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2018 Baccalaureate Mass Speeches - Sarah Israel

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Transferring schools is never easy. Sarah Israel '18 looks back on joining the SEP Family as a sophomore and the challenges that accompanied that transition; challenges that helped bring her to where she is today.

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This next speaker came to us during the summer of her freshman year looking for a new high school home. We sat in my office that day over on the B-side and spoke about those things that she wanted for herself I at her new high school. This young lady was ready to accept any and all challenges that we were ready to throw at her. She jumped right into AP European History that year, and never once looked back. She pushed herself even farther when she became a full IB diploma candidate. The IB Programme allow this young lady to flourish and grow in her own way. Just this week she was voted by her classmates in the IB programme to have the IB learner profile attribute of inquirer. She asks a lot of questions... a lot of questions and many times on the stairs I get, "Excuse me Mrs. McGinnis..."and out would come a very random, but very appropriate question. I'd answer the question, and off we'd go and it would happen again the next day. It's just who she is as a person. Inherently inquisitive and this describes her extremely, extremely well. But, beyond her intelligence and inquisitive nature she is full of school spirit which is most evident when she represent us as an amazing booster. This young lady who came to us as a transfer student immediately became an eagle and has from the very beginning exhibited characteristics of compassion, generosity, and courage. This young lady is the perfect example of someone you forget transferred in because she was destined to always be here. I thank her for her trust in us and for being the epitome of what it means to be a St. Edmund Prep student. This amazing young lady will be attending Hunter College in the fall. It is my pleasure and my honor to introduce Sarah Israel.

Good evening Mrs. McGinnis, Ms. McEvoy, Mr Raphael, faculty, parents, fellow students, and honored guests. After the past 3 or 4 years of seeing the many faces around us today on a daily basis, we are finally reaching a time in our lives where we may never see them again. With that, I think I can speak for everyone when saying that finally meeting the end to our journey is truly a bittersweet feeling. None the less, I signed up so I can talk about myself, not about my classmates. So, I'll do just that. When I learned of this opportunity to reminisce about what are supposed to be some of the greatest moments of my life, I figured, why not? Spending some of the last moments as an SEP student to talk about myself. Call me a narcissist, but that sounded pretty tempting right off the bat. However, as I took the time to actually conjure up these very words, I realized that this wasn't another one of those essays you just turned into Google Classroom at 11:59. The truth is that you are all just as vital to my story as I am and I couldn't possibly encapsulate the past three years here without giving credit where it was due. All great stories start with a beginning and mine proved to be far from smooth sailing. I began freshman year within another school's four walls, pursuing a passion of mine. In that time, the transition into high school was everything a 14-year old could hope for. I met and bonded with people from all walks of life. The cool upperclassmen who skateboarded to school, the preppy girls that shared their lip glosses, all of it. I was acing my classes joined the school play, and made so many memories that I still cherish today and then I transferred here. I don't bring this up to say I regret that decision at all. but, rather just to give insight on how things were for me. You guys remember freshman year, right? Making friends you probably aren't as close with as now, discovering the lunch tables that you'd end up sitting at the next four years, and so on. Well, I had to let all that go. In its place was the anxiety of a totally new school and loads of summer homework. Ahh, AP Euro. The challenge definitely took its toll on me and I wasn't sure if I'd ever find my place in this "family" I kept hearing about. Nonetheless I persevered, determined to make my experience what I sought to make it. I joined the band, clubs, and tried out for my step team. For an amateur musician and a full-time couch potato, it was safe to say challenges we're faced. However, if there's one thing I believe is that challenges are meant to be embraced. The push that it takes to face it and the journey that accompanies it all makes you stronger. The outcome defines who you are and makes you someone you are proud to be. Standing here today, I'm proud to say that my journey has brought me here. A member of the National Honor Society with a history of honors, an active member of my school community and service in student government, a member of what has been recognized to be the hardest-working team in St Edmund Prep by far which I can never argue with at all, an IB Diploma Candidate who was so glad to put away my notes of schemas and Bolívar and the existential crisis of Willy Loman's failures and apple-picking-birches all to rest. Most of all, I'm a soon-to-be college freshman who is that much closer to finding her place, a grateful daughter to the greatest parents in the world, and a young adult leaving the safety net of high school to discover whatever the the future, whatever the world has in store for me and this journey became the one that it was because of Mrs. Jones' Harry Potter references and the distinct jingle and Mr. Lorenzetti's keys, of the nerve wrecking days in english class when Ms. Cianflone would give us another vocabulary test or later, Mrs. B. demanding that we take out a piece of loose leaf and a pen, it was from when Mr. Kelly would make us do those weird warm ups in in gym, like karaoke? It was of Marley, my transfer buddy, or of Katrielle, Aleyana and the rest of the family Of classmates like Gabrielle or Jahsun or Chelsea, of my fellow O.G., Sashy, and my other boosters and my coaches of so many other names that I wish I could list. It's because of my beautiful parents and siblings who guided me through every step of this journey. I bring up this fact to say I'm proud of the Class of 2018. We are conquerors. If we just took the minute to look back, I know you all would be as proud of us as I am. We've proven to be leaders, innovators, altruists, scholars, and champions. It has been a priceless experience being part of my team, of the Senior Class of 2018, and of the family of St. Edmund Prep since the very start. Thank you.

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2018 Baccalaureate Mass Speeches - Sarah Israel

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