Schools

Canton High School Senior Delivers Commencement Address

Abby Madison bid farewell to her fellow classmates during the graduation ceremony Sunday evening at Eastern Michigan University.

Abby Madison, one of Canton High School's newest graduates, delivered the Class of 2013 commencement address at her graduation at Eastern Michigan University on Sunday evening. 

Abby won a contest to deliver the address for Canton High School. The contest was open to all seniors. Finalists were selected by a panel of teachers and administrators. Finalists then presented their speeches to another panel of judges, who selected a winner from each school. 

Abby said she wanted to speak at her commencements ever since she attended Plymouth High School's last year and saw the speech then.

"I just thought what a cool thing to be involved in," she said. "Also, I'm really involved with the school - I was President of Congress. I wanted to represent my class."

President of Congress. wanted to represent class.

The following is Abby's speech:

Good evening. My name is Abby Madison and I am so honored to have the privilege to speak on behalf of the very large, very diverse class of 2013 from Canton High School. There is a unique consequence of attending a monstrosity of a high school like the park; and that is, sitting here today as seniors, after going to school together for four years, some of us still don’t even know each other. You may be looking around right now thinking, “I thought he went to Salem!” or “what are you doing here? I thought you graduated last year!” That’s because if we were not fortunate enough to have a class together, we the Class of 2013, have varied interests that have led us down different paths. But as different as we are, there is one thing we have in common. And that is that we are Chiefs.

And I know you’ve seen or heard it before, be it at freshman orientation, a pep rally, or from the signs hanging around the halls…chiefs are leaders. I think it’s important to establish that a leader is not always the student council president with a 4.5 GPA and a resume so long that it actually filled all the space available on college applications. A leader can also be a captain of a sports team, the lead role in the school play, someone who actually raises their hand in class when no one else will, or someone who dresses differently from others because they want to and they can. A leader can even be the person who holds the school door open for you when you’re so far away that you have to awkwardly begin a light jog so you don’t keep them waiting there forever; but they don’t mind anyways because they know how much it sucks to get locked out of PCEP and they don’t want to let the door go on the face of a classmate. I don’t care who you are or what you do; I can guarantee that at some point in these past four years, every single one of you was a leader in your own unique way.

What does this mean? This means that as we leave here today and head out to our universities, trade schools, and places of work in the upcoming months, we have a legacy to uphold. So whether you become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, a politician, a tattoo artist, or a cashier at Wal-Mart, remember that you are a leader. Leaders are unafraid to follow their hearts and their dreams. Leaders become the people that they want to be, not who their parents, teachers, or friends want them to be. Leaders recognize when something is wrong, or needs to be fixed, and have the will and determination to make a change that they know will be beneficial to all.  Through their actions, leaders have the ability to set the tone for character for others around them. Things like kindness, compassion, integrity, and positivity are contagious; and if a leader is demonstrating these characteristics, others are likely to follow.

Now you may be thinking, jeez, it is a lot of responsibility to uphold our reputation as leaders. Well, you’re right, it is. The future is full of responsibility; student loans, car payments, rent, having to do our own laundry. But it’s truly a beautiful thing to have the entire world waiting ahead of us, ready for us to make our mark. Ask your parents, I’m sure they would love to be in your shoes once again, whether they are willing to admit it or not. And if we could survive the past four years dodging seagull poop, freezing to death on the path, and searching for ways to get around the dress code and tardy policies, I think we are more than ready to handle what’s ahead.

So I leave you here today, Canton High School Class of 2013, asking of you two simple favors. I ask that you continue to be a leader, though how you interpret and carry out that role is completely up to you. And no matter what type of leader you choose to be, I ask that you have a purpose.  The world is literally at your fingertips; embrace it whole-heartedly, shape it, mold it, and leave it profoundly better than how you found it. And always, always remember that chiefs are leaders…we are leaders.

Abby will be attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor this fall, but is not sure yet what she wants to study.


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