After a year of ‘what ifs,’ rejoice in the present

Following is an abridged version of the address given by salutatorian Ella McIlhinney at the Wildwood Catholic Academy commencement on June 2.

The typical role of a salutatorian is to greet the attendees at a commencement ceremony. But truly, a salute is a sign of respect — and, so, it is with the utmost respect and gratitude that I welcome you to tonight’s graduation, for where would we be without your diligence and perseverance throughout this past year?

We have studied “The Odyssey,” several works by Shakespeare, the most important biblical stories, and what feels like all the math equations in the world. Coupled with the lessons of the high school curriculum, we were taught valuable lessons and morals that will remain with us forever. But, oddly enough, one of the maxims which I feel is most relevant to me and the entire class at this time in our lives, comes from the title of the bestselling novel, “Be Where Your Feet Are” by Scott O’Neil. Essentially, this phrase encourages us to live in the moment and focus only on what we can control. After a year full of unknowns, “what ifs,” and “I don’t knows,” we have conditioned ourselves to “be where our feet are” and live in the now, as we adapted to all the requisitions, protocols and dictates of our senior year. If you told us our freshman year that our junior year would be taught through a computer screen, our trip to Europe and the prom would be cancelled, and our school would shut down in the midst of a global pandemic, we would have never believed you. Events that we anticipated for our entire lives were cancelled or changed, and I’m sure that we can all agree that at some point we were in danger of losing hope. However, we did not, we persevered. …

We have excelled academically, garnered countless awards and scholarships, and never lost the unique quality that made us the class of 2021. And of course, it should be mentioned that we are the first class to graduate from Wildwood Catholic Academy — an institution whose mere being is a miracle in itself.

In closing, I encourage you all to make the most out of every moment because you never know when life can change. Remind yourself “to be where your feet are” and both live in, and rejoice in, the present. For, the present is all that we truly have. Take pleasure in every victory and learn from every hardship. Because life is really about savoring the journey, while we are on our way to the destination. Above all, celebrate the accomplishments of today and all that we have learned —especially from one another.