiences that instil more frustration and anger then we have previously experienced, use it to your advantage... not aggressively or violently, but as a motivator, otherwise, it is of no purpose. Seven years ago my sister walked across patton’s stage months from becoming the first in our family to attend a four year university, (pause) I am now lucky enough to be the second person from my family to do so. For all the firsts in the audience today, speaking as a younger sibling who once sat in a graduation crowd marveling at what my sister accomplished, your efforts are seen and admired and I promise they make all the difference for those to come. Thank you to the person who showed me that my anger is a motivator not a barrier. Y por Ultimo, gracias a toda mi familia que me brindo el apoyo y el amor para perseguir mis sueños, Todo lo que soy y todo lo que he logrado es gracias a cada uno de ustedes.
Translation: And lastly, thank you to all of my family who gave me the support and love to pursue my dreams, everything I am and everything I have accomplished is because of each of you.
