As the salutatorian of the class of 2020, I would like to start off this farewell address by saying three words: I did it.

Being an overachiever as far back as elementary school, I made it my goal to being recognized for my academic achievements by graduating as one of the top students of my class, and I have finally proven to myself and others that I am capable of such an astounding accomplishment.

Throughout high school, I have worked diligently and conscientiously in everything I was proud to be a part of. I am honored to have served as an Editor-in-Chief for the Maroon Messenger, the FFA President for our chapter and as the Student Section Leader. Additionally, I am pleased with my involvement in UIL activities and the National Honor Society.

I am thankful for the memories, good and bad, we, as a class, have made over these past four years. I will not forget the feeling of singing the alma mater after plucking the Hondo Owls in the Battle of the Creek rivalry games, winning district in UIL three years in a row or watching the numbers ‘2020’ be set ablaze at the homecoming pep rally.

Unexpectedly, our final year in high school has been cut short which means we will not have the opportunity to experience the senior events where we were supposed to make our final memories of high school together. While this is disheartening and frustrating, I believe we must look beyond high school and focus on the greatness we are capable of achieving.

Graduating high school does not make me sad; instead, I am ready to close this chapter of my life and move on to the next. I am honored to say that my scholastic performance, extracurricular participation and my perseverance earned me acceptance in the engineering program at Texas A&M University.

There are so many opportunities out there waiting for us to embark on outside of high school and our small community. I cannot wait to see what the future holds in store for myself and my fellow classmates.

This may not be the speech that I will be giving at graduation, but I still want to end it with this reminder: class of 2020, we did it. Gig ‘em!