Valedictory Address
Preston Brown
Latta High School Class Of 2025
Good evening students, faculty, and family, and congratulations to the class of 2025! To preface this speech, I am used to saying what comes to mind during speeches instead of reading a script. Hopefully this one does not last too long and is suitable for Mrs. Gaddy’s last graduation. As most of you know, my name is Preston Brown and I am your class valedictorian. I am honored to be standing before all of you today, and I hope that all of you are proud of your accomplishment of graduating high school. This is no small feat, so give yourself credit for making it to this point.
To begin, I would like to thank all the individuals who have gotten us to this milestone of our lives. To the teachers, thank you for your dedication to helping us succeed. You have never given up on a student, always encouraging us to strive for the best versions of ourselves, in and out of the classroom. To the rest of the staff, thank you for making school a comfortable and suitable environment for learning. To the coaches, thank you for your unwavering support for our athletic endeavors. Your influence not only helped us improve in our sports but also left a lasting impact on our ways of thinking and moral characters. To the families in the audience, the fact that you are here is a true testament to how much you have supported us throughout high school. Thank you for never giving up on us and pushing us to stay on top of our school work (even if my parents were a little excessive at times).
Specifically, to my parents and the rest of my family, I thank you for your reminders that you are always proud of me regardless. Your love has been a large factor of my happiness and contentment in high school. Thank you to Coach Brown who has always pushed me to my limits. His guidance in baseball has taught me to never give up and that “nothing is over until it’s over.” To my youth pastors Shelley and Sheldon Bethea and my FCA leader Carol Edwards, thank you for constantly pouring into me and reminding me of the true purpose of living. Without my relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, my high school journey would have been entirely different. In Him, I receive my confidence, my perseverance, and my identity. My journey from being a shy freshman to the outgoing person I am today can be directly connected to Him.
Leaving high school is both exciting and bittersweet. I will miss cheering at all the sporting events, chicken sandwich lunch days, and bothering Mrs. Davis. But still, from all the seemingly pointless assignments, the countless hours spent studying for tests, and the strategies we came up with to sneak our phones (sorry Mrs. Carmichael but we all do it), not everything about school has been fun. Going through it did not exactly feel ideal at times. In fact, some of us faced unimaginable external challenges during our high school journey. I encourage all of you to use these experiences as growing opportunities.
Our failures and hardships make us who we are. Last week when I got my yearbook, I was going around to get my teachers to sign it. I got to Mrs. MB who had a stack of yearbooks on her desk. Once I got mine back, I was reading it, and I got towards the bottom and read “may you be successful in all your endeavors, but also, may you fail miserably.” To make matters even stranger, she then drew a smiley face? Reading this, I was so confused that I let out a laugh. Then, as I continued to read, I realized that she was saying that in our failures, we learn who we are. Sometimes it takes us hitting rock bottom to start to rise to the top again. Failures can be good as they shape our paths for our futures. Embrace hardships as you might never be in the same predicament again. Life will never be perfect, but as rapper J. Cole once said, “there’s no such thing as a life that’s better than yours.” Someone will always have a better situation than you, more money than you, a better looking girlfriend, and so on. I encourage you to never envy others and appreciate what you have.
Play the cards you have been dealt. Also last week, I played in my last baseball game ever. Losing is never fun, especially when it is against your rivals. But that was last week. Now, in about 15 minutes, we are all about to be high school graduates and start our actual lives. While I encourage you to learn from what happens in your life, leave behind struggles and do not dwell on what could have been. Therefore, if you haven’t yet, figure out who you are. Knowing who you are will help you get through everything that comes
your way regardless of what material things you lose in the process. As I look into the audience, I see faces of my classmates that I have known my entire life. Even if life deals you terrible cards, continue to push. I know that all of you will succeed in whatever you put your mind to if you have a strong sense of identity. Know that you are capable of making a difference in the world, no matter how small of a difference that is.
As your class valedictorian, I encourage all of you to stay on top of your work. If you are entering the workforce, be intentional about your actions at your job. Take your career seriously, and do what it takes for promotions or raises. If you are going to college, stay on top of your school work. Study and get to class on time, although I can’t speak much on the punctuality part (I cannot even count how many meetings I was late to this year). On the other hand, as your class president, please have fun. Enjoy the small things in life. Take that trip. Go on that date. Pick up a new hobby. Take risks, and see where
life takes you. There are no limits to where you can go. Do not get so caught up in school or your jobs that you miss the things happening right in front of you. Also, do not miss out on opportunities for fear of judgement or failure. My motto for high school was “who cares?” Do not let other opinions dictate where you go in life, and never change who you are for someone else.
To conclude, as I sat down to write this speech, I literally had no idea what to write about. As always, I waited until the day before the speech was due to start writing it. Hopefully my time management skills will improve before college, but I finally settled on the point of love. Love is powerful, and loving others can make a difference in not only their lives but also yours. One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Whether you are religious or not, you cannot deny the power of love in life. No one appreciates success if the motives behind it are cruel. Lauryn Hill puts it perfectly, referencing the same chapter in Corinthians and stating, “I may have faith to make mountains fall, but if I lack love, then I am nothing at all.” Your success is void and unfulfilling if your intentions are not pure. Love will guide you to highs that you could never imagine without it.
I encourage you to remember this as you traverse through life. Remain rooted in the principle of love as it will never fail. Forget all the miniscule “beef” that you had with your peers (or staff) sitting among you in high school. Do not live a life of regret, moving on from high school never forgiving someone for something that happened years ago. Stay in touch with your friends, but also stay in touch with people who are not your friends. These relationships will dwindle but the shared experiences will still remain. If you see a classmate in the grocery store, say hello. Don’t be a stranger.
This concludes my valedictory speech. If you did not take anything from it, take this: love others and never give up. I hope these words have sparked memories and encouraged you to always continue pushing. Congratulations to the Class of 2025! Thank you!
