Salutatorian Reflects on Life-Shaping Experiences, Decisions

Below is the full text of Stephanie Riocci's salutatory address at the

I will not be rapping this speech. I know this may disappoint those of you who witnessed me rap Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie” at this year’s Coffee House, but my agent tells me I can do any more unpaid gigs. Ok now that that is cleared up I can begin.

This may come as a bit of a shock to some of you, but I consider myself to be a pretty sentimental person, a “softy” if you will. To emphasis my point, my two favorite movies are “A Walk to Remember” and “The Notebook”. So fair warning, I may sound corny at times. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Anyway, lately I have found that whenever I go to write in someone’s yearbook or talk about plans for college or what-not, I can’t help but think about how exactly it was that I got here, to this moment. What amalgamation of conscious decisions and luck had brought me to this spot and made me who I am?

For instance was it my English classes that transformed me into the type of person who would even use the word “amalgamation” casually in a sentence or did I just use that word to get a rise out of my best friend who I know is making fun of me for it as I speak. I have found that the way we all speak and act is greatly affected by our group of friends. We tend to pick up each other’s habits and all constantly quote the same you tube and movie references. I’m currently in a Bridesmaids/Zoolander quoting phase, so let me tell you it was very tempting to try and weave some references into my speech. But neither movies are particularly well-suited to reflective speeches about the defining years of high school. But I digress.

Moving on, what about our career aspirations or extracurricular pursuits? Did my interest in becoming a doctor stem from my love of scientific research and desire to help people or did it really come from a promise I made years ago to two certain individuals that if I ever discovered something and was given the chance to name it, I would call it Jenaynazoa, which conveniently was a combination of their two names, Dayna and Jenny and becoming a doctor is the only way I know how to keep this promise.

I know many of us might still not know yet what we want to do with our lives but I’m sure all of us have been inspired by something or someone to pursue a talent or interest. I believe that who we are is in large part determined by what we are passionate about, so when reflecting on how it is you got to be who you are; It’s important to remember what or who it was that inspired the passions that drive you.

And what about our personalities? What gave me the confidence to even stand up here and give this speech in front of my entire grade, their families and my own family. Was it from the taking science research with its countless oral presentations in class and in competitions, or was it really that aforementioned raping guest appearance with The Notables that made me realize that I was a born performer, who thrives in the limelight. I think we all know the answer to that one.

But seriously, think about the experiences you have gone through that have left a lasting impact on your behavior and personality. Whether you are outgoing, introverted, goofy, sarcastic, shy, or witty something has contributed to whatever your particular mix of character traits happens to be.

In the interest of not getting to long-winded, the point I’m actually trying to make is that the people we are today is at least in part the end sum of a million different choices we made, consciously or unconsciously, where the small decisions end up shaping our lives just as much as the big ones do.

Because in the moment we don’t realize how different things affect us and make us grow as a person until suddenly we look back and can’t believe how much we have transformed, and can’t really point to what it was that did the transforming. It’s a little bit mind boggling to think about everything that has had an impact on your life, every person you have met and experience you have shared that has determined the type of person you have become. We are all constantly changing and being influenced.

Almost 14 years ago I was lined up with my brother and sister donning an awesome LL Bean backpack awaiting the bus for my first day of kindergarten. So much has happened since then, I can hardly believe it. For instance, I now rock an Under Armour backpack.

But really, all those years ago I would have never dreamed my path to this moment would have gone the way it did. How could I have predicted that the decision that helped me get into my dream college was not at all academic, nope it was my last minute decision to quit softball sophomore year and take up javelin throwing of all things. Who knew that a talent for throwing spears like King Leonidus of Sparta actually had useful applications in the post ancient-Greek world!

And I think that is what is awesome about life; you never really know what decision will end up altering it.

That’s why I don’t pretend to know what will happen to any of us in the next few years, most of all myself. Sure I have a plan, and idea for the path I want my trajectory to follow, but at the same time I also don’t what to see everything in life as a stepping stone, a means to an end, always looking ahead to the next obstacle in the way of my forward progress.

There is a problem with that way of living your life; it doesn’t allow you to be in the moment to take advantage of the opportunities you may be missing simply because you are only looking in one direction. I believe in my hopelessly romantic heart that life is meant to be an adventure where you enjoy the ride. You can’t just hit it and quit it.

Life is about making both the small and huge decisions and turning them into memories worth keeping. And that is what I think matters most about high school. Because in 20 years I won’t care about the Calculus test I failed or even the salutatorian speech I butchered, I’ll remember all of the awesome people I met who made the journey worthwhile. Whether it was in Latin class, AP Chem, Science Research, on the soccer field, or even an infamous class trip to Cern, it was the people that I surrounded myself with that mattered most, not the destination.

Because they are the ones who were there for me whenever I was stressed and overtired, they were the ones who fought alongside me in that senior night game and became my second family (shout out to my sisters on JJSOCC), they were the ones who were always there to listen, bounce ideas off of, get hopelessly lost next to and go on ill-advised adventures with, and they are the ones that inspire me to think, do and be better.

Look around at our classmates; these are the people who we shared 4 of some of the most formative years in our lives with. We have each other to thank for the way we came out of the high school journey, and for the types of people we will be as we move on to the next one. We all have those people that define the memories that stick, and the decisions that make us grow up. Cherish them.
As we all diverge to new places and leave the unifying bond we all share that is high school behind, there are two things that we should take away with us. The memories we made and the people who made those moments worth remembering.

So Class of 2012 what we have are memories, and now we have earned the opportunity to go out and make a whole lot of new ones. Seize it.