Sample Graduation Speech

Example Graduation Speech Senior
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This sample graduation speech will give you an idea of how to structure your presentation if you've been chosen to speak at your high school or college graduation ceremony.

It contains some humor, which may or may not be appropriate for your specific school. Use your wisdom and discretion to decide whether a funny - or serious - tone is most suitable.

It really is an honor to be chosen to speak at your graduation ceremony, so you need to do your best to give a memorable speech that you know your fellow graduates will enjoy.

I hope you find this sample graduation speech inspiring!

If you've written a speech that you would like to share with the visitors to this website, then please send it in using the form on this page. I will then review and publish it, so others can be inspired by your brilliance!

If you'd like to check out more speeches that have been sent in to me, you can read them here.

Beginning of Sample Graduation Speech

Thank you for that warm introduction. Let me first welcome the graduating class and our extended family. Let me acknowledge:

Parents, grandparents, and relatives - except for those who for some reason did not give us any graduation money. Loyal friends - except those to whom we owe money, and finally teachers and administrators who are constantly borrowing money. Please stop.

Certainly our parents have a lot to be proud of. Just think parents, in a few months many of us will be going off to college or getting a job, and you'll get what you've been waiting for a long time... to turn that now empty bedroom into a home office.

And we cannot forget the contribution of our teachers. So unheralded. It's a tough job to take a group of fresh minds and try to show them the life skills that they will need to be successful. Skills every teacher knows, such as:

  • How to get to the teachers' lounge and have a cigarette and be back in class in less than 5 min.
  • How to get home on time by having one of your kids grade all your papers.
  • And how to explain to parents that their child is not slow - they are "creative".
Sample Graduation Speech

Have four years flown by that fast!!?? Wow, it seems like yesterday that, as freshmen, we were being lovingly shoved into lockers face first by the seniors. But time went by. We grew up. We took positions of leadership. As seniors, we would never, ever, ever do something so immature to the freshman. We didn't shove them into lockers. We just filled their lockers with shaving foam!

I'm not saying that we did anything else immature during our four years. I'm certain we were all home on time, and respected all the laws of the City, County and State at all times. And if you believe that, you believe the Principal will be handing out $100 bills in the cafeteria later today.

But can't we expect that youths are going to be energetic, possibly rambunctious, and even at times a little insane? I think we can. Any group of people that listens to the music we do, or wears the clothes we wear, and doesn't get nabbed by the state asylum is a special group.

And as a group we've been through a lot. Educational institutions are facing a lot of budget cuts. So we've learned to live with some pain. Cut backs to the athletic budget were painful, reduced spending for the music department was painful, and watching the football team attempt synchronized swimming during “reverse day” was especially painful.

One of things I most admire is how we came together as a class. Before arriving here we came from very different schools. At first we formed predictable groups and cliques. But over time we grew together as we fought opposing schools on the football field, at band competitions and academic debates.

Perhaps more than anything else, the lesson we learned is that as separate individuals we are, at most, mildly effective. But together we are able to combine our talents into a powerful arsenal of educational excellence, athletic achievement and community spirit.

Over the coming years you may forget some science facts or calculus formulae you learned here. What you cannot forget is that when individuals work together, the whole group is raised up and the impossible become the possible. Achievement becomes your destiny.

Listen to this speech

End of Sample Graduation Speech

Now go on out and create a sample graduation speech of your own! If you speak from your heart and remember to honor the folks that got you through your school years, your speech will definitely be a big hit!

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