Thank you so much for that lovely speech, Ozzie. And thank you to the family and friends in the audience today or those watching at home. I’d like for you to give yourselves a hand if you had anything to do with helping a person on this stage become who they are. You did a fantastic job.

I don’t want to give you all too much credit though. This day is, in fact, about these young people up on the stage next to me.

Today, in true English teacher fashion, I’d like to tell you all a story. Feel free to analyze and interpret it as you wish. There will not be a quiz or an essay to write on this material, and no annotating is necessary.

Once upon a time, or, almost exactly ten years ago to be more specific, a young woman sat on a stage very much like this one. Funnily enough, this young woman also wore white and held a rose, much like many of you do today.

This young woman loved school. She had loved school from the time she was a child and forcefully made her younger brothers take handmade quizzes about nothing in particular. So while others in her class that day cheered and celebrated, she sat on the stage feeling alone. Scared. Sad. People around her spoke joyfully of “leaving the nest” and “soaring to great heights”—a lot of bird imagery there…and most of you know how I feel about birds...not a fan.

Teachers and friends spoke of all of the great things waiting beyond the halls of high school. College would open up many doors and opportunities, and all the graduates, including the young woman, would be welcomed back with open arms at any time to share their adventures and successes.

The only problem was, this young woman wasn’t ready to go. Her school was where she had made her nest. She was safe there. She had teachers who supported her and built her up. They shared in her joys and helped her when she stumbled. She knew everyone’s name and knew exactly how things worked. There were no surprises. That was how she liked it. I’m going to deviate from my story for just a moment to share some potentially shocking news. Being comfortable and knowing exactly what’s ahead isn’t how life works. Surprise! I think I can end my speech here, because the second you learn that, you’re ready for the world of adulthood--with disappointment or incredible chances lurking around every corner.

Sincerely though. I think that this past year has reminded us all—even the adults, even the people in your life who are supposed to have all the answers—that things don’t always work out the way you plan. And that really, no one has all the answers. Even if you spent nights awake worrying about when it could go wrong and how. Even if you wore crystals and had an altar in a dark corner of your room dedicated to things not going wrong. You can’t always be prepared for what’s going to happen. Things go wrong. And things are scary. And things can be difficult. But that’s okay! These are truths that can be tough to swallow. You might spend your life trying really hard not to swallow them, but this reality is unavoidable.

However, after this depressing bit of information, I think it’s time for the good news. And the good news is that despite all the difficult, scary, bad things out there—all you need to do is keep showing up. Some days, that might sound a lot easier than it is to actually do. While the bad stuff may seem unavoidable, so is the good stuff. One day you might find five dollars in an old coat pocket! Or get the last slice of cake at lunch. Or land an amazing opportunity just because you showed up somewhere you didn’t plan to be! Or...well, you get the idea.

You might be wondering what happens after you show up. Well, you have to try. It’s so easy to subscribe to the messages we’re inundated with by social media—“life is short!” “#YOLO!”

—and just glide through. But I don’t want you to glide. I want you to show up, every day, as the best version of yourself you can offer the world. I want you to leave behind any worries, self doubt and fear that may be holding you back because when you show up and truly engage with the world and the people in it, when you do things that make you uncomfortable--that’s when you meet people who will change your life. That’s when you learn what your true passion is. It might be when you learn that you have to keep growing, changing or trying. But I always want you to embrace the unknown, however difficult it may be, because it will make your successes and discoveries about yourself so much sweeter.

That brings me to another truth: despite your best efforts, you will never be without us. That makes us all sound a bit creepy and weird, but think of it in the best way possible. We will never let you be alone. Jeez, there really isn’t a non-creepy way to say that. Okay, one more time: you will always have the love and support of your family, friends, teachers and the Williams community behind you. Take it from me. I came back, and they really did welcome me with open arms! But I kept coming back, and now I’m here all the time. And some people are probably like, yikes, we shouldn’t have kept our arms that wide open. I’m looking at you, Mr. Hockford.

Class of 2021, you lost a lot this year, but you’ve also gained far more than you can probably see. It wasn’t what you expected and I doubt it’s what you wanted. But standing up here on this stage, having witnessed you in all your glory this past year, I can confidently say that this is a class of people who will show up. You did show up. Even though it did get a little rocky there during the third quarter, we know how much heart you put into this year. I know you are ready for these next steps. Even if you don’t know where those next steps are going to take you. And sometimes, that’s the beauty of it--the unexpected adventure of getting to where you’re supposed to be.

Now back to my story. If you’re wondering what happened to the girl who loved school, well, I’ll tell you—she got her dream job. And today, she received one of the greatest honors of her teaching career, getting to deliver this speech to send you off into the world. Thank you for that privilege.

I want to say how tremendously proud I am of all of you. How proud we all are—this year wasn’t easy (and that’s an understatement), but we applaud your resilience and how you did it all with a smile and a lot of laughter.

Congratulations, Class of 2021.