2019 RHS GRADUATION SPEECHES
This is the valedictory address delivered during Rockdale High School commencement exercises by Reyna Gonzales:
Howdy. Thank you to all of the family members, friends, faculty and staff that have joined us this evening to celebrate the graduating class of 2019.
Thank you to all the teachers and coaches that contributed to our success at RHS and prepared us for the next chapters of our lives.
Each of you has helped me tremendously and shaped me into the person I am today. Mrs. Marburger was my freshman biology teacher and influenced me to pursue a degree in Nursing.
Marcus Reese is my private tennis coach and has helped me come out of my shell, deepened my love for tennis and has played a big role in my success. My family has been a tremendous support system for me.
My older brother Nicholas introduced me to tennis and helped me grow a love for the sport at the age of thirteen. He’s contributed to my success in volleyball as well by pushing me in the weight room in order to make varsity my freshman year.
My older sister Andrea comes to any event she can and even flew in to Texas twice just to watch me play tennis at the state tournament. Sometimes I think she’s more proud when I accomplish something than I am for myself. Andrea has inspired me to attend Texas A&M University which will have a great impact on the next chapter of my life.
My dad has always been an understanding and supportive person I can talk to when I have a problem. Thank you for allowing me to step back and laugh when I’m stressed out. I don’t want him to get a big head, but he’s not like a regular dad, he’s a cool dad.
My mom has pushed me to achieve my highest potential academically and athletically. She has shaped me to be the hard-working person that I am today. Thank you for all of your support and for sharing your love for the best university in Texas, Texas A&M.
One of my favorite movies throughout my childhood was High School Musical. They make high school seem so awesome and the students break out in a song when they’re happy, sad or need to “get their head in the game.” High School Musical taught me…absolutely nothing.
There wasn’t a song about cramming for a test, worrying about scary upperclassmen, or having to eat the gross cafeteria food. I was shocked after my first day of high school. But, in all seriousness, Rockdale High School offered many other opportunities that resulted in countless memories.
Rockdale has allowed me to meet some of my best friends and to share experiences with them that I will never forget. Claire Jenkins taught me how to interpret a thick country accent and how to ride a horse. Without her, I would never survive at A&M. Doss Hasselbach has taught me that it’s a bad idea to run over a curb on your driving test. He also has the cheesiest jokes I know, but still managed to make me laugh from first grade to senior year.
I met Autumn Montelongo and Karley Leopold, also known as Kar Kar, while playing tee-ball when we were four. It has been fun getting to watch Autumn and Karley develop into such great softball players in high school. Ryanne, Lyndsey, and Kylie made the bus rides fun for volleyball. They always tried singing an a capella song from the movie “Pitch Perfect.”
I’ll always remember this not because it was particularly good, but because it was funny. Kaylee wasn’t a part of the a capella group, but we still shared many memories together.
One day, we had an away game at Lexington and Kaylee thought it would be a great idea to get Dairy Queen before the bus left. It wasn’t a good idea. We missed the bus and I had to drive us to Lexington. We thought it was funny until Coach Keen made us do towel pushes around the gym the next practice. I’d still do it all over again, Kaylee.
My junior year was memorable since the football and tennis teams both made history. The football team managed to win their first state championship in forty-one years. My tennis partner, Devon Whitsel and I also won state in tennis that same year and were the first team to win in thirty years, the first mixed doubles team to win state, and this year we became the first ever Rockdale tennis team to win back to back championships.
It’s crazy knowing that most of my fellow classmates and I have gone to school together for thirteen years. From walking through the elementary hallways thinking they were so big, to walking through the seemingly smaller hallways of RHS and thinking, “I can’t wait to graduate already”. One of the many things I wish I told my six-year-old self was to enjoy nap time because I sure do wish they had that in high school. But, after thirteen years together, we’re finally about to go our separate ways.
We did it. We’re about to graduate, but this is just the beginning. High school is merely a stepping stone that guides us in our journey through life. Each phase of our lives presents different experiences and has something special to teach each of us.
Although this chapter in our lives is coming to an end, we’re about to embark on a brand new one- a chapter that offers new experiences, new obstacles, and new triumphs. Always remember to enjoy the current chapter that you’re in and never dwell on previous chapters or worry about future ones.
I would also like to remind you to always dream big in your future endeavors. Never settle for ordinary, but reach for the extraordinary. Remember that with God, you have the ability and strength to achieve anything you put your mind to. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
Although “High School Musical” lied for the most part, it did get one thing right. This is the start of something new and it feels so right to be here with all of my fellow graduates in this unforgettable moment where we end one chapter and begin another.
Congratulations to the Rockdale High School class of 2019.
Thanks, Gig ‘Em, and God Bless.
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