On May 23, Addison Trail seniors Jina Patel and Cristal Moreno Aguilar addressed nearly 500 of their classmates as the student graduation speakers during Addison Trail’s 55th commencement ceremonies.
Patel and Moreno Aguilar entered the school’s annual graduation-speech competition and were selected as this year’s winners by a panel of judges.
Get to know Jina Patel
Title of your speech: “All the Light Inside You”
Summary of your speech: My speech serves to highlight the class of 2021’s tenacity. It elaborates on the idea that we need the tunnel more than the light at the end of the tunnel and that each student already possesses the light, as it is inside them. This extended metaphor encourages students to acknowledge their capabilities to succeed and make positive change as they embark on the next stage of their lives after graduation.
Lessons/advice you hope to share with your peers through your speech: I hope my peers will take away the lesson that with continued resilience and unity, our potential is limitless. My advice for my peers is to engage in random acts of kindness wherever they go, because kindness ripples.
What does it mean to you to be a speaker during the commencement ceremony and to represent the class of 2021? It was a true honor hearing I would be one of the students to speak at graduation and represent my peers. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity.
Involvement at Addison Trail: Co-President of National Honor Society; Dance Leader with the International Dance Show; member of International Club, Youth Equity Stewardship (YES!) series, Student Council, Class Board and AT News Channel
How Addison Trail has supported you: Addison Trail has helped me on my path to a successful future by giving me a diverse high school experience. Through rigorous courses and a variety of extracurricular activities, I have learned many life skills, including leadership, compassion and communication. Being surrounded by a multitude of cultures has helped me become a more ethical, diverse-minded individual.
Your future plans: I will attend University of Michigan and plan to major in neuroscience. I hope to pursue medicine, and I strive to become a neurosurgeon.
Get to know Cristal Moreno Aguilar
Title of your speech: “A Penny For Your Thoughts”
Summary of your speech: My speech is about the walk across the stage as we receive our diploma. We’ve been walking since we were 1 year old, but now we take a step closer to whatever goals we wish to achieve. I also will wear my mother’s dress, so that she can graduate alongside me. This is in similarity to all the people who have majorly influenced a graduate in the class of 2021. They, too, will walk across the stage symbolically with their graduate. Lastly, the day we graduate is National Lucky Penny Day. Therefore, everyone will find a lucky penny on this day. We can look back onto freshman year, when the upperclassmen might have jokingly thrown one our way, and see how far we’ve made it since that time. Whenever we feel as if we’ve hit rock bottom, we can find a penny to remind us that we can do this!
Lessons/advice you hope to share with your peers through your speech: I hope my peers learn more about their own capabilities. I know they are able to persevere, even when faced with a pandemic. I hope they know their strength and use it to fight through any challenges they might face.
What does it mean to you to be a speaker during the commencement ceremony and to represent the class of 2021? When I was told I would be one of the students to speak during graduation and represent my peers, I was exhilarated. I don’t believe I ever imagined myself giving a speech at graduation, but I am glad to do it, because I can take one last glance at those I have spent these past four years or more with before we all head our separate ways.
How Addison Trail has supported you: Addison Trail has offered me countless opportunities to grow – not just as an individual, but as a leader as well. All the Advanced Placement (AP) and honors classes have taught me how to challenge myself and how to seek help when needed. With all the clubs, sports and activities, I also have learned about time management and been able to get out of my comfort zone, feel confident and feel comfortable meeting new people. All these factors are merely a few ways Addison Trail has helped me on my path to a successful future.
Your future plans: I will attend Augustana College, where I plan to major in international business and minor in French. I hope to create my own business one day.
