Graduation Speech: Standing at the Edge of a New Frontier

As we gather here today, in the seeming twilight of our too-short times together, we embrace the moment, then set sail upon our separate journeys that will take us to fabulous places presently unknown. Securely anchored in the memory of our past experiences together, we depart cautiously, anxiously from the calm harbor of our present, and set sail with uncertainty toward the distant horizon of our futures. Where this journey will take us, and whether our paths will ever cross again, no one can know for certain. We have been through a great many things together — experiences which have shaped our character and colored our lives. As we gaze back upon our prior travels, upon oceans of the â€Å"known,† we are tempted to conclude that we have reached our final destination, and that our purpose is fulfilled. Yet in our quest to find and touch the future, our search for knowledge is only getting started. In the words of Sir Winston Churchill, â€Å"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning...† As we carry forward — through the ...