Five seniors delivered speeches within the past week in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Congratulations to Vineel Bandla ’24 (pictured), Timmy Xu ’24, Claire Lu ’24, Natalie Koegler ’24 and Diya Patel ’24.
Vineel reflected on childhood memories that included his favorite TV shows, toys and songs and once feared he’d forget all of them. He’s learned that although he’ll meet new people and gain new experience, he can still look back and realize “I am me.”
Timmy shared what he called the “most crucial lesson” he has learned – the importance of time management. He shared some ups and downs of his own experiences with managing time and concluded by saying that “time is the currency of life.”
Claire discussed her struggles with prioritizing and devoting enough time for two important activities, golf and art, and how she has learned to balance them. She stressed the importance of finding a compromise, which has helped her improve as both a golfer and an artist.
Natalie spoke about how mindless labels can stick with people and lead to negative self-perception. She has learned that how you perceive yourself is most important and encouraged her peers to embrace the power of self-perception and value the strength of their character.
Diya described her personal journey from extroverted child to quiet and shy adolescent and how her mental health has been affected. Feeling better and having learned that no one is perfect and that life goes on as things pass, she advised her peers to be kind to others and advised them that there’s always someone who wants to listen and help.