Following is an abridged version of the address given by valedictorian Amaya Allen at the Paul VI High School commencement on June 3.
When I walked through freshman doors in September of 2017, like many of you, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had come from a small school, and very few of my friends had joined me at Paul VI. I had such high hopes for the new experience and the new school year. And then reality hit. One morning at 6 am, I checked my World History grade to see what I had gotten on the first test of the year. I saw the 84 pop up on the portal, and I was devastated. I thought “There’s no way I am smart enough to be at this school. How am I going to make it through the school year? How can I think I’ll be smart enough to go to a prestigious college when I can’t even get an A on a freshman level World History test?” And while I know each of our high school experiences differs, I think we can all relate to doubting ourselves and our abilities at some point, whether it be in the classroom, on the sports field, on the stage, or in some other area that we value. Coupled with our hopes for our successes in high school has come the fear that we would never accomplish what we wanted to.
I’m sure many of us walked into Paul VI that first day with dreams of who we wanted to be in high school and what we wanted to accomplish by the end of our four years. Now, looking back, I want you all to consider this question: “Remember when you wanted what you have now?” Think about that for a second; remember when you were a freshman dreaming of making the soccer team? Or perhaps your goal was to earn a role in the spring musical? I know for me, my dream had always been to excel in high school and attend an Ivy League institution. And while some of you may be thinking, “I wanted this or I wanted that, but I failed,” take a step back and look at what you have accomplished. I dreamed of getting into Harvard, and guess what — I got rejected! But when I reflect on the fact that I will be attending Brown University, a school that is a significantly better fit for me than Harvard ever was, I realize that God has put me and all of you exactly where we are supposed to be. He truly put us all in a position that He knew was better than we could have ever imagined for ourselves. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Every single one of us is called by God to do amazing and impactful things in our lives. Through every trial we have faced and will endure in our futures, as children of God, we have been blessed with God’s promise to turn even the darkest moments into good for His glory. We may not see this when we are struggling to master a new skill or seemingly failing at a homework assignment or test, but God can truly turn every aspect of our work into good, whether we realize it or not.
Our Paul VI education has not only provided us with a strong academic education. More importantly the school has provided us with a spiritual foundation on which we can stand, going out into the world in the name of Christ. For those of us who have endured the stress of staying up late to finish a chemistry assignment, or have dealt with the grueling schedule of a student athlete, or have had to balance schoolwork and the activities we wished to do, it may seem as though our efforts were only for the grade, or only for the win, or only for some other menial satisfaction. But we have not worked hard for nothing. Our hard work in high school, our plans to get degrees in college, and our desires to succeed in our future endeavors are not solely for the worldly, temporal outcome. As followers of Christ, our spiritual foundation makes it so that all that we do and all that we accomplish serves a higher, greater purpose in God. Paul VI has taught us to serve, to walk in the image of Christ. Even Jesus did not come to earth to be served but to serve. As we step out of the bubble of our Paul VI community, let us not seek to gain for the sake of earthly success but to take each moment and each effort of our futures as an opportunity to live the life of grace that we have been called by God to live. Let us walk confidently in our Catholic and Christian identities. Let us recognize that our work is not in vain. Let us be living testimonies of Christ’s work in our lives that we might be able to touch every person whom we encounter through our successes and failures, our accomplishments and downfalls. …
We are now about to take the next step into our future. As you walk across this stage, remember who you were walking into this school and thank God for the person you have become walking out through the gift of this Catholic education.
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