I am here to address my fellow students and the faculty to whom we honor today, first to my fellow graduates, for most of us school was that thing we had to do everyday, for 13 years because our parents told us too. We spent many of those years asking “why do we have too” and “ when are we ever going to use this” and the people sitting around us just smiled and assured us some day it would be useful. Now as we sit in our cap and gowns in front of all of these people I slowly start to realize this is what we all worked for, this is our time to take all that our parents and teachers taught us and make it our own. They have given us the tools over the years and it is our turn to use them. Many of us coming to AMES answered those two questions; of why and when are we ever going to use this. Many of the very people sitting in this room spent the last three years trying to help us solve those very mysteries and make what they were saying mean something more to us than a letter grade. Teachers, this day is also for you, the many sacrifices that every member of this faculty has made. This day as we graduates walk out of this room we will be different we will be held to a higher standard, but none will ever be higher than the standard that you teachers held us too because you believed we could meet it, you believed that we deserved to reach this day. For that I thank you.

One more note for my fellow students, today when we walk out of here it will be our chance to live up to our own standards, to make something out of the last 13 years, and if we do this, the years spent in school will not be in vain, because if we live up to our own standards with the tools we have, then we can look in the mirror and be proud to say we are the legacy class. Today is our day and I wish all of my fellow class mates the best of luck. Thank you and congratulations.

Tristin D.