Plymouth Grad Follows Family Tradition of Giving Commencement Address at Graduation

Shamaila Ashraf, one of Plymouth High School's newest graduates, delivered the Class of 2013 commencement address at her graduation at Eastern Michigan University on Sunday afternoon. 

Shamaila won a contest to deliver the address for Plymouth 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. 

Shamaila said that she's been told ever since her freshman year that she should enter the speech contest - that and the fact her older sister entered the contest and won in 2006 were the reasons she decided to try it. 

"It was nice, but I'm pretty sure my speech will be better," she said about her sister's speech laughing. 

Following is Shamaila's speech:

Friends, family, and esteemed members of the Plymouth staff, thank you for being here on this very important day. Plymouth High School graduating class of 2013...wildcats, that’s us. All 500 of us make up this amazing group; a group moving on to a new chapter in our lives where we’ll take our experience and turn it into our drive and motivation. I still remember my freshman year; everything about P-CEP was enormous: the masses of students, the innumerous clubs one could join…and especially the seemingly endless wait time for the wraps at Plymouth. But, what really surprised me was the size of our class. Most of us walked into Plymouth on the morning of our first day not knowing what to expect. We barely knew anyone, other than the familiar faces of our previous classmates, and maybe after the first week we could recognize the guy from our 3rd hour. But ultimately we were individuals lost in a school of fish…and I mean literally, it is a school after all. However, after a few short months at Plymouth, the walls started to break down and the ‘school of fish’ became something greater…a group of cultured students.

As we walked through the halls of Plymouth each day, we grew accustomed to the various new individuals we came across. Not only did we become more comfortable around one another, but we were more at ease with our school…and ourselves. We joined clubs, tried out for sports, and attended homecomings. We cheered on our peers at football games, swim meets and school plays. We donated our change to the Congress member running around for a miracle minute, we decked out in black and silver for the pep rallies, and wildcats, we wore our ugly sweaters each Thursday of December. Why did we do these things? I think the answer lies in the sense of belonging this place has given us throughout these four years. Fellow classmates, these four years can be summed up in the four terms that unite us all—Plymouth Class of 2013. 

Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” We are 500 brilliant, strong and intelligent citizens in a world of 7 billion. Put it into perspective, and that number may seem small, but that does not make us weak. Whether it was through our school spirit when our football team became the runner-up in the state championship, or when we came together to support a fellow P-CEP student by volunteering in the SJ5K, we’ve shown our community justhow driven and supportive the class of 2013 is. We’ve made our mark on Plymouth High School and the P-CEP community, but now, fellow graduates…it’s time to make our mark on the world. 

Wildcats, we started off high school not knowing much about the world. But how we began is not where we have ended up—for one thing we are sitting in this hall filled with our loved ones, celebrating our success, instead of walking into Pre-Calc dreading the quiz that we have to take. Albert Einstein once said, “The only source of knowledge is experience”. As Plymouth graduates, we have gained that knowledge through our experiences. We have learned lessons in the classroom and beyond the walls of school these past four years. We have experienced events that have brought us closer together. And how did we react to these events? Did we sit back and do nothing? No, wildcats, we stood up and we took action. We sent cards to Newtown, we sold wristbands for the Support Max Foundation, and we became a group of thoughtful citizens. We, as a class, have experienced success, disappointment, hardship and the occasional splash of senioritis. However, fellow graduates, these experiences from Plymouth arewhat mold our knowledge…this is what we have to take with us this upcoming fall.

As you sit here today, I want you to not only reflect on your time at Plymouth High School, but I want you to think about how you’re going to shape your experience into your motivation for the future. We’re all going our separate ways after today, whether it’s to a four year university or straight into a professional setting. It’ll be like your first day as a freshman at P-CEP; walking in with that deer in headlights look, a million thoughts racing through your mind. Don’t worry about whether or not you’ll fit in, or if you’ll make a friend. Whether you’re in another group of 500 like this, or in a large convention of 40,000, just remember that you are a Plymouth High School alumnus, and you have the ability to conquer the world. So wildcats, the time has come for us to leave Plymouth High School…but don’t say goodbye, instead let’s tell Plymouth High School thank you, thank you for shaping us into the people we are today. Thank you for giving us the experiences that will help us go out into the real world and make the most of our lives. Thank you friends and family for supporting us. Thank you mom and dad, for bringing us those midnight snacks when we were cooped up in our rooms studying for finals. Thank you, teachers and staff, for asking us about how we were doing, even though you had 130 other students to focus on. Most importantly, thank YOU Plymouth wildcats, for being strong, sassy and successful.

Congratulations Plymouth Class of 2013, and forever, GO CATS!