Saint Stephen's seniors receive one last lesson in finding success at graduation ceremony
It's a tough task to break it to a class of 69 students that their lives after high school won't be filled with success — not at first, at least. But that's exactly what a speaker told students at the Saint Stephen's Episcopal School graduation ceremony Saturday morning.
Nora Gentry, a Class of 2008 graduate, told seniors at her alma mater that the path to a happy life is rocky, and that's exactly how it's supposed to be. Failures, should be expected, because they build character and teach you what success truly is, she said.
"Failure is a blessing," said Gentry, who said she faced setback after setback while pursuing a career in chemical engineering. "The key to successfully failing is to learn from it and become a better person because of it."
As you grow older and your outlook on life evolves, your definition of success changes. Gentry said it happened to her almost every single day as she tackled her college studies and eventually her professional career, but she kept her goals in sight, even as they were shifting constantly.
"Although I do have a great career, it isn't what makes me happy. Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. You have to figure out what in your life makes you happy. Figure out what that is, pursue it, nourish it and always keep that in mind, and then you will find success."
Gentry's message didn't take away from the excitement that the graduating seniors felt. Head of school Janet Pullen said she could feel it filling the Neel Performing Arts Center at the State College of Florida.
"Just think of all the times you have said in your life 'When I graduate, oh the possibilities,'" Pullen said, addressing her students. "Well those thoughts are now a reality and graduation is here. It is no longer when, it is now."
Student council president Hayes Chatham agreed and reminded his fellow classmates that this is the day they've waited for this day for about as long as they can remember.
"It would be an understatement to say that this ceremony is a special occasion. Today marks the culmination of a long journey, and the stepping off point of another one," Chatham said.
One of the highlights of the graduation ceremony was a prekindergarten Falcon Friends performance of "You've Got a Friend in Me," a popular song from Pixar's "Toy Story."
Charlie Price gave senior remarks along with two other students and said he believes the time he spent at Saint Stephen's has pushed him in the right direction, and the same goes for his fellow seniors.
"This is a room full of people who will lead the world toward a better future," Price said.
Based on the students' high level of achievement, they're already off to a proper start. Upper school director Andrew Forrester announced that the Saint Stephen's 2018 graduating class earned more than $1.8 million in Bright Futures scholarships and served more than 13,000 volunteer hours.
The seniors have left their mark on Saint Stephen's, too. Senior class president Catherine Pierce and senior class vice president Parker Lansberg announced this year's senior gift. Students chose to purchase bookshelves to display every single one of the school's yearbooks, dating back to 1975.
"Yearbooks provide the perfect resource for reminiscing on our prior years," Lansberg said. "Sometimes looking back at our past can be just as important as looking into our future."
In January, Tammy O'Dell lost her battle with cancer. A golden butterfly painting will be dedicated to the school's former director of the lunch program. The final gift was a $1,000 donation to Saint Stephen's endowment fund.
Going forward, students at Saint Stephen's will face adversity and hardship. Gentry reassured them that those difficulties are par for the course and how they overcome them will help define their character as adults.
"Over the next few years, you'll change and grow in more ways than you can imagine. You'll experience great achievement, but also great failures," said Gentry. "It's through these failures that you will learn about who you are as a young adult, and it change your view of who you want to be."
This story was originally published May 26, 2018 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Saint Stephen's seniors receive one last lesson in finding success at graduation ceremony."