Congratulations to our 2015 Graduates
Congratulations to the RCS Class of 2015! On June 4th we graduated 27 seniors, 14 of which began their journey together at RCS back in Kindergarten in 2002. We are proud to announce that all 27 seniors will be pursuing a higher degree of education and 66% of them will be attending a 4 year university. Our 2015 graduates earned over $275,000 in scholarships, with eight students earning the Washington State Honors Award, an award that honors the top ten percent of the current year’s Washington State high school graduating class.
Each year at graduation, the students who have received the honor of being valedictorian or salutatorian deliver speeches about what they have learned in high school and what they hope to remember as they advance into college and their career. Our 2015 Salutatorian, Moriah Immel, will be attending Whitworth University on a Whitworth University Presidential Scholarship. Joseph Shieh, our 2015 Valedictorian and recipient of the 2015 Washington Scholar award, will be attending University of Washington and will be studying in the UW Honors Program.
Below are the speeches delivered by Joseph and Moriah.
Moriah Immel, Salutatorian Address:
Good evening, my name is Moriah Immel and I am honored to be representing the class of 2015….. Time is all about perspective. Some things happen in the blink of an eye, while others seem to drag on. Until recently, it seemed like it was taking forever to get to where we are right now, saying goodbye to teachers and classmates, ready to receive our diplomas.
But it hasn’t been forever. It has been four thousand, two hundred and ninety-eight days, give or take, since our first day of first grade. Three thousand, three hundred and six days ago we were building simple machines in third grade. Outdoor School was two thousand, two hundred and ten days ago. It’s been seven hundred and seventy nine days since we dissected frogs and only three days since we got back from our senior trip. Today we are graduating, and now it feels like time has suddenly slipped away. Most of us have been together for four thousand, two hundred and ninety-eight days, and today, we are saying goodbye.
We are not the same class that entered Riverside all those days ago. People have come and gone. Our class may have shrunk in size, but it has grown in unity and spirit. As we have matured, we have come to accept each other for who we are; acknowledging that our differences are what make us stronger as a group. We are musical, athletic, and we adore technology; but more importantly, we are kind, supportive, and can make each other laugh. Each one of us, individually, has also changed throughout those years. Day-by-day it doesn’t seem like change is happening, but over the course of time it becomes obvious.
Half the time we aren’t even trying to change, but it happens whether we want it to or not. We should all strive to change for the better, with our intentions focused on seeking God’s will, and serving Him in all aspects of our lives. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
We will all be going in different directions. Some of us will become doctors, artists, or teachers, and others have no idea what we want to be, but whatever you pursue, don’t be afraid to dream big. We serve a big God and we don’t have to settle for anything less than His best for us.
Our future is full of hope and uncertainty. As graduates, we might feel idealistic about our future, but deep down we know it won’t be perfect. There will be good times, and there will be hard times. Nevertheless, the time we have before us is a gift. It’s all about your perspective. You can choose to let your trials tear you down, or you can use them to grow.
I challenge all of us, to use wisely the time that has been given to us. We are responsible for what we do with our time. Time cannot be saved to use another day; it can only be remembered, so spend it on things that are worth remembering and that are honoring to God. Live wholeheartedly, pursue God relentlessly, and love freely…. I can’t wait to see where we all are four thousand, two hundred and ninety-eight days from now.
Jospeh Shieh, Valedictorian Address:
Good evening ladies and gentlemen. This is a momentous event in which we are all here to celebrate the graduation of Riverside Christians’ seniors, and it is my honor to represent my class tonight. Before we get started, I would like to congratulate my collegues on graduating from high school because we have all worked hard to arrive at this moment. It is a very important achievement that we will undoubtedly look back upon for the rest of lives as the experience has prepared us for college and life beyond. My challenge to my colleagues consists of three important parts of our lives: the past, the present, and the future. Before the end of this ceremony, I would like to impart some things to my colleagues about these aspects.
First, the past. The past is important because it helps define who we are; every person is unique because of his or her different past. The things we learn from the past guide us in the present and the future. Most of us have been at Riverside Christian for a long time, some even longer; I’ve been to Riverside Christian ever since I was five years old. Since the first day we first walked through the doors of Riverside, we have learned many beneficial things. One of the most important things that we learned is a sense of right and wrong, an absolute morality based on God’s truth. Absolute morality be rather elusive in the world today with all the moral relativism that pervades our society. It is this absolute morality that will hopefully guide us through the pitfalls of life and allow us to make the right decisions despite personal costs. It is my hope that all of us will carry this sense of absolute morality into college and life beyond, to prevent us from falling into the deceptions that the world tells us. By doing so, I believe in the end that we will be the ones who enjoy a fulfilling life and not those who reject absolute morality. Simply put, absolute morality is a like a hidden blessing that no one realizes but eventually appreciates.
Second, the present. Indutibitably, we are all very excited about graduating from high school, but I think we should realize that this moment is only a part of our lives. After all, college is the next big step for most of us and after college, life. Thus, it is important to realize that the journey is not over yet; in fact, it is far from over considering the average human lifespan is approximately eighty years, or more for women. A rather pertinant verse is II Timothy 4:7; Paul said to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Like Paul, we should make the most of our lives, to utilize the gifts that God has granted us and be unselfish and use those gifts to bring blessings upon other people. We should always push the limits of what we can do because we never know our limits unless we test them. But, we should not do so with fear and trepedation but with courage and confidence. Even if we fail, we should persevere and always keep the perspective that failure makes us stronger, for both will allow us to prevail next time, to be the victorious. And, we should always remember to not rely on ourselves but on God; God can help us only if we let Him take control and guide us to His perfect will. Yet, even when we succeed, we should have humility, remembering what God and other people have done to contribute to our success.
Third, the future. We are always looking towards the future, sometimes with anticipation, sometimes with dread (like old age and taxes). However we feel about the future, it is important to face the future with hope, the feeling that eventually everything will turn out well despite the rough storms of life. I will be frank. Life is not like a ship cruise to Hawaii (or Alaska if you prefer colder weather); life is more like sailing on a rough sea with wind and lightning flashing all around us. Simply put, life is not always easy. Yet, what makes us, or rather, what allows us to keep going? What keeps us going is hope; that hope is what lends us strength and allows us to continue on when we have fallen. Yet, despite the hope that we have, we may still worry and be anxious. As we all know, worry and anxiety tend to increase exponentially with age. It is one of the “constants” of life, along with death, politics, and taxes. I think an important verse to keep in mind is Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. God will help us only if we allow Him to, to let go of the reins and let Him guide us, allowing us to be at peace. Perhaps many in our generation do not realize that a good life comes not from one’s own possessions but with the immaterial, from within not without. I hope my peers will remember and carry this message with them for the rest of their lives.
That pretty much covers everything I would like to impart on my colleagues before we depart. So a quick summary for those who fell asleep during the majority of my speech: we should hold on to the absolute morality we learned in the past, continue and expand our efforts in the present, and look to the future with hope. Also, I would like to sincerely wish everyone a joyous (which is more permanant than happiness) and fulfilling life, a successful life; something that varies with each individual. Without further ado, vale, Latin for farewell….until the first high school reunion; thus a more appropriate phrase would be nunc vale, farewell for now.
Congratulations to the Class of 2015!
We are so proud of you and are excited to see where God leads you!