Graduation Address: Adanna O. '25

Raise your hand if you have ever given a graduation speech. Fantastic! It  looks like no one is a pro, so I’m just gonna try my best.

My dad told me that a good way to start a graduation speech is to start with a joke and then address my class. I thought of many jokes to say, but after my dad tried to contribute, it felt cringy, so I decided to leave it out. But I will take his other advice and address my class, so excuse me one moment.

Guys! I’m excited to announce that we made it to graduation. As hectic as this last term was, we were able to successfully complete our school year. Unfortunately, I’m not as happy as I think I should be. 

Park was a place that made me feel like I could be myself while also fitting in with my peers, and thinking that I will no longer be part of this community frightens me. I was going to say it frightens me slightly, but truthfully it frightens me a lot.

Park is a place that has made me feel anchored in who I am, a place for me to navigate my relationships with peers and myself. Today, as a graduate, I feel as though Park is a community that has steered me to a bright future. But I haven’t always felt this way.

I have a little story to tell, but I promise there is a point to it. So, try to follow along.

When I was younger, I felt different. Not special, not unique, just different. One of very few black girls in my grade. A diligent worker, but it never felt like my work paid off. I always got the generic teacher comments, “She works really hard” and “She’s got so much potential,” but it didn't truly feel that way to me.

Even though I had friends (amazing ones)  I felt a little out of place and adrift. None of this helped when the Pandemic hit. Park students were sent home with tote bags from the PE department, thinking it would only be a two week long “vay cay.” As we all know, it was longer than two weeks.

During the pandemic, and those hours of having NOTHING to do, I felt powerless. I felt like there was nothing to work for. Nothing to live for.

I developed horrible habits that landed me in the hospital. I felt like I was unmoored and drifting further from myself and who I was.

My memories from before I was stuck were fading, and all I knew were the turbulent waves in my mind. Then, a life line was thrown.  

One day I woke up to the sight of a large card on the side of my bed. I saw the signatures of everyone in my class with notes wishing me well. The words said “get better,” but what I heard was “come back,” and I grabbed a hold and began the process of reeling myself in.

I realized that there was SO much I was missing out on. Eating lunch with my friends outside, reading Greek mythology in class, pretending to pay attention when they taught us how to read a clock. Still struggle on that sometimes, it takes a second.

The things I had thought were so generic, I began to realize were truly extraordinary. I realized how much I had taken for granted. I needed to begin my journey to recover and heal. And so I did.

I began my process of recovery and even when confronted with waves I persevered. I eventually made it out and could see clearly again. 

I will never forget the day I returned to 171 Goddard Ave. It was the last day of 4th grade, and I begged my mom to let me attend school. She agreed, and the moment I walked through the door of Mr Schmidt’s classroom, I was greeted by my enthusiastic friends and classmates. 

It made me feel like I mattered, that all of these people were rooting for me. My peers. My teachers. My family.

The point of me telling you this story today on our graduation day is because I realized then, and continue to know that Park School was not just an enormous (soon to be expanded) building we came to five of the seven days of the week. It was a gift. 

The gift Park School gives us isn’t wrapped in wrapping paper or tied with a bow. It’s a figurative gift that allows us to see how special each and everyone at Park School is. I was special, I was unique, and I was no longer adrift. I had friends, teachers and family that loved me, a gift that could never be bought. 

Park taught each and every one of us curiosity and the pursuit of learning, and if The Park School was able to impact me this much as one person, think about each and every one of us. Our stories, our adventures, and even our own challenges when we felt lost at sea. 

Don't get it twisted, our Park School journey doesn’t just have to end here at graduation. The amazing thing about us as Park graduates is we can channel out into our new journeys as Park School alumni. We can bring the amazing memories of Park School with us wherever we go.

And I don’t just mean the quadratic formula [speaking to the class, “that’s your cue” and everyone sings together: x=-b + or - the square root of b square - 4ac all over 2a.]  I mean...clap it up for them!

I mean the five million times Ms Dennis called us brilliant scholars even when we didn’t feel as such. I mean the moments when Mr Young would dissect a poem so deeply that I would yearn to know more. The moments when Peiwen’s contagious laugh sparked a joyous uproar. The moments when we would get sidetracked in science because our brains were bubbling with knowledge. And those moments when we struggled, those moments when we didn't know what to expect and what was in our future and this beautiful community threw that lifeline to help us.

So when we are all 42 and struggling with back pain and taxes and whatever else adults struggle with…or even six or seven years after this… remember that there is a community here for you to come back to. From get well cards to farewell messages in yearbooks, we have grown as a class,  and if there is one thing I know, it's that even when the sea feels too rough, we are never truly drifting. We are tethered by the people who believe in us.

This chapter may be closing, but the story we’ve written here is forever part of who we are. So let's go forward with bright eyes, curious minds, and always, always the courage to come back when we need to.

Congratulations, Class of 2025. I’m proud to be one of you. Thank you.

#ParkSchoolExcellence #ParkSchoolUpper #ParkSchoolGrade8 #TheParkSchoolMA