GraDuaTioN SPeeCH...
For those of you who were not there, or were not able to hear, (due to the stupid airplane that just had to be flying around when I went up to speak) here it is! The BeST speech you will eVeR hear…err…read. *DRuMRoLL PLeaSe*…
Class of 2004 and staff:
My name is Jennifer Toledo and I am not valedictorian, ASB president or someone who is graduating with honors. Towards the end of my sophomore year I was diagnosed with leukemia. Due to that disease, I missed a whole semester of my junior year and a big chunk of my senior year. Thankfully, I had enough credits ahead that I am able to be here to celebrate this day. But it has not been easy.
Being able to graduate on time is a very significant achievement I could not have accomplished without the help of so many people.
First and foremost I’d like to thank God for giving me a second chance to live. Having a nightmare like this come true is very hard to overcome, but it made me strong. I see it as a blessing in disguise and it changed my outlook on life
To my counselor, thank you for dealing with me and all the changes in my schedule to accommodate my absences. You helped push me to want to be here because you knew I was just SO close and you knew I could do it.
To the Space and Engineering Academy, thank you for holding a fundraiser for me while I was sick and being almost like my "family" at school. Over the last four years I have made some wonderful friendships with students and teachers I never would have known had I not joined the academy. I will always remember the happiness that went around when I returned back to school.
To the academy secretary, thank you for having me in your office and letting me have a study hall period so I could catch up on all my work. If I didn’t have that extra time, I don’t know if I would’ve made it.
To the attendance staff, thank you for making me that blanket when I was in the hospital, excusing my MANY absences and always asking me how I was doing and wishing me well. If I would have kept every single admit I have, I could very well have an entire book.
To the security guards and custodians, thank you for always greeting me and seeing if I was doing all right. Those simple greetings always put a smile on my face even if I wasn’t feeling so great.
To all my teachers, thank you for being understanding with all my delays and granting me extra time to get everything done. Without your sympathy and special treatment, I could not have completed everything I did.
To the entire faculty for affecting me in one way or another, for letting me be up here to give this speech, I thank you. It means so much that I am able to show my gratitude.
To all my doctors and nurses who have been there to see me go through everything, thank you. You are all amazing people who have helped me fight this battle.
To all the friends I have made and kept throughout these four years. Thank you for helping me catch up in class, for visiting me when I couldn’t go anywhere, for making me "get well" cards, for listening to me and attempting to understand my illness even when it was too much, for all the laughter and inside jokes …these memories and many more will live on forever, because not only were you my true friends, all your love and caring was the medicine I needed to get better.
To my family and my "second family" thank you for all the unwavering support and encouragement. I would not be here without all of you. You have helped guide me and I am proud to be who I am today. Everyone told me it would be okay if I took some time off to recuperate and didn’t graduate with my class, but I wanted to prove that I could do it and here I am! I did it!
To the class of 2004, take my experience and know that life isn’t always sugar coated. Sometimes reality is harsh, but what matters is how you handle it. Think positive and never take anything for granted. Use all your experiences, positive and negative, to shape who you become. I wish you all the best in the future and you will succeed in ANYTHING you put your mind to. CONGRATULATIONS!
Class of 2004 and staff:
My name is Jennifer Toledo and I am not valedictorian, ASB president or someone who is graduating with honors. Towards the end of my sophomore year I was diagnosed with leukemia. Due to that disease, I missed a whole semester of my junior year and a big chunk of my senior year. Thankfully, I had enough credits ahead that I am able to be here to celebrate this day. But it has not been easy.
Being able to graduate on time is a very significant achievement I could not have accomplished without the help of so many people.
First and foremost I’d like to thank God for giving me a second chance to live. Having a nightmare like this come true is very hard to overcome, but it made me strong. I see it as a blessing in disguise and it changed my outlook on life
To my counselor, thank you for dealing with me and all the changes in my schedule to accommodate my absences. You helped push me to want to be here because you knew I was just SO close and you knew I could do it.
To the Space and Engineering Academy, thank you for holding a fundraiser for me while I was sick and being almost like my "family" at school. Over the last four years I have made some wonderful friendships with students and teachers I never would have known had I not joined the academy. I will always remember the happiness that went around when I returned back to school.
To the academy secretary, thank you for having me in your office and letting me have a study hall period so I could catch up on all my work. If I didn’t have that extra time, I don’t know if I would’ve made it.
To the attendance staff, thank you for making me that blanket when I was in the hospital, excusing my MANY absences and always asking me how I was doing and wishing me well. If I would have kept every single admit I have, I could very well have an entire book.
To the security guards and custodians, thank you for always greeting me and seeing if I was doing all right. Those simple greetings always put a smile on my face even if I wasn’t feeling so great.
To all my teachers, thank you for being understanding with all my delays and granting me extra time to get everything done. Without your sympathy and special treatment, I could not have completed everything I did.
To the entire faculty for affecting me in one way or another, for letting me be up here to give this speech, I thank you. It means so much that I am able to show my gratitude.
To all my doctors and nurses who have been there to see me go through everything, thank you. You are all amazing people who have helped me fight this battle.
To all the friends I have made and kept throughout these four years. Thank you for helping me catch up in class, for visiting me when I couldn’t go anywhere, for making me "get well" cards, for listening to me and attempting to understand my illness even when it was too much, for all the laughter and inside jokes …these memories and many more will live on forever, because not only were you my true friends, all your love and caring was the medicine I needed to get better.
To my family and my "second family" thank you for all the unwavering support and encouragement. I would not be here without all of you. You have helped guide me and I am proud to be who I am today. Everyone told me it would be okay if I took some time off to recuperate and didn’t graduate with my class, but I wanted to prove that I could do it and here I am! I did it!
To the class of 2004, take my experience and know that life isn’t always sugar coated. Sometimes reality is harsh, but what matters is how you handle it. Think positive and never take anything for granted. Use all your experiences, positive and negative, to shape who you become. I wish you all the best in the future and you will succeed in ANYTHING you put your mind to. CONGRATULATIONS!