Valedictorian Nomination Speech

While digging around for another document, I ran into the speech I wrote when I was running for valedictorian in high school. All the speeches were filmed and then the tapes were shown to all of the grade 12 classes for voting. My speech:

Good day, ladies and gentleman. My name is Robin Johnson. The majority of you probably do not know me, as I’ve merely been, like so many others, just a passing face in your classes, just another somebody, nothing special. Undoubtedly many of you have been passed over by others in the same way, just another somebody, nothing special, just a name or a number.

Now I hope to provide a face to all these faceless people, to allow us to stand out, and be somebody! We will be remembered for who we are, real people with personalities and feelings, not just by our close friends, but instead by a wider group of our classmates, who can have a chance to know us in truth.

In reality, all of us have something unique to ourselves, including myself. I have my South African upbringing; you might include with this my accent, as that is what some people remember me by, if nothing else, because they have taken the time to talk to me, and not just passed me by, as just another somebody, nothing special.

I have been called a freak before because people do not really know me. I know many people have had this happen to them as well, so that in itself is not unique, but the recognition of something unique about us has made us all into freaks, so being called a freak is a compliment because that is an acknowledgement of our uniqueness in this world, thus making us somebody. This may be a paradox, but an element of uniqueness exists in all true normality, to provide some diversity to the world.

Finally today let us cease to be just another somebody, nothing special, and start to express our collective uniqueness so that we become somebody in the future, because we are going to spend the rest of our lives there.