2025 Salutatorian Address

This is the last day we might all be together in the same room. The last of many tears, smiles, and laughs.  Some of us have been in the same room, every day since we were five. We’ve known each other as children, pre-teens, and now, adults. But none of us would be here today without the help of our classmates, teachers, and families. To show my appreciation, I have written three letters:

Dear classmates,

Some of us are Lifers, and we’ve known each other for 13 of our most impactful years. Some of us have known each other for only 2 years. Nevertheless, we’ve built a strong bond through the pure exhaustion of the class trips, the genuine class discussions on everything from religion to human nature, and the feeling of accomplishment after finishing our theses. We’re only 17 and 18, and we have so much ahead of us. Some of us will be attending college in Indiana, Ireland, Florida, Wyoming, Oregon, or our beloved Colorado. Some of us will take a gap year or start working right after high school. All of us are trying to find ourselves in the greater world outside Ridgeview. I hope you look back on your time here with a smile, I hope you remember our difficult tests, stressful nights, and the nerves before your thesis, but most of all, I hope you remember the beautiful connections we built because of it. Thank you for being such a kind, supportive, and loving community. Thank you for the best senior year that I could ask for.

Dear teachers,

Thank you for helping us find our values, beliefs, and personalities in your discussions. Thank you for pushing us to be better and offering smiles and support when we needed it. Thank you for making us cry in History, for making us laugh in Literature, and making us argue in Moral Philosophy. Thank you for helping us find and live our good lives. You taught us to think critically, and you offered invaluable wisdom. Thank you for everything, from helping us find perseverance through sheer exhaustion on a 14er, to helping us find bravery on the Via Ferrada. There is no education quite like this in the world. No teacher so willing to know and help their students. You have left an impact on us that we will bring into the greater world. I am so grateful that I was able to spend 13 years with such amazing people, and I am so excited for every other student after me to get the same experience.

Dear families,

Thank you for offering so much understanding, patience, and guidance. Thank you for guiding and nurturing your students, walking along this journey with us, and holding us up when we needed it. Thank you for sending us here and bringing us together. You raised us, gave us direction and taught us so much more outside of the classrooms. Thank you for making us the people we are today. We couldn’t have done any of this alone.

As I conclude not only this speech but my 13 years at Ridgeview, I hope everyone on this stage will spread their knowledge, find love and joy whenever possible, and live their good life. These 20 seniors on the stage have so much ahead of us. We may go on to become politicians, activists, or military leaders. We may become beloved teachers, family members, and engineers. We all will find our own place, somewhere vastly different or far away from this school. As you leave this stage, leave Fort Collins, and leave Colorado, carry with you the immense strength, values, and virtue that Ridgeview has taught you. As we have been mentored, it is our responsibility to become mentors ourselves. Thank you.