A few years passed. We have finally reached the end of the school year, and the school is hosting a graduation party tomorrow. Sahara is super excited. Eugene got the day off just to be there. Mother and father gave me the day off to go as well. Its not like a regular school day, as it starts later.
Thankfully, I didn't have to buy a graduation robe since my father already had one. He let me wear his for graduation day. Eugene already had one and Sahara is renting hers. Or, at least, that's what she told me.
Father pulled up the car next to one of the teacher's car in the parking lot. "We'll wait for some of your siblings," he said. "You can head inside."
"Thanks," I replied, smiling. I've been waiting my whole life for this day, and it's finally here! I am really excited but kind of nervous at the same time. I've never actually been the student graduating. I've seen plenty of them, from my other siblings, but I've never experienced it myself. It must be different, being the person to actually graduate. Plus, it's just another step into adulthood.
"Hey, buddy!" Eugene's voice called from the crowd. He shoved his way through to meet me. "You made it!"
"Of course I did! I wouldn't miss this for the world!"
"Well, it's good to see you could make it!" He paused. "Did you rent that?"
"No, it's father's."
"Your dad went to college?" Eugene asked, shocked.
"What, you thought he didn't?"
"Well, he's working at a post office," Eugene replied.
"Alright, fair enough," I said.
"Eugene! Roland!" Sahara's voice called as she walked up behind us.
"Sahara!" Eugene said, squishing her in a hug. He gives the same hugs as mother. "Yeah, I made it," Sahara said, panting for air.
"That's great!" Eugene cheered. "Are you excited?"
"Yeah! And I'm kinda nervous too," Sahara said. "I've never actually seen a graduation before."
"Its easy," I said, reassuring her. "I've been to plenty of these before. All they really do is give you a diploma and ask you to talk to everyone."
"Oh, well, I can do that."
Principal Brown walked up to the pulpit and tapped the microphone. "Welcome, everyone to graduation day!" The crowd cheered and applauded. "Thank you all for coming to this special day! I would like to thank the teachers who taught the students this year. Give them all a round of applause!"
Once again, everyone cheered and clapped. "Thank you," Principal Brown said as the applause calmed down. "Now, we have three classes this year graduating if they would like to come up here and join me." Class 303, 304 and 305 all walked up to the stage and joined Principal Brown up top. I noticed my parents walk in with a few of my siblings. I counted them and found all except two of my brothers and one sister. Sahara's mother and Eugene's parents walked in as well.
"These are the classes graduating this year. I would like to thank them, on behalf of the staff, for joining this school and becoming a student here." The crowd cheered again. "Thank you, that's enough." Principal Brown raised a hand to stop the crowd.
He continued to give a lot of thanks and began to talk. "I would now like all of the graduating students to come up here and give a small little speech. We'll start with Classroom 305." Principal Brown walked off stage and the first student walked up.
I began to worry. I don't like talking in front of big crowds and I haven't been very good at it. "Hey, take it easy, Roland," Eugene said, elbowing me.
"You okay?" Sahara asked. It seems I began to worry physically too. Eugene and Sahara noticed. Or Eugene just knew I was panicking. "Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. "i'm just not very good at talking to big crowds."
"You'll do fine," Eugene said. "You know what I do?" I shook my head. "I pretend that no one is there. That you're talking to an empty room. Just a bunch of chairs watching you. It's not that bad!"
"Do you even need to do that?" Sahara asked. "You're so good at talking to people already!"
"Well, I used to do that anyway," Eugene said, laughing quietly. "I still do sometimes. Even I get nervous, like now, for example. My hands are sweaty!" Sahara giggled. "Well, it's good to know what helps you! I'm fine just doing whatever. I usually can just talk to them."
"I might take your advice, Eugene," I said. "It might work."
"Oh, it doesn't just 'might' work. It does work!" Eugene's optimism relaxed me a little. His idea, picturing no one there, might actually help.
Eventually, the line shrank and then, it was Sahara, Eugene, Reggie, and I. Sahara walked up to the microphone. She smiled as she scanned the crowd. "Okay, so uh, this is my first time being to a graduation, so I don't really know how it works. The other students all seem to be talking about how the school helped and their families so I'll just follow their lead." The crowd giggled a bit.
"Okay, so, I'm in class 304 and I haven't really wanted to come here. I was actually going to go to another school. But, I am glad that I came to his school because I made my first friends here. I also learned a lot and I am really grateful for my teacher.
"Anyway, I have to be honest here. I was honestly really, REALLY scared to come here. I never had any friends in kindergarten and I was sure it would be the same way here. But, because of my friends, I built up my confidence. I came out of my shell.
"But, most importantly, I have to thank Ms. Witherspoon, my homeroom teacher. She is the best teacher I have ever had and it made me realize: not all teachers are bad. Every year I've been to school, the teachers always gave me too much homework or never picked me to answer questions. I was always left out. But thanks to Ms. Witherspoon, I realize now that just because all teachers are the same. She helped me find what I wanted to be. She helped me realize that I want to be a teacher. A teacher students can look up to. A teacher for students like me, no friends, no confidence. A teacher that can change someone's life. That is who I want to be. I want to be a teacher that you can be proud of. A teacher that the parents can be glad that their kid is going to school. A teacher that can change the way a kid thinks about themselves.
"College has been very challenging for me but thanks to my friends, Ms. Witherspoon, and my mom, I made it through, all in one piece. I want to thank all of you. Thank you." With that, she was off. Sahara wants to be a teacher? I could see her working at that! I think she would do a very good job.
She also didn't have any friends, like her mother said. However, I had no idea that the teachers didn't like her. I never had a problem with the teachers, just the other kids.
Eugene is up next. All he talked about was how he had hoped to get a lot out of the school year to further his learning for a nurse, and how he had helped his friends to get through college as well. Eugene was making a lot of jokes, which worked well with the audience.
As he walked off, he looked towards me and threw a thumbs-up. I took a deep breath. I can do this. Just pretend that no one is there. Like I'm talking to a bunch of chairs. That should be easy. I walked up to the microphone and as I scanned the crowd, I was beginning to have second thoughts. What if I lost my train of thought halfway through? What if I said something stupid? What if they laughed at me?
I saw Sahara, Eugene and my family in the crowd, silently cheering me on. I took a deep breath. I'll be fine. I won't mess this up. I closed my eyes. Just picture no one is there.
When I opened my eyes, the only people who remained in the room was my friends and family. Okay, that's better. At least I'll have some one to talk to. "I, uh, want to thank the teachers here for their ability to work hard every day and make sure each student gets a fair chance. They stay up late, every night, to make sure everyone tests are graded, to prepare the lessons for the next day, and they reach out to the students to prepare them for the upcoming week. They take time out of their schedule to make sure that the work is done, the room is clean, and that each student is taking in the things they need to move on to their lives ahead of them.
"I also want to thank Principal Brown. He is the one who makes sure the teachers get their jobs done. He helps the students who need extra attention and he keeps the school in good condition. I want to thank him for making sure everything is in proper order and keeping the school as safe as possible for the students and teachers here.
"I want to thank my family. My siblings, as annoying as they are, help me to progress and teach me things that I should and shouldn't do. My father taught me the basics of the road and showed me what it was like to be a dependable person. My mother taught me that it's okay to cry and that you have to be there for others. She taught me that everyone makes mistakes and we should just learn from them.
"Last, but not least, I want to thank my friends. They were there when I needed them and they are the only friends I have. I have spent time with them and grew closer to them over these years and they have just been best friends.
"I want to thank everyone who was here, learning, progressing and growing. Each of us have grown together, became closer together, cried, worked, and put everything we had into each other and our work. I just want to say, I was a little skeptical about coming to college, especially this one, but it has been proven very helpful and I'll never forget my experiences here. I want to thank all of you, for everything."
I walked off and the whole crowd came back. I could see my mother crying and a few of my sisters. One of my brothers was even crying. I have to admit, Eugene's trick worked.
"that was beautiful, Roland!" Sahara said as I joined her in the audience.
"Was it?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. "I was just going with my gut at that point."
"It was fantastic!" Eugene agreed.
"Well..." I ran out of words to say.
After Reggie finished his speech about his plans for the future and his family's support, Principal Brown returned the pulpit. "Thank you to all of those students who shared today. Give each other a round of applause!" He raised his arms in the air and the audience, including all those graduating, applauded. "Thank you all for making this a wonderful school year! All of those who are ready, we have food trucks, and we hired a photographer to take your picture. You only get two though. I hope you all enjoy your summer and happy graduation!"
The crowd cheered and some of us scattered outside. "Roland!" mother cried, running over to me. "You were wonderful!"
"Well, Eugene helped a bit," I said.
"Congrats, son!" father said, slapping me on the back. He slapped me hard enough for me to stumble forward.
"Should we go take a picture?" Serena asked.
"That sounds wonderful!" mother cheered.
After a while, Principal Brown told us to head outside for the after party. That's where we have the chance to take pictures. Half the school went outside, including Sahara, Eugene and I, while the rest of them stayed inside. We had to wait to get our pictures taken but the time did come. Father was super happy and seemed to be the proudest.
Sahara, Eugene, and I all gathered together for one picture, with all of us together. Eugene pulled us both into a hug. I couldn't help but smile. I have been waiting for this day to come and it's finally here. Graduation day. The day I can finally get my diploma.