South High salutatorian Weiting Hong delivers commencement speech

The Island Now
Weiting Hong

Weiting Hong, Salutatorian

Great Neck South High School

Only 1.21*10^8 seconds ago (or four years ago for you non-mathletes), we were a flock of nervous—and generally clueless—freshmen, struggling with lockers, forming opinions about school lunch, maintaining flawless attendance, and beginning to dream about all the possibilities that await in the future.

Today, countless hours of SAT grind and dog memes later, some of us have emerged triumphant against the locks, most of us have formed opinions about school lunch, none of us have a flawless attendance, but all of us—all of us, I emphasize—have stage 4 senioritis.

But, thanks for the warm, supportive family of Great Neck South High, all of us have matured and self-improved over the span of last four years. Our teachers not only devoted their time to help us grasp important knowledge, but also taught us time management and responsibility. Our guidance counselors not only helped us to survive the bone-crushing, face-slapping, coffee-consuming, tire-slashing tempest of Common Apps, but also assisted us in our journey to discover our true interests.

And, above all, what made this high-school experience especially memorable and unique is you guys—the Class of 2018. Speaking from the bottom of my heart, all of you are awesome. You research fanatics, you sport stars, you funny guys, you talented artists and musicians, you computer gurus… you guys are the colorful jigsaw puzzle pieces that constitutes my joyous, unforgettable high-school experience.

From today on, we will leave behind our naiveté, leave behind the warm, fuzzy dream of Great Neck South, and set foot on ambitious journeys filled with real-life challenges and surprises. There might be setbacks, obstacles, and hardship, but I am confident that we will adapt, triumph, and overcome with our diligence and bravery to challenge the unknown.

Class of 2018, it has been a wonderful four years with you. May we keep contact in the future and I wish you all the very, very best. Thank you.

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