Principal Apostol, Trustees, Faculty members, family, friends and fellow graduates, today is a day to be thankful and to be inspired.

First we have much to be thankful for. Here at ILMES we have received a great education thanks to our fine administration and teachers. We are prepared to move on and to take on whatever challenges come next in our lives.

Fellow graduates, I want you to know what a great gift being as prepared as we are is because that cannot be said for all schools. Here we have had a high degree of academic excellence and whether you intend to continue your education or not, you will benefit from what you learned here.

We can also be thankful for our families. These past four years have presented us with a lot of ups and downs and it is good to know that we had our families in our corner, supporting us along the way. Thanks Mom and Dad. I would not be here today without you.

Finally, we can be thankful for each other. The friendships that we have made here will last a lifetime and in the same way we have helped each other to, in some ways survive these 6 years here and in other ways succeed in these years at ILMES, I hope we will continue to be there for each other and to support each other in future endeavors.

Now, what can we be inspired by today? Personally, I am inspired by our classmate Ariel Evangelista who has overcome so much adversity to be here graduating today. Ariel, you have been tenacious and have had such a great attitude in the face of so many setbacks. Whenever I get a little down about something that didn’t turn out just the way I wanted it to, I remember some of the talks we have had and it gives me the perspective I need. Thank you for that, congratulations, and all the best!

When you leave here today, celebrate what you have accomplished but look forward with an eye toward how you too can be the inspiration for others.

Congratulations Class of 2008!