The Speech

As Julie was waiting to step up to the podium, she took a deep breath and looked at those who had been her classmates. There were so many she had made friends with and so many she had yet to really get to know. But what she was sure of was that they were all ready for the new chapter of their lives.

When Mrs. Monroe had called her in her office weeks before, Julie did not know why. All she knew was Mrs. Monroe was in charge of graduation and had begun talking to students who she wanted to be a part of the ceremony. All Julie wanted to do was graduate and see what the future held for her.

Never did she think that it would lead to public speaking of any sort. But here she was getting ready to stand in front of students and staff and give the biggest speech of her life as she embarked on new adventures. But the minute she heard her name she found herself as ready as she would ever be.

“Julie Carpenter.” And with thunderous applause she stood and walked up to the mic.

~~~~~

“As I stand here before you, I have a confession to make. Growing up I thought ‘Dora the explorer’ was just for kids. But she was more than that she was a role model. She set an example for those who tuned in and watched her day after day. Now with that said let me ask you something, what do Dora the explorer, Dr. Suess, and Star Trek have in common? They were explorers of the unknown. They sought adventure and discovery. And that’s what we need to do now. We need to say goodbye to what we are familiar with and as Capt. Kirk would say boldly go where we have not been before. And before you wonder, yes I am a Trekkie.

Each episode was filled with the unknown. But no matter what, they successfully accomplished their goal and conquered whatever obstacle was in their way. And that’s what we must do, follow these examples and forge a path for the next generations like these three did for us. And in doing this, we not only learn about our world, but ourselves as well.

As I not only prepared for graduation day but this speech, I found myself remembering the words a good friend said at her graduation. And with her permission I am going to repeat them now. “You can be anybody you want to be.” “You can do anything you want to do- short of murder that is.” She continued as laughter moved through the audience.

“So, the sky is the limit. Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” (John F Kennedy 1961 inaugural speech) and when asked why do we do this thing or that we can say we do them not because they are easy, but because they are hard!”

(speech given Sept 12, 1962)

“So, lets stand beside these great men and women of our past and be the inspiration to others as these people have been for us. Thank you.” Julie said as applause filled the room. That night after the ceremony Julie and her family joined the rest of the grads and families as they celebrated by taking pictures and saying their last goodbyes. Those who wanted to stay in touch exchanged phone numbers.

Julie and her family was getting ready to leave when Mrs. Swanson came rushing over just as they were getting into the car and head to dinner.

“Wait! Wait!”

Julie and her family stopped and waited by their car as the woman came over stopping in front of them. “I am glad I caught you before you took off.”

“What is it Mrs. Swanson?” Julies father asked.

“Well first I want to tell Julie how very proud of her I am. That speech was very well thought out and written.” She smiled at the young woman.

“Thank you. I hope I never have to go through that again.” Julie sighed.

“Well… that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. See over the last 4 years we have noticed how active you were in community events and education when it came to children.”

“That’s right, I believe children should have the chance to read and escape into a story as much as the rest of us. And learning to read can be tough. I just think they should have every chance possible.”

“That’s why we want you to give a speech to the schools literary board for students, k -12.”

Unsure of what to say, she just stood there.

“That’s great, its right up your alley, don’t you want to be a special ed teacher?”

“True,” Julie slowly said.

“Well, this will help show the investors and future teachers how dedicated they are and what is needed to help students learn to read. You were there firsthand. You saw the struggles and know what these kids are needing.”

“That’s true.” Julie said as she took a deep breath.

“Well?” Her dad asked

Alright. I’ll do it for the kids.”

“Atta girl.”

“I’ll call you in a few days and give you the details. Right now, go out and celebrate. You have earned it.”

“Thank you I will.”

As promised Mrs. Swanson phoned Julie and told her about the speech and what they wanted her to get across. After great thought she put pen to paper and wrote the first draft of her speech.

“Good morning, ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Julie Carpenter, and I am here to talk about the education of our future children. I just graduated high school and I am working to be a special ed teacher. But I can only do that with your continued help. To explain why your continued support is so important I will tell you about my past and my desire to teach children to read.

From an early age thanks to my parents, I loved escaping into the pages of a book and going on the adventure that unfolded before me. When I started babysitting, I began sharing that love of reading with the children I cared for. Then in 7th grade I became a teacher's aide in language arts and my teaching career began. I was now able to help these children discover the joy of reading for themselves.

One day I was helping a young girl who was having a hard time reading a passage but when I showed her how to break it down by sounding out the letters, you should have seen her excitement. She finally understood.

It was as if a light bulb went off. She understood and her happiness radiated outward. The pure joy in her eyes as she looked at me said it all. And it was the day I decided to be a teacher myself. To be able to see that look in the eyes of other children was something I just can’t explain but I knew it was something I wanted to see over and over. To be able to share my passion and joy for reading is the best feeling in the world. And I want to share that with others. And with your continued support I’ll be able to.

Thank you”

As she finished her speech the audience gave her a standing ovation as they move to speak with her. And Mrs. Swanson hurried to her side to answer any questions they had as well as support her.

Days later Mrs. Swanson called and told Julie that the donations they received surpassed the previous year and it was all thanks to her.

Hanging up Julie began to feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that soon there would be another generation of book lovers enjoying stories by some of the famous authors she herself had fallen in love with growing up. And she couldn’t be happier.

The end