Photo by Andrew Shurtleff. For more photos, click here.

May 26, 2018

Before I begin, on behalf of the 2018 graduating class, I would just like to thank all faculty, alumni, family members and of course parents for helping make this entire ceremony possible. Without you, none of this would be possible.

So here we are fellas. Graduating high school and entering the craziest phase of our lives so far.

However, before we dive into our own journeys to find our purpose in life, think back to before our high school years. Back when we were in the eighth grade talking about all the chicks we would pick up in school… or all the Friday night parties after the football games we would attend .

Man, high school sounded great! And then we ended up at Blue Ridge…  where instead of Friday night parties we had Friday night study hall and instead of picking up girls, we shared a bathroom with twelve other dudes!

But, hey, not everything that shines is gold. Not having any girls or family around really pressed us to accept each other. My first two years at Blue Ridge were a breeze, and I don’t mean that academically, because Bruton really knowns how to bust a man’s chops.

But I had everything I needed. My brothers were there for me and all I had to worry about was schoolwork. I felt like the man! I could not wait for senior year to come so I could end high school with smooth sailing.

Boy was I wrong ! Senior year came in full steam ahead with no remorse for any one’s soul!

Fat stacks of reading with multiple essays from Curtin, reading assignment on top of reading assignment from John Young, and to top it off, memorizing thirty different essays for one good old Niederberger test.

Not to mention my senior year football season ended in an abrupt loss in the state semi-finals against a team that shall remain un-named.

Oh, did I also mention that on top of all that, I had to apply to college?  Talk about ABUSE! That’s enough to kill a man!

But I will tell you this. My senior year at Blue Ridge was the “realest” year I have ever had. Now you may be asking yourself, how could such a terrible year do you any good? Trust me, I asked myself that same question.

I spent long nights lying in a bed asking myself – will life always be this hard?

Will I be able to make it in the world?

What if I am not successful?

Now those three questions were on repeat in my head all throughout the school year, and as the year began winding down, the questions started feeling more and more troubling.

At this moment, I would like to share with you one of the biggest challenges that I faced this year.

You may look at me now and think that I have my life planned out, that I am one of those kids who doesn’t have to worry about what is coming next. But the truth is, until about last month, I had no idea where I would be next year.

My college application process had me all kinds of stressed, and what made it worse wasI felt alone all the time. While all my friends were being accepted by their top tier colleges, I was just waiting on a response from anyone.

Now let me clarify, this was not because Mrs. Wilkins did not do her job. In fact, her optimistic attitude and kindness made her one of the most comforting people on campus to go to.

However, I was down in the dumps mentally. My lowest of lows. It was like I was stuck in a dark hole with no way out in sight. But after a heartfelt conversation over the phone with my parents, all that changed. They advised me to stay positive, and they told me that “attitude is everything”.

Attitude is everything. See my father has always told me that all throughout my life, but it was not until this year that I truly understood what he meant.

I could not let any of it stop me from believing in myself. I began opening my eyes to all the great things I had in my life.

Great friends who supported me every step of the way by keeping me up and going with their never ending support and constant Mexican jokes. (Hey, I am not even Mexican!) I also had amazing teachers that would not hesitate to drop whatever they were doing to sit down and have a talk about what was going on. And most importantly, I had a strong family that was there for me, even when they were states away. I finally realized that I was letting all that temporary college rejection block all the beautiful things in front of me and all the people who loved me.

All of a sudden my troubles were not so much of a burden.

Now I tell you all this because although my challenge was college acceptance and your’s may be something completely different – we all experience times where we feel like nothing can go our way.

And honestly, that is just how life is. What we all need to realize is that no matter how big a problem we think we are facing, we all have people in our lives that bring light to even our darkest times. I believe this class will go on to do amazing things, and I challenge you all to seize the day and not let the day seize you.

I cannot help but to thank you all for everything you have done for me. Although we only have a few more minutes left as Blue Ridge students… no distance or time that passes on in our lives will ever change the fact that you are all my Baron brothers.

And to my parents, no words will even be able to describe how grateful I am for you. You both came from nothing, put your heads down, and worked hard to give the three of us the world.

Dad I think back to the times when I would not see you because you would be working day and night. And now, seeing mom go to school while working full time and still being a great mom, has allowed me to understand that all those times you guys woke up early and worked until late in the night were for us.

Mamá papá, los amo con toda mi alma.

And to all the parents of my Baron Brothers, thank you for the sacrifices you have made to help make this day possible and the future for each of us full of possibilities.