Foxborough HS Seniors Told To Be Themselves In Heartfelt Speech

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Before Class of 2018 Class President Shawn McNamara could tell his friends and classmates to be himself, he had to learn that lesson first.

McNamara was many things in high school - a member of student government, a senior captain for the boys' soccer team, but for a while, it wasn't himself. Reading from a scholarship letter, he recalled as a kid being called someone who goes to the beat of his own drum, different but spunky, remarks that he would never give a second thought because it "was usually my mom and her friends engaging in some grownup talk."

"When all the kids went left, I went right. When all my friends were all nervous about dying their hair for middle school soccer tournaments, I was the first to do it and every year I rocked a mohawk going the summer. Looking back this is the way to live life and it’s sad that I didn’t learn a thing or two from my 8-year-old self that I could have brought into high school," he said.

What he did bring to high school was something about himself he was trying to hide. McNamara knew he was gay when he entered Foxborough High School for the first time as a freshman, but he buried that away in an effort to fit in and it almost cost him his true self.

"There’s something so oddly appealing about fitting in and being like everyone else. The first few months of high school I could feel myself turning to a person that I did not want to become. It wasn’t that I was turning into the gay kid or anything, but instead all my originality, everything that made me who I am, was slipping out of the door because I was afraid of what people would say," he said.

He recalled dressing like his friends, forcing himself to be interested in what they were interested in, and counting how many of his friends were boys and girls in order to not raise suspicion.

It wasn't until he came out to his best friend that McNamara was able to stop pretending to be someone else.

"You don’t realize how bad a situation is until you move on from it and take the time to step away and look back," he said, fighting back tears. "I was always able to be my genuine self around her, which was such a refreshing feeling. Sometimes it takes someone to see the good in you for you to see it in yourself."

Despite the long and bumpy road, McNamara was proud to say that the kid who sported a mohawk for the summer would recognize himself on stage.

"I hope you take the lesson of being yourself no matter where you go in life. Do not let people make you feel uncomfortable in your own skin because they are not comfortable in theirs. Do not let someone convince you that you won’t achieve your dreams because the stars you’re shooting for is further away from theirs. Do not let anyone make you feel inferior because you are different. All those successes and accomplishments taste a whole lot better when they are yours," he said.

Also speaking was Superintendent Amy Berdos who noted the change from the past year. This was Berdos' first graduation as new superintendent, who has been on the job since the Jan. 1 retirement of Debra Spinelli.

“Today marks the day of new beginnings and changes for you and your parents. As you walk the stage today, to cross over from high school and start a new journey, whether you are heading to college, the military, or a career, your new beginning awaits you. It will be full of changes. And remember, if it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you,” Berdos said.

Berdos advised the graduated to have patience, make their mark, and make the world a better place.

Class Valedictorian Yasa Baig’s status as the grade’s top student is a bit misleading, he said in his speech. With little advice to give, by his own admission, he recalled the challenges he faces despite his high GPA - staying after school for help, getting questions wrong, college rejections, and awards he didn’t receive or was too afraid to apply for.

“These are the quieter things that are ignored by that deceptive number - the GPA. Similarly, I am sure that any member our state champion girls' basketball team can recall missing a shot in practice before nailing it in a game. Pick any pupil in our multi-award winning music ensemble and in a heartbeat, they can speak volumes about when they messed up a note. Select a student from our nationally competitive DECA team and ask them on the sheer amount of prelim practice that went in before the big meets,” he said.

His only advice was to take the time to cherish the ups and downs, the setbacks and leap forwards that come with any goal, and remember the people who take those steps with you.

Below is the full graduation ceremony:

Image via YouTube/Foxboro Cable Access