Senior Speech: Zoey Osinowo

Good afternoon, faculty, families, and most importantly, the Class of 2026. 

Graduation is supposed to feel like an ending. But standing here today, it doesn’t feel like something is over; it feels like everything is just beginning.

Four years ago, we walked into high school as freshmen, not knowing who we were, where we would fit in, or who we would become. What we didn’t realize then was that high school wouldn’t just teach us subjects and lessons; it would teach us how to grow and how to become people we never expected to be.

I had even envisioned a path for my life that looks nothing like the one I am on today. For months, I was certain that Seton Hall University was my destination, followed by a career in medicine. Yet our journeys rarely follow a straight line. Instead, I am preparing to enter Rutgers University to pursue political science and a future in law. Many of us share this experience of redirection. Some have had to navigate the disappointment of a closed door at a top-choice school, while others have delayed their studies to explore different avenues. 

And I think that’s what high school really taught us: we are allowed to grow. We are allowed to change. 

It’s strange how quickly moments become memories. The ordinary days we rushed through are now the ones we wish we could relive.  The stress before tests, the quick conversations between classes, those moments seemed small at the time, but together they shaped who we became. 

Along the way, we’ve also experienced loss. There is someone who should be here with us today. Although she is not physically here, her memory reminds us to value every moment and person around us.

Now we step into a world of possibilities. Some of us are heading to four-year colleges, community colleges, trade schools, the workforce, or the military. No matter where life takes us next, every person sitting here has something valuable to offer the world.

  So as we leave this chapter behind, let’s appreciate the people beside us and the moments we often take for granted. And as  Shakira said, “Birds don’t just fly, they fall down and get up, Nobody learns without getting it wrong”. 

Congratulations, Class of 2026. This is just the beginning.