Salutatorian Carolina Diaz’s address at Grossmont High School Commencement

Salutatorian Carolina Diaz delivered this speech June 16, 2011, at Grossmont High School commencement. She plans to attend UCLA.

My fellow classmates, faculty, and family members, it is a great honor to stand in front of you today. My past four years at Grossmont have been an incredible experience from which I have learned much. I am proud to be part of such an enriching high school history, be able to identify myself as a Foothiller, and call Grossmont my home.

I am pleased to know that this high school, with its many distinguishing qualities, has produced so many productive members of society, including you, my fellow peers. Now I will proceed to thank very special individuals that have played a significant role in my life and education.

Thank you, Mr. Bradley, for being so helpful and a great teacher.

Mr. Ridgway, because of your amazing explanation about getting a ticket on your way to Las Vegas, today I am able to understand the mean value theorem.

Mr. Eklund, for your awesome magical physics demos.

Ms. Jones, for being so caring, and Mrs. Jensen, for providing me with a basis for my writing skills.

Aussi, je voudrais dire merci à ma prof Madame Mahmoudi pour m’avoir enseigné le français et pour toujours être si patiente avec non seulement moi, mais aussi avec le reste de mes camarades pendant ces quatre années. Si vous ne comprenez ce que j’ai dit, ce n’est pas ma faute.

(Also, I want to say thank you to my teacher Mrs. Mahmoudi for teaching me French and for always being so patient with not only me but also with the rest of my classmates during the four years. If you do not understand what I said, it's not my fault.)

Also, I would like to thank Zuzanna, Jennifer, Tanya, Zenaida, and Cece for being awesome friends and for always being so reliable.

Finally, I would like to thank my parents for not giving me everything I wanted, because this helped me build my own character and create the person I am today. I am profoundly happy to say that I have exceeded your expectations.

Even though we may occasionally fight, thank you, Fabian, for being not only my big brother but also a great role model.

To conclude, Albert Einstein once said, “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” Taking this literally, my fellow peers, I know some of you will know what education is very shortly.

Thank you.