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Parents Speech by Chloe Tan’s Mother (Abstract)

June 7, 2018

Parents Speech by Chloe Tan’s Mother (Abstract)

People always say “Never give up.” Your elders, teachers, mentors, peers, friends, maybe even your parents, have at some point told you not to give up. (and) Why should you? Because you don’t want to disappoint the very people who tell it to you, and you don’t want to disappoint yourself.

But this mindset leads to something very dangerous: the idea that “I can”, “I should”, “I have to”, “I need to”, “I must”, and finally: “I don’t have a choice.”

You always have a choice.

You don’t need to save the world. You don’t need to cure cancer. Don’t push yourself to the point where you can’t handle it anymore. Don’t overtly pressurize yourself and make your life miserable: We want you alive, we want you healthy, we want you happy, above all else.

You are who you are today because of a great number of factors — this beautiful school, its amazing cast of caring and loving teachers, your supportive and omnipresent parents, your siblings friends, peers, environment, and your own personality. Graduation is a time where that growth and change finally becomes evident. We, as your parents, have watched on anxiously as you struggled through this time period, friends and teachers by your side.

The school’s support extends beyond the classroom, and its influence is embedded within the education and growth of each student. I believe that the strong ties formed between student and teacher, student and school, will continue long after this speech (and this graduation ceremony) ends.

I think that is the mentality I wish to conclude with. Everything you have experienced up until now, is extremely precious and beautiful and of such importance to you. It has shaped more than 17 years of your life, and today as you hold the scroll and adjust your graduation caps, you must recall what is truly important, in your many many more years to come. Celebrate life, knowledge, the experiences you went through, and ready yourselves for more change and more experiences.