A few words at graduation

Guess what guys, I graduated! I wanted to let all the people that didn’t have the opportunity to come hear my delightful speech in person, have a chance to read it. So, here you go, just a couple days after everybody else. Thank y’all for reading all my articles this year. I can’t wait to keep it up over the summer and through college.

First of all, I would like to thank all the teachers, staff, parents, and students who made today, and these last four years possible. It’s my honor to be your Como-Pickton valedictorian, and for being given the opportunity to give you this speech today. Now, this may not be the most inspirational speech you’ve ever heard but, hopefully, it’s good enough for you all to be able to sit through.

My aim is unclear with this speech, I can’t really decide if I want to make y’all laugh, cry, cry from excess laughter, or laugh because you’re crying so hard, so I’m just going to write this as I would an article. In fact, I think I may use this as my article also. If you’re not a regular reader, you’ll find that I’m all over the place and a little unfocused, but everybody likes them a lot. People like them so much that at this point of the year, I’m not recognized as “that Como-Pickton softball player.” I’m recognized as “that newspaper writer.” My mom has always told me that I have a way with words, but I think that maybe I’m just a little different.

It’s just about that time in the speech where I start thanking everybody, so bear with me, we’re in for a long one. I would like to thank the school board and administrators for making my four years of high school smooth sailing — well almost; the dress code gave me a run for my money a few times. If my mom would let me, I’d be wearing shorts right now, but she said no. I want to thank Mr. Baird and Mrs. Bower for always being two friendly faces in the office. I really enjoyed our morning talks, especially when I “occasionally” showed up just a few minutes late.

I want to thank my coaches — we’re going to go in chronological order starting at the beginning of senior year so follow along.

Mrs. Coach Garcia, thank you for making me better. Thank you for pushing me further than any other volleyball coach has before. Thank you for not letting me put a limit on myself. Thank you for trusting me, and finally, thank you for your constant support and encouragement. Without you, I wouldn’t have half as much confidence as I do now. You set the pace for my senior year. Thank you.

Coach Bulls, thank you for letting me help you on the football sidelines. Friday nights with you were my favorite. Sure, I may have had to keep a bottle of mustard in my fanny pack, but hey, at least I got a fanny pack this year. Thank you for letting Freshman Mattison into your classes that weren’t meant for freshmen. Thank you for being my right-hand man in high school. Thank you for being my trainer and therapist. Thank you for telling me to suck it up and to rub some dirt on it.

Mr. Coach Garcia, thank you for making me a better basketball player. Thank you for dealing with me and thank you for not letting me get in any fights. Thank you for always coming to battle with me. Thank you for arguing all my fouls. Me and you both know that I definitely would never go over the back. Who even does that these days? Couldn’t be me. Thank you for these last two years.

Coach Moach Green, I knew I could always look to you for a smile, and thanks for sharing Mr. Pops and your mom with me. Thank you for hanging out with me a couple times back in our high school days. In case y’all didn’t know, we played against each other twice, and those are also the two times we hung out.

Coach Turners, I love you both so much. I love Matthew. You two made high school just a little bit easier. To Josey, thank you for sharing your sisters with me. I love them. Thank you for always talking to me. Thank you for our hugs. Thank you for letting me call myself Jordan’s God Aunt.

Coach Evans, you’re an amazing coach, one I definitely couldn’t be without. Your energy and attitude make me wish I ran my 100-meter dash just a few seconds faster. Thank you for letting me throw for you and thank you for being so understanding. I know it has got to be a little difficult to let your athletes go to another sport, but I really appreciate you letting me do two sports at the same time. Thank you for your effort and constant support no matter my distances.

Coach Hunter, thank you for being the person I could look to for guidance no matter the circumstances. Thank you for never judging me, thank you for being a better bus driver than Coach Wallace. Thank you for sharing Sadie and Shyann with me for a little bit. Thank you for always sharing little looks with me when Mr. Wallace says something a little backwards in the huddles. And, thank you for laughing with me. You’re one of the best people out there.

Coach Wallace, my old pal, shall I say Trevor? I’m going to miss you. Thank you for allowing me to be myself on the softball field. Thank you for embracing my energy. Thank you for being my best puzzle partner. Thank you for being yourself. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for being my “best friend.” Thank you for making me feel special. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. Thank you for endless laughs, all the happy tears and sad tears, and helping shape me into the player I am today. Thank you for four years of softball. And truly, thank you for always keeping our softball field looking the best in the state of Texas. All that mowing and singing to it, really did her good. It was my favorite place in the whole school.

Now that we’re done with all of my coaches, it’s time for a few of my friends, to my lunch table, Sadie Bug, Shy Shy, Paisley Jo, and Sambo, I love you all deeply. Y’all were like my younger siblings. We had so much fun at the lunch table. Between the endless questions, the tears, and the twins’ constant food theft, I had the best year ever. I am so proud of the people y’all are becoming. I’m so proud of the way y’all are impacting the school, three varsity athletes, and the 2023-2024 FFA President sat with me at lunch. That’s pretty impressive for a group of underclassmen. I’m so happy to say that I got to be one of your best friends. I love all four of you to the moon and back.

To Addi, Maggie, Bella, and Sanay, y’all were so amazing to me. We may have had ups, downs, and all that in between, but I truly will miss our time together. To Addi, you made me love high school. We laughed and cried together. We couldn’t even stand each other for a little bit, but eventually we outgrew it. Now, we’re the closest we’ve ever been. I love you, Addi Monk. Maggie, my little Mags, come with me. I don’t know what I’ll do without you. Who will I be able to stay out with until 2 a.m.? You’re the best. I love you, and I really love arguing with you. Bella and Sanay, y’all were two of my favorite people to be around. Your energies are so fun. You both have huge hearts and make everybody around y’all smile. You two are very special. I’ll miss seeing the four of y’all every day, it’s hard knowing that I’m the senior friend leaving this year. We watched all of our other friends go, but now it’s my turn. Please keep being unique.

Thank you to my parents, grandparents, and little sister. I love you all so much. Y’all are my biggest supporters, the people who push me to be my best, and the reason I want to keep making myself better. To Abbigale, I hope that one day I get to come watch you give this speech. You’re the smartest 11-year-old ever, you’re the best at everything, and I want you to know, that no matter what you can always come to me. I may be a state away, but I’m never too far away for you.

To the kids that are still in school, embrace yourself and make your mark on this school. I reckon that there’s going to be some very unique shoes that need filling after my class is out of here. Good luck to all of you! I’m sure y’all will do great in anything you put your minds to.

Finally, to the senior class, congratulations! It’ll all be over and done with soon. Just remember to smile big with your diplomas here in a few minutes. Now, we’re all little fish in a big, blue sea. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish. I can’t wait to see what the world has in store for us. I’m so glad that I got to call all of you friends. Thank you for seven years of friendships, happiness, and long lasting memories.