Disney graduation speech

[Schmeck]

My daughter's speech at graduation this year:

"I was raised in a family that loves Disney, so as far as I'm concerned, every good story starts out with four simple words: Once upon a time.

So here it goes. Once upon a time, the Class of 2012 was preparing to begin the rest of their lives. Each had a separate tale to tell, and each was a hero.

But before they could set off into the world to find adventure, they had to graduate. They had to say goodbye, and it was the hardest thing they had ever done.

One of my personal favorite quotes from Peter Pan is "Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting." It's not the actual goodbyes that are hard. We all fear that we're going to forget whatever has made us happy here. We don't want to lose who we have become and what we have accomplished. Some of us simply want to remain children forever.

We have grown up though. We've all pushed ourselves to change, and looking back, it's hard to recognize the people we once were. This town has allowed us to become the soon-to-be heroes we are today. In "The Lion King," Rafiki tells Simba that "Yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it." Each of us has made mistakes, but our ability to reflect on our poorer choices has allowed us to become better people. Running from our mistakes won't make a difference, but facing and embracing every part of what we have learned from this town will."


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That's about 1/4 of her speech. If people want me to type the rest, I'd be glad to. I hope you enjoy what I've typed so far.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

That is great! I would love to read the rest of it!

 

[daemom]

My daughter's speech at graduation this year:

"I was raised in a family that loves Disney, so as far as I'm concerned, every good story starts out with four simple words: Once upon a time.

So here it goes. Once upon a time, the Class of 2012 was preparing to begin the rest of their lives. Each had a separate tale to tell, and each was a hero.

But before they could set off into the world to find adventure, they had to graduate. They had to say goodbye, and it was the hardest thing they had ever done.

One of my personal favorite quotes from Peter Pan is "Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting." It's not the actual goodbyes that are hard. We all fear that we're going to forget whatever has made us happy here. We don't want to lose who we have become and what we have accomplished. Some of us simply want to remain children forever.

We have grown up though. We've all pushed ourselves to change, and looking back, it's hard to recognize the people we once were. This town has allowed us to become the soon-to-be heroes we are today. In "The Lion King," Rafiki tells Simba that "Yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it." Each of us has made mistakes, but our ability to reflect on our poorer choices has allowed us to become better people. Running from our mistakes won't make a difference, but facing and embracing every part of what we have learned from this town will."


----------

That's about 1/4 of her speech. If people want me to type the rest, I'd be glad to. I hope you enjoy what I've typed so far.

LOVE it!!!! You know you've GOT to type the rest!!

 

[Sgt Mickey]

yes finish typing that was a tease.

 

[Schmeck]

More:

"Your story needs a setting that will expand your horizons. Like Rapunzel, we need to leave our towers to face the real world. It'll probably be the best choice we ever made. We have our entire lives ahead of us, but we also have the entire world to explore. Be adventurous and push your boundaries; you may end up someplace you never imagined. Dream of a better place, and then go out and find it.

In "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," Quasimodo is told that "Life is not a spectator sport. If watchin' is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without ya." Don't waste your life dreaming about what you could do. Go out and do it. Don't let fear of failure rule your life. If you build yourself walls in an attempt to avoid your fears, they'll only crawl in through the cracks and never leave. Instead, I want you to enter the world questioning possibilities and standing up for yourself.

This is what determines bravery, and as the hero of your own story, I challenge you to be brave.

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more to come later!

 

[Schmeck]

"I challenge you to do more than that, though. I challenge you to find what exactly you fight for. I challenge you to face your villain head on. I challenge you to establish what you want and go the distance. Don't just wish for good things to come your way. In "The Princess and the Frog," Tiana's father tells her to "wish and dream with all your heart. But remember, Tiana, that old star can only take you part of the way. you gotta help it along with some hard work of your own. Then... you can do anything you set your mind to."

Along the way we'll encounter pitfalls and question our own abilities. When life becomes too hard, remember what Mulan's father told her: "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."

Overcoming your struggles makes the award all the more worth it. The heroes of a story who can push past hardships and doubt are the most exquisite people in existence because they don't give up. And when things do go wrong, do what Wilbur does in "Meet the Robinsons": "Keep moving forward."

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OK, about 2/3rds done. All typos and spelling errors are mine! My daughter types and spells much better than I do these days!

Hope you are enjoying it so far.

 

[ckret01]

This is fantastic

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

This is beautiful! I love it!

 

[StephMK]

Awesome, love it!!!!

 

[wishesuponastar]

This is so beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing your DD's speech with us. I am forwarding it to my young daughters. Your daughter is a talented writer and I think Disney should have a copy of her speech
Your daughter is an inspiration to her peers and you should be very proud of her

 

[Schmeck]

Thank you all for the kind words - yes, I am very proud of her (but I will not let her get a swelled head, I promise - she knows she has weaknesses and strengths, as we all have).

The speech continues:

Don't underestimate yourself or others. Think of the lamp in Aladdin. The merchant says, "Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts."

Never assume that you know someone else's story, just like others shouldn't assume that they know yours. My favorite movie, "Pocahontas," stresses that "if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew you never knew." Listen to what others have to say; it's the best way to learn how to be a better person, which is always the lesson of a good fairytale. Remember that good things come to good people.

Lastly, thank the supporting characters in your life. Your parents, your friends, and your teachers have given you all the tools you need to succeed. Without them, we wouldn't have even made it through our first chapter. But now the rest of the story awaits, so go out and chase your dreams.

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One more installment to come!

 

[Pixiedust34]

That's a good speech!

 

[Schmeck]

last part:

"A week ago, I thought I would end my speech with a quote from Walt Disney. It seemed appropriate and well thought out. But on Tuesday, I received a very special letter - from myself. Anyone else who was on the X team in the sixth grade did too.

The girl writing the letter was unrecognizable. She asked too many questions and made the wrong assumptions. However, in the last paragraph I finally found a piece of what I would truly call myself. In a handful of sentences, a 12 year old me managed to write what took a 12th grade me pages to say.

The advice is the same.

Halfway through my grade school career, I told myself, "I wish you the best of luck. Success comes only to those that work for it. Don't ponder the past, but look towards the future. Although memories are great, that's all they are. Find the now, and go from there. Good luck."

Congratulations, Class of 2012. I hope you find your happily ever after."

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That's the last of it - I edited out the name of our town, the team she was on, and her own name. Otherwise, that's word for word what she said. As I stated before all spelling errors, typos, and punctuation mistakes are mine.

Thanks.

 

[jba2]

WOW! I loved it. You're daughter is very talented. What are her plans for university?

 

[Aliceacc]

Congrats to your daughter, for graduating, for being chosen to give a speech, and for her wisdom and writing ability!

 

[Schmeck]

WOW! I loved it. You're daughter is very talented. What are her plans for university?

She is going to a local college, as they heavily recruited her, lots of financial aid, etc. With two girls in college next year, we need all the help we can get, LOL!

She wants to major in Chemistry, phytochemistry to be exact, and plans to develop green/sustainable processes for producing plant-based products. She hopes to do a WDW college program, and intern at the Land Pavilion.

Thank you all for the kind words. Right now she's in the doghouse for travelling without any benadryl - her grandmother gave her a drink with apple juice (allergic!) in it last night, where they are all up at the family cottage, in the middle of nowhere. She's fine now, but I want to throttle her!

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

That was amazing! I have read it over and over. You have done a great job with her! Best of luck as she starts this new chapter of her life.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Amazing

 

[Schmeck]

Thank you! Went to a retirement party for some school employees yesterday - some of the attendees were talking about her speech, how much they enjoyed it, etc. They didn't know she was my daughter, so that was funny!

 

[Aliceacc]

Funny, our Valedictorian spoke about Disney too-- about the themes in Mary Poppins. (Spoonfull of Sugar, Feed the Birds, and a third I didn't hear; I was in charge of the volunteers and it was a shift change.)