Marc Loschen’s Valedictory Address at Helix Charter High School

Listen to Mustn'ts, child, listen to the Don'ts.
Listen to the Shouldn'ts, the Impossibles, the Won'ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, Anything can be.

This small poem from Shel Silverstein holds a great amount of wisdom in it; wisdom and advice that we, as graduates, should all take.

The past guides our future. It’s as simple as that. Everything you hear in your years of youth, you use to shape how you will act in the future. Your mother tells you that you mustn’t act rudely, your father says you shouldn’t steal, you are told “don’t misbehave in class”…. Sometimes, we are even told that certain goals are impossible to reach.

These pieces of wisdom were told to us in the past; we grew up with them, and we shaped our lives around what we were told. Now is the time where all of this knowledge culminates into a cohesive unit of guidance, of wisdom, of knowledge…. And we use this as a guide for our future. We use this to shape how our lives will be.

I am truly honored to be standing up here today, addressing all of you, my peers, my friends; all of you have had some part in shaping who I am today, and I thank you for that. I never would have imagined having this opportunity; at times, I fell into the category of the  “never haves,” and sometimes even the “wont’s.” But I did in fact listen close: I listened to those people from my past, who are now part of my present as well. And here I am. And here WE are. Graduating in a few moments from high school, and we must use these experiences of the past and make our futures bright and successful…… and happy. That’s what we all want; a long and happy life.

I’d like to thank all of my friends, near and far. You all know who you are. You all made high school fun for me, and you were there during the times that I needed you.

I want to thank all of my teachers, and coaches, and advisors. Whether you taught me this year, or freshman year, or even before then, all of you have been an influence to me. I will take the knowledge, the wisdom, traits of perseverance and hard work,   I will use all of these attributes as I progress through life.

And I have a big thank you to give to all my family. You all are amazing. You pushed me through school, kept me on top of my studies, provided as much as you could to help with anything… and now look where I have gone. So thank you. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my life, a part of my past.

And all of my fellow graduates, please remember those people who have been important in your life. Remember those who have cared for you, who have been there for you, and who have taught and guided you to this point. Reflect on this knowledge provided to you in the past, and in the present now. Let all of this knowledge, advice, and wisdom from the past. Let it all be guide for how you live your future. You have made all of your loved ones proud, continue this streak, continue to be successful, confident ... and happy.

“Anything can happen, anything can be.”

You will all go far in life, as long as you follow a path of success. So lets all strive to stay on this path of success. Let's go Class of 2012!!!