As Francis Beacon once wrote, “It’s” not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.” Encrypted within these words are the guidelines for us all and how we can choose to live our life. Each person lives not only a life of their own but also a life of diligence. Integrity is a profound words in America’s culture as it’s deeply embedded within our roots and our ancestry. The wish for us not only lives on our own but also revere in what we do. We all realize now that our dreams of becoming a healthcare professional have been transformed into reality. However it would not have happened had we not allowed integrity show us the way and rise above everyone else to pursue what all know is our destiny. Integrity can be a scary thing for those unwilling to speak up in life, yet for those willing to do the mature thing. It’s one of the only ways we can define who are and what life we choose to live. Living the American dream, discovering who we are and preserving our rights to free speech. Going above all the rest and standing up for what’s right in life can be the biggest decision we ever make.

Consequently, understanding what’s best for us in life is often our biggest priority especially regarding education. Throughout the time period of our life we have all gained experience in how to effectively learn in school. We have discovered how to read and write. We have discovered the effectiveness of paying attention in class. We have discovered our own individual interests. We have discovered the difference between quality work and bogus work. We have discovered how to use our voice. Everything we have done up until is a shining example of integrity and we stand here today as an example of it. Five years ago we all took a chance on attending this school; a small but very close knit high school of professional adolescents. The chance to get an associate’s degree or medical certificate gives us to excel in our studies beyond the normal expectations of a regular high school student. We could have all easily backed out and given up on the challenges we faced. But no, we persevered in the program and pushed past the challenges of studying in a college environment among those much older than us. Our desire to become a healthcare professional conquered the part of us wanting to walk in another direction. In many ways that leads me to say that without integrity, many of us would never be in the position we are now had we not all made an effort to apply and take a chance on the unknown. Being forced in to a situation is one thing: and choosing to go is another. Something we all can relate to directly.

Therefore the word integrity often comes with not only the desire to be the best one can be but also lessons learned for such a powerful of phenomenon. One may say they have grasped the concept of doing what is right even when others are not. However even today; as pre-college graduates, we cannot promptly say we have comprehended the art of integrity ourselves. Within the walls of our English class, on days in which we conducted seminars, we can all say we found ourselves confused whether we showed integrities true meaning or not. When we raced through our research to come up with a response or on our hypothesis. When we realized what we were saying didn’t correspond to the question we were out to prove correct. Individually we knew those times of integrity drove us as we tripped over words make sense and created the logic that could drive our learning. We also notice now from how we reacted to certain situations we experienced, that integrity truly made up who we have become today. The times in earth science class during his “metacognitive” lessons allowed us to fail in what we were trying to attempt yet after push harder to succeed in which we learned from it later. Integrity has a way of causing us to see things differently which leads to one reacting upon it and gaining experience and skills, all of which end up going back to the concept of integrity that form a person and who they become. Experiences mean only thing: We learn from mistakes that gradually lead us down a path called life.

In conclusion, we stand here today as graduates for many reasons. We all displayed integrity in our lives by choosing the challenging path we stand on today. We made countless decisions to soak in the fundamental elements of education that are embedded in our mind today. We strived in everything we did, overcoming obstacles based on how we presented our self’s in our individual studies. Still we rose to the top above all the others and showed those we once knew that it’s not only what we take in as a person but how we go about in our everyday lives, choosing the greater choice in life compared to those who frown upon the right. Integrity doesn’t always mean an individual is strong, but if they carry themselves in a mature way and defend what’s right in society, we will succeed in life as we have today. Congratulations class 2015! We did it!!