Timothy Snowball’s Graduation Address at Grossmont College

Timothy Snowball delivered this speech June 1, 2011, at Grossmont College commencement.

Distinguished faculty, family, friends and fellow students:

Thank you for allowing me the honor—and privilege—of being your student speaker today at Grossmont Colleges 50th Annual Commencement Ceremony. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate, and welcome, the graduating class of 2011!

I know that each and every one of us has had to overcome our own struggles, and confront our own challenges, in order to reach this milestone. I’ve learned many academic lessons in my time at Grossmont. But I’ve learned many life lessons as well.

Christopher Reeve once said:  “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”  This quote is an excellent description of my experiences here at Grossmont.

We all know what it’s like being faced with a challenge that at first seems impossible to overcome. For the average college student this can include: balancing school with a full time job, getting into the right classes, and gaining the support of our loved ones. The first challenge that I faced at Grossmont was working up the courage to enroll here in the first place. Like so many journeys, the first step was definitely the hardest.

For many of my fellow graduates, the transition to community college was merely the next logical step after high school.

But for some of us, the road to Grossmont was quite a bit longer. And for me it was a second chance.

When I was a teenager, I was diagnosed with severe depression. This was an extremely difficult time in my life. The people in my life who loved me the most tried everything they could to make me feel better, but nothing worked. This included the best efforts of my mother, who wanted more than anything to see me have a successful life.

But no one could help me—not even her. Back then, it was hard for me just to get out of bed, let alone concentrate on schoolwork. As a result, I fell behind in many of my high school classes—and did not have enough units to graduate. This was very disappointing for me. I had always pictured myself graduating and going to off to college like everyone else.

But that’s just not the way things turned out for me.  Eventually I found a job and started working, but the thought of returning to school was never far from my mind.

When I first told my general manager at work that I was thinking about enrolling at Grossmont, he pulled me into the office and told me that he thought I was wasting my time.  He was not the only one.  There were people who told me I would never be successful in school. That it was impossible. I just wasn’t a ‘school-oriented person,’ and definitely not college material. They told me that I should forget about school.

I am glad that I didn’t listen to them.

In many ways my story is probably very similar to that of many of my fellow graduates. There were so many things I had to relearn when I first came to Grossmont, so many challenges I had to overcome. At first it was a challenge just coming to class. I remember sitting anxiously in my car before my first class meeting, palms sweating, not sure if I could go through with it. I remember the first time I wrote a research paper. And the hours I spent going through it line by line, to make sure my grammar was perfect.

I also remember the first time I used the quadratic formula, and how good it felt to conquer my fear of math. Even if I didn’t always get the correct answer the first time around, I eventually worked it out. I guess all those hours I spent blurry-eyed in the Math Study Center actually paid off.
 
More than anything else, though, I remember the pride I felt the first time I earned an A in a course. I am sure this feeling is something my fellow graduates can relate to. My entire perception of school was changed forever. For the first time in my life I felt hope for the future. From that point on, I devoted myself to Grossmont with a drive and determination that I had never before experienced.  With each successful grade and semester my self-doubt was replaced by self-confidence.

It is an amazing thing when you first realize your own potential.

I spent a lot of time considering what I wanted to share with you today. About the many challenges I have overcome, and lessons I will take with me from Grossmont.

One thing stands out above the rest: I have learned that challenges are not something to be feared , but to be embraced. That it is through overcoming challenges, not avoiding them that we grow and become strong. I now look forward to the many challenges that await me in the future. I know that there are no boundaries except the ones we set for ourselves.

So don’t let anyone ever tell you that it’s impossible for you to achieve your dreams. In the fall I am transferring to UC Berkeley. And believe me, that is something I once thought was impossible. I now know there is no such thing as impossible. My own story is a testament to this fact. 
 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank three very special people in my life: My mom Tish, my brother Chris and my girlfriend Lindsey.

Mom, I have always hoped one day to make you proud. And if this doesn’t work—then I don’t know what will!

Chris, thank you for all the encouragement you have given me over the years.  It made a bigger difference then you know. 

And Lindsey—without you I would not be up here today. I love you.
 
In closing, I would once again like to thank you all for the opportunity of being your Student Speaker today. I hope in all of our future endeavors, my fellow graduates will join me in reflecting back upon our time at Grossmont as some of the most challenging, and rewarding, of our lives.

Congratulations, Class of 2011!