Valedictorian's Speech Good evening, dear graduates, teachers, family members, friends and distinguished guests. It is a tremendous honor to be the valedictorian of our class. My job is to, in one way or another, be the voice of the entire graduating class and take five minutes to say a few words on behalf of each of us. Like most valedictorians, writing this speech was not an easy task for me. Not because I had nothing to say, but because I was overwhelmed by everything I wanted to share with you all on this day. Tonight we have a common goal: to celebrate. We are here to congratulate each other, to look forward to what the future holds, to wish each other well, and most importantly, to look back on our time here. So I would like to start by saying “well done” to my fellow graduates, who have all worked hard over the past few years to reach this milestone. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the graduating class for choosing me to speak here this evening. Since the news broke, many people, some of whom I had never really met before, have come up to me and wished me luck. Maybe this speech would be incomplete if I didn't say something to the teachers. On behalf of my entire class, I would like to thank all my teachers: thank you. Thank you for teaching us, for guiding us, for building us as adults. I know we haven't given you the respect you deserve. I know we haven't told you how much we appreciate you taking the time to help us. And I know we haven't said thank you for giving us a wonderful education. So I hope that by saying thank you, you can forget our faults and remember us as we are and not the mistakes we made. ...... middle of paper ......enry David Thoreau once said, "Tomorrow's success begins with today's dreams." This short quote perhaps contains a great wealth of wisdom. Here's the essence of my advice: take what you can from the good parts of the past and incorporate them into your present, your future, and that of others as well. How can you do this? Tell the stories of your late grandfather to a younger cousin. Recommend a good book. Pass down a family recipe. Give others your favorite moments from the past, so they can cherish them and distribute them equally. You can also take the best of yourself and add your own voice to the minds of the future. How do you do this? Discover something. Invent something. Create something. Don't be afraid to dream. It will be a part of you passed down to future generations. Your voice will have helped the forest reach new heights. Thank you for your politely feigned attention.