Senior Speech: Aerielle Rubinetti

Good afternoon seniors, family, friends, and staff, happy graduation day! It is wonderful to see so many people here to celebrate the Class of 2026. Before I start, I want to thank Mayor Womack, Dr. Zychowski, Miss Toth, and the Board of Education members for their leadership and dedication. To Mr. Kneller, along with the NBTHS administration, staff, and faculty, thank you for your patience, motivation, and for always pushing us to do our best. To our family and friends, thank you for being there for us every day and night, for every sacrifice, and every support that helped all of us get to where we are today.

We have spent so many of our years here building up to graduation, thinking that graduating was the end of our story. But, I realized this is just the first chapter of so many amazing achievements we have ahead of us. The truth is, we have so much of our lives unwritten and unplanned.

We are always being asked what school are you going to? What’s your major? As if our lives are supposed to be mapped out already. But here’s the truth, most of us don’t have a plan. And even if we think we do, things change. Plans change. People change. And the world changes, every single day. And in the middle of that change, I find myself holding onto things.

Something I realized as graduation was approaching was that the moments I couldn’t wait to leave are the ones I can never get back. The small things; spending time with friends, complaining about a research paper, or just sitting in a room together. Those are the moments that make our story, and I am so grateful I got to share them with all of you.

From this moment, we get to decide who we become. Every risk taken, every failure we overcome, every dream we chase, it’s all part of our story. Today is proof that no matter how hard life gets, there’s still something ahead of us. So seniors, don’t rush to the next chapter. Be present and write your story in a way that makes you proud you lived it. Congratulations. Class of 2026, you finally made it.