SPEECH: 2026 Class President, Victor Poupart

GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE! I'D LIKE TO WELCOME FAMILY, FRIENDS & CLASSMATES, GUESTS, MEMBERS OF THE NORTH BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP BOARD OF EDUCATION, CENTRAL OFFICE ADMINISTRATION & TOWN COUNCIL, THE NBTHS STAFF INCLUDING TEACHERS, COUNSELORS, NURSES, & ADMINISTRATORS TO OUR GRADUATION CEREMONY! MY NAME IS VICTOR POUPART, AND I AM HONORED TO SPEAK TODAY AS YOUR SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT.

BEFORE I BEGIN, I'D LIKE TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE CHAIR ON THE STAGE TO MY LEFT. ON IT, YOU WILL SEE A SINGLE ROSE. THIS ROSE REPRESENTS ANYONE SPECIAL TO US WHO COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY BUT WHO PLAYED A ROLE IN OUR LIVES IN SOME WAY. I ASK THAT YOU JOIN ME IN TAKING A BRIEF MOMENT TO REFLECT UPON THOSE INDIVIDUALS. THANK YOU.

WHEN PEOPLE IMAGINE GRADUATION SPEECHES, THEY OFTEN EXPECT SOMEONE TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAVE MEANT TO EVERYONE AS A WHOLE. BUT I DON’T THINK ANY SINGLE SPEECH CAN REALLY DO THAT. WE’VE ALL SPENT FOUR YEARS IN THE SAME BUILDING, FOLLOWING THE SAME SCHEDULES, WATCHING THE SAME SEGMENTS OF MR. KNELLER’S PRINCIPAL’S CORNER (WHICH WERE NEVER ACTUALLY IN A CORNER), AND SOMEHOW STILL LIVING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF HIGH SCHOOL.

FOR ME, HIGH SCHOOL MEANT EXPERIENCING A CARDIAC ARREST OUT OF THE BLUE AS A SOPHOMORE. THAT MOMENT FOREVER ALTERED THE WAY I SEE THE WORLD IN A LOT OF WAYS, BUT THE MOST IMPACTFUL WAS WHAT IT REVEALED OF THOSE AROUND ME.

I HAVE NEVER FELT AS APPRECIATED BY A COMMUNITY THAN WHEN I CAME BACK TO SCHOOL FROM THE HOSPITAL A MONTH AFTER MY INCIDENT. MY FRIENDS, TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, COUNSELORS, AND EVEN STUDENTS WHO HAD NEVER SEEN MY FACE OR HEARD MY NAME BEFORE WELCOMED ME BACK WITH WARMTH, OPEN ARMS, AND LOVE.

AND WHEN I LOOK OUT AT THE CLASS OF 2026 TODAY, THAT’S WHAT STANDS OUT MOST.

MOST PEOPLE ARE CARRYING MORE THAN YOU REALIZE.SOME OF IT IS VISIBLE. MOST OF IT ISN’T.BUT EVERYONE IS CARRYING SOMETHING.YET DESPITE ALL OUR INDIVIDUAL STRUGGLES, ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT LIVES HAVE CONTINUED TO MOVE THROUGH THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME TIME FOR FOUR YEARS BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT WE HAVE HAD FOR ONE ANOTHER.

A FEW SHORT MONTHS FROM NOW, EVERYTHING WILL START TO SPLIT OFF. DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, JOBS, CITIES, AND ROUTINES. THESE PEOPLE YOU SAW EVERY DAY WILL BECOME PEOPLE YOU CHECK IN ON EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, OR PEOPLE WHOSE NAME YOU’LL HEAR AND THINK TO YOURSELF “OH YEAH, I REMEMBER THEM.”

BUT BEFORE ALL OF THAT STARTS, IT’S WORTH RECOGNIZING THE VALUE OF THIS MOMENT WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW. THIS IS THE FINAL TIME ALL OF THOSE SEPARATE VERSIONS OF HIGH SCHOOL WILL BE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER IN ONE ROOM, AND RECOGNIZE THE COMMUNITY WE HAVE BUILT TOGETHER PIECE BY PIECE. A COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS, UPLIFTS, AND ENCOURAGES NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU DO

SO PLEASE, LOOK TO THOSE SITTING NEXT TO YOU, WHETHER YOU KNOW THEM WELL OR NOT AT ALL, AND RECOGNIZE THAT THEY’VE BEEN PART OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FOUR YEARS OF YOUR LIFE, JUST AS YOU’VE BEEN PART OF THEIRS. TAKE ONE FINAL MOMENT TO APPRECIATE WHAT WE’VE SHARED HERE, BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING WE WON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF UNTIL IT’S ALREADY BEHIND US.

CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2026.WELCOME TO GRADUATION.