Good afternoon. When thinking about how to address my class, I reflected on what is universal to every high school student. More than sports, theater or music: standardized testing.
When I took the SAT I noticed a friend in my room. This friend attended one of the local area private schools. In the break between sections we were chatting as some of his friends came up. My friend introduced me to them and said I went to TC, but qualified it as "but he's one of us."
At the time the comment was innocuous; in context it was seamless and normal. It was not until later I reflected more deeply on the comment .…
“He’s one of us” … Now what does this mean? Is it a thought on race? Socioeconomic level? Intelligence? Simple high school exclusivity?
It's important to note that I was very nearly one of them. As I finished up 8th grade and thought about high school I decided to come to TC only after careful consideration. But now that I'm about to be a TC graduate, standing on this stage, looking both back on my high school career and forward towards my own future, I am glad I decided on TC.
What I've learned here is what makes a school special. It's not the administrators, though we have some excellent ones here at TC. It's not the building, though this is likely the best facility in the region. It's not the teachers, though I have had some excellent, just astounding teachers here. Ones who have taught me things that go beyond the classroom and who I hope to maintain relationships with throughout my life. And it’s definitely not the athletic program considering we can’t even play home games at night.
What makes a school special are the students. All of you, all of us. And TC has exceptional students. One of the most exceptional was Erin Williams; someone who I knew since preschool and desperately wish could be here with us today. We have students going to serve our nation in the military, attending elite universities, innovating and inventing, succeeding in entrepreneurship, artists, college athletes, future business tycoons, politicians. We not only have exceptional students, but exceptional students of all races and backgrounds. We maintain excellence while at the forefront of demographic shifts and economic hardship. We are competitive with schools from around the country without being insulated from the realities of life.
We are America’s school. Maybe not the America of today where the Travon Martin shooting happened and there's yet to be a female president, but we are America’s high school of the future.
America is a changing nation. We can expect to be minority majority this century and face difficult challenges around the world. Threats to our security, our economic hegemony, and even financial solvency will all likely arise in the near future. In order to maintain America’s excellence we need to be leaders in this area, embracing our diversity as an asset rather than a liability. We need to build on our positive experiences with diversity. We are America’s high school and we need to be America’s future.
While my private school friend may be right, I may be one of them, an upper middle class white Protestant male, I'm also more than that. I'm a proud T.C. Williams Titan, class of 2014.