Failure and success may seem opposite, but valedictorians from Parsons High School and Labette County High School shared with their graduating classes Saturday and Sunday how the two are intertwined.
PHS co-valedictorian Olivia Martinez described to her classmates how they are all “unique mosaics of the trials and tribulations” that they have had to overcome in order to achieve graduation.
She painted the picture of how their high school experiences have helped them all to develop a growth mindset, where they can thrive through challenge and see failure as a means for growth and development.
In high school, experiencing failure is synonymous with learning, Martinez said:
“Learning to be a better person that you were the day before. Learning to shed your ego and allow for the inevitable. Learning to discover who you are.”
She encouraged her fellow graduates to recognize all of the achievements they have accomplished in high school, but also their failures that have gotten them to this point.
“Failure is a necessary part of life and arguably one of the most important aspects of it,” Martinez said. “Without failure we could never see nor achieve our true potential.”
She assured her classmates there would be more failures in all of their futures, but asked that they not think of these as failures but experiences to look back upon, learn from and succeed from.
“Do not settle for mediocrity, or for the limited experiences that we have had this far. I encourage you all to continue to fail, continue to grow and continue to learn,” Martinez said. “So if I am able to leave one thing, one statement for my friends and peers, I want it to be this: Failure is not the opposite of success but is a part of success.”
LCHS valedictorian Lakin Giager told her classmates that now is the time for them to determine their best course to become successful.
“Success, I believe, is a vague term. Its definition is to ‘accomplish an aim or a purpose.’ So essentially, success can be whatever we want it to be depending on our own goals or values. This has made me reflect on the success of my high school career,” Giager said.
It is no secret that the graduating Class of 2023 has had an abundance of accomplishments, Giager said, speaking to their many achievements in FFA, FBLA, theater, SkillsUSA and a variety of sports.
“We have numerous local, state and even national titles that have put this school and this town on a map. But all the hardware we bring home is not what makes us successful. It’s the students who work so hard for it,” Giager said. “There’s a quote I really like from Mr. Harry Styles, and it goes, ‘If you’re happy doing what you’re doing, then nobody can tell you you’re not successful.’
“We have all accomplished something in our four years of high school; being here and getting to walk this stage today is an accomplishment in itself, and we should all be proud of that. So, Class of 2023, let me leave you with this. Do something meaningful to you, and make yourself proud. Don’t make yourself miserable for the sake of comfort. And strive for success, whatever that may mean to you.”
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.