2022 sal speeches, Cooper's Cox: In the years ahead, grow ... like a tree
My name is Trevor Cox, and I am the class of 2022 salutatorian, or sal, or saludadictorian (thank you, Beau) or saludidian (you can thank Kylie Cox for that one…nice one sis).
But I digress.
Class of '22, today is a big day. You finally get to change your title from student to alum. And that's weird to think about because, at least for me, I never saw myself as the one leaving or graduating out of high school, yet here we are about to walk across that stage.
In my world, change is scary, something I tend to avoid actually. But what I’ve learned over these past 14 years(I did do kindergarten twice, not because I failed I promise) but what I’ve learned is that change is inevitable and in most cases, like this one, change is very necessary.
And, y'all! We are all about to experience a lot of necessary change. We are no longer on a bell schedule(thank goodness), we get more than 30 minutes for lunch, (thank goodness) and we aren’t required one year of pe (thank goodness).
But all this to say, you may be scared, and some of us will go home tonight and have absolutely no idea of what our next steps should be. But I assure you that there is a plan, and that there is a greater purpose in everything you do. That purpose might not be evident or obvious in the moment but you will look back in a few years and understand why things played out the way they did, or how you got through this specific situation or even the reasoning behind something that seemed so redundant and unnecessary.
For example, research papers, pop quizzes and finals. Sorry for the lack of a trigger warning. But am I right?
Like in the moment I’d rather be doing quite literally anything else but look at where our hard work got us, the graduation stage. We are about to embark on 394 different journeys, and what a beautiful thing that is. All of us doing what we want…until we realize that’s not actually realistic, so we’ll all end up doing something a little less awesome and a little more practical. But I am so excited to see the people y’all turn into and the dreams y’all craft for yourselves.
If your dream isn’t scary, your dream isn’t big enough. You have the ability to do some really great stuff but for the past 18 years you’ve been held back by high school drama, what’s “cool”, or even that one minute opinion that says you aren’t good enough. Well I’m here to say that you are good enough. You hold so much value and that’s something not to gloss over. I'm proud of you, and if you’re hearing this for the first time, it’ll have all the more value. I am proud of you.
For some of you, graduating is something you were never expected to do. For some of you, this is the first time anyone with your last name and your bloodline is picking up a diploma of any kind. For some of you, high school was a toxic place and being here tonight represents the end of a brutal chapter. For some of you, college is a looming and dark figure and high school suddenly sounds warm and cuddly.
For some of you, you don’t have your complete family here, not because of death but because of choice, and graduates I’m here to tell you that that is not your fault. Do not let yourself place the blame of another person's actions on your shoulders simply because the world makes you desire something different, something normal. You can’t change the past, so a) don’t blame yourself for it and b) don’t subconsciously make up value in wishing it were any different. And for some of you, you’ve never been given a congratulatory pat on the back or hug or embrace.
Well, I am here today to say congratulations. Congratulations on persevering through 12 years of academic boot camp. You deserve the recognition and you have earned your spot on this field tonight. I am proud of you. We all are so so proud of you.
One of the biggest things I’ve learned at Cooper is to be present. Be present in people's lives, be the person who always shows up and helps the biggest, cheers the loudest, smiles the genuine-est, and loves the hardest. Simply sitting with someone can suddenly make their day more bearable.
Sit with the lonely, sit with the lost, sit with the broken, the hungry, the thirsty, the dismayed, the depressed and the angry. Sit with the ones who have it all together, the ones who don’t have bad days, the ones who are carrying everyone else’s burdens to the point they’re blind to the ones they already have in front of them. Class of 2022, sometimes the best thing you can do is just sit in silence with someone who needs hope.
And if you’re not inspiring hope, what else do you have to give? Hope is the foundation of all emotion. Sadness is the root of the absence of hope. And joy is the flower that blossoms from the stem of hope. Now I know life is almost never easy, and the ease of hope is uncommon, but the fruit that reaps from the garden of a hopeful servant is so plentiful and so rich.
The duality of emotion, being both genuine and forced, is something that only you should control. Don’t allow your mind and heart to be manipulated by the lies of this world, causing yourself to internally and mentally drown yourself. You, specifically you, are worthy of love, and every emotion you have is valid and deserves to be voiced. Stop looking over your shoulder in a paranoid way, hoping that nobody just witnessed a part of you that you’ve locked away for years now.
Stop self correcting the way you are in an attempt to fit in or be liked by someone who doesn't even deserve your time. Stop allowing yourself to reject the inner you to become someone nothing short of a stranger to yourself.
The blessings I have been given through this class, this school and this staff is so evident to me and I am so so grateful for the foundation under me, built here at Cooper High School. I am confident in my ability to survive in this world because of the experiences I’ve had with all of you.
Unlike most high school graduates, I am sad to leave. I’m going to miss the days where all of Student Council shows up in the same shirt, I'm going to miss the choir rehearsals in the foyer of the auditorium (that ones a stretch), I’m going to miss the dress-up days that only a few people participated in so I always felt like a crazy person walking through the breezeways.
I'm going to miss the days Mr. Jimmy Pogue couldn't do the announcements so Mr. Tyloer Edwards did them with a rhythm that doesn't quite resemble what we're all used to, but most importantly, I'm going to miss you guys. The love I have felt over the past four years, and most of y’all way longer, will stick with me for a very very long time. I have been taught how to laugh, how to cry, how to radiate joy, how to bounce back, and especially how to love and be loved endlessly.
My mom once told me before going on stage for an audition, “Be the best tree you can be.” These words have stuck with me my whole life and have become a staple in my mom and I’s relationship.
She wanted to remind me that no matter what role I was given, that I was important, there was a purpose, and that I must do it with everything in me. So, class of 2022, as we go our separate ways and begin living life apart, I, along with momma Lisa, encourage you to be the best tree you can be.
Congratulations, my friends, we've done it, you've done it. I wish you the absolute best of luck in your next endeavors and I hope you are able to find true joy and love within yourself. Thank you.
— Trevor Cox, Cooper High School salutatorian
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Cooper's Cox: In the year ahead, grow ... like a tree
