Robert Abishek's Student Address
Good morning Mr. Allingham, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Wagner, Mr. Shields, students, parents, faculty, and guests. My name is Robert Abishek and I’m the President of the Class of 2013. It is an honor to have this last chance to address my class. Don’t get me wrong, everyone else is almost as important too. I must start of by saying congratulations guys. We made it.
We have endured and survived hundreds of quizzes, tests, and exams, the dreaded junior year, the Mayan’s prediction of end of the world, and even the pandemic of debilitating laziness and fleeting motivation, otherwise known as “senioritis.” Pretty impressive, but I am not surprised. From our freshman orientation at Camp Pecometh and our sophomore lock-in to our “Sanford TV End of the World” junior prom and our senior trip to Boomers, our class has never failed to prove itself. When the state did not think we could pull off a three peat in boys basketball, we did. When the juniors did not think we could get on their nerves anymore, we pulled our senior prank. When Mr. Waterman thought we would never turn in our stuff to earn senior privileges or finalize our senior projects, we did... eventually. When we did not think we could all get along, finally near the end of our senior year, we did.
I will get back to our class in a moment but I want to turn the attention to the audience. On this day of overwhelming congratulations and graduation cliche´s, I think we need to take a step back and instead congratulate those who are not on this stage. To illustrate this, I would like to share a short anecdote about congratulations and more importantly, appreciation. A few years ago, the president and chair of Pepsi, Indra Nooyi, attended a party in India that her mother was hosting. For those of you who are not familiar with her, she is ranked one of Forbes most powerful women in the world. Obviously she was quite accustomed to praise and congratulations. So it came as a surprise to her when at this party the guests ignored her. They walked in, looked at her, and then they walked straight right past her to congratulate her mother instead. For these guests knew that it was the mother’s teachings, the mother’s sacrifices, and the mother’s love that had formed the foundations of her daughter’s success. Class of 2013, we are here today because of our loved ones, friends, mentors, coaches, and teachers. They believed in us and told us “You’ll do great!” even when they honestly had no idea how it would go. They were there to believe in us even when we may have not believed in ourselves. But how often have we said “No, congratulations to you mom and dad, congrats Mr. Frtiz, congrats coach, or even thank you Adnan.”? It’s not very often that we get to say such things. If we did it all the time, they would say “We it get, you’re grateful. Now go finish your homework.” Adnan would probably reply with an ecstatic “Hey man!” So today as we celebrate our first milestone and as others congratulate us, let us follow in example of those party guests and remember to give thanks and congratulations to where they have been deserved and long over due.
To our teachers – We have kept your red pens busy for the past four years, in some cases more than others, but we thank you for that. As a student who is proud of his school’s rigor, I hope you will never compromise your standards. Continue to demand nothing but excellence.
To the rising Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors – Do not wish your time away. Like Sabri mentioned earlier on Class Day, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard, “I can’t wait to graduate.” Actually, I think you can. At least you will have to. Regardless of your preference, time will always moves forward. Make something of it while it is there. I am positive every senior here has something they wish they had done during their time here. No one can do everything, except for Megan Yung, so delegate your time and leave with the least regrets possible. Take risks, learn from your mistakes, and grow from the experience. And thanks for looking up to us even when you probably should not have. We will miss you and we know you will not let Sanford down.
Back
I will get back to our class in a moment but I want to turn the attention to the audience. On this day of overwhelming congratulations and graduation cliche´s, I think we need to take a step back and instead congratulate those who are not on this stage. To illustrate this, I would like to share a short anecdote about congratulations and more importantly, appreciation. A few years ago, the president and chair of Pepsi, Indra Nooyi, attended a party in India that her mother was hosting. For those of you who are not familiar with her, she is ranked one of Forbes most powerful women in the world. Obviously she was quite accustomed to praise and congratulations. So it came as a surprise to her when at this party the guests ignored her. They walked in, looked at her, and then they walked straight right past her to congratulate her mother instead. For these guests knew that it was the mother’s teachings, the mother’s sacrifices, and the mother’s love that had formed the foundations of her daughter’s success. Class of 2013, we are here today because of our loved ones, friends, mentors, coaches, and teachers. They believed in us and told us “You’ll do great!” even when they honestly had no idea how it would go. They were there to believe in us even when we may have not believed in ourselves. But how often have we said “No, congratulations to you mom and dad, congrats Mr. Frtiz, congrats coach, or even thank you Adnan.”? It’s not very often that we get to say such things. If we did it all the time, they would say “We it get, you’re grateful. Now go finish your homework.” Adnan would probably reply with an ecstatic “Hey man!” So today as we celebrate our first milestone and as others congratulate us, let us follow in example of those party guests and remember to give thanks and congratulations to where they have been deserved and long over due.
To our families and friends – We cannot thank you enough for all you have done and the support you have given us. Mom, I am sorry I shied away from all of your hugs and kisses when I was in front of my friends. I was trying to be cool. I really was not. You are the best.
To our teachers – We have kept your red pens busy for the past four years, in some cases more than others, but we thank you for that. As a student who is proud of his school’s rigor, I hope you will never compromise your standards. Continue to demand nothing but excellence.
As Henry Kissinger once said, “A diamond is just a chunk of coal made good under pressure.”
To the rising Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors – Do not wish your time away. Like Sabri mentioned earlier on Class Day, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard, “I can’t wait to graduate.” Actually, I think you can. At least you will have to. Regardless of your preference, time will always moves forward. Make something of it while it is there. I am positive every senior here has something they wish they had done during their time here. No one can do everything, except for Megan Yung, so delegate your time and leave with the least regrets possible. Take risks, learn from your mistakes, and grow from the experience. And thanks for looking up to us even when you probably should not have. We will miss you and we know you will not let Sanford down.
And finally back to the seniors – Our class, the class of 2013, is a class to be remembered. We have had such an impact on Sanford that even Mr. Johns, the Dagenais, Ms. Walsh, and Mr. Walpole have decided to leave with us too. On a serious note, for better or worse, the 61 of us may never be together like this again. I will not lie. Our class has not been the most united, but that is what happens when you have a class of such diverse talents and personalities as ours. We have had our tough times, but we have always managed to overcome our differences. I hope we never forget whom we were, how we have grown, the mistakes we made, the people who have helped us along the way, and our alma mater. When we come back for our class reunion, I want to hear some fond memories of our days here, but I also want to hear about the amazing feats and accomplishments I know we are all capable of. Weston, you better find the next break though engineering innovation. Nick, I want to see your artwork in museums if they are not already up there. Sabri, I want to see you dominate the court in college basketball. Caroline, I want to be the next female Anderson Cooper. Cristina, do not forget me when you make it on Broadway. Danny Coburn, you better be the genius who saves the world. To our class’s accomplished scholars, athletes, artists, performers, and musicians you all have truly made Sanford a place where “no talent lies latent.” It has been an honor and a privilege to serve you. Remember your roots, be safe, keep in touch, and I wish you the best with all your endeavors. Congratulations Class of 2013.
Sanford School
Do you need help?
If you have questions or need help using the site, send an email to webhelp@sanfordschool.org.
