First and foremost, I would like to extend my congratulations to my fellow classmates for all of the hard work that we celebrate today. As Drake and Soulja Boy said in a freestyle six years ago, “We Made It.”

Today is one of the most important days of our lives. As we gather here together to celebrate more than a decade of learning, we’re surrounded by all of the people who taught and inspired us. Parents, teachers, Fitch faculty, thank you for guiding us to this very special moment.

Class of 2020, I wish for each and every one of you to pursue the passions that make you most happy. In a chaotic and unpredictable world, as we have been witness to during recent times, I want everyone to find a reason to breathe in and smile. Maybe today it’s learning a new instrument, working out, or going out on a hike with loved ones.

For tomorrow it may be creating a new invention, starting a company, or discovering a cure to the diseases that wreak havoc on our lives. Whatever you are passionate about for the future, I encourage you to dream on. These dreams are your fuel for making it to the end of the day, exhausted in bed knowing that you have given 110%.

Russian-American author Ayn Rand, in her novel "Atlas Shrugged," emphasizes the purpose of life as being the pursuit of one’s happiness. Rand writes, “Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserve and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real... it is possible... it's yours.”

Despite being Robert E. Fitch High School’s Class of 2020, (a class with perfect vision of course), I don’t think any of us foresaw back in September, a graduation, never mind our final spring semester together, as it is today. Let’s applaud those parents, staff, and faculty that put in countless hours of work to make sure that this graduation could still be special.

Class of 2020, we’ve just completed a great journey together, and from the bottom of my heart I wish you all the very best on your future endeavours. Thank you.

(William Miner is the Fitch High School Class of 2020 Salutatorian.)