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graduation speakers

Graduation Speeches — Class of 2022

Graduating Seniors
Enjoy the speeches from the following graduating seniors who delivered them at Commencement on Saturday, May 28, 2022.

Genevieve Schaefer, Student Government President

I’ve been thinking a lot these past few weeks about graduating. And I don’t just mean things like,  “what if I fall up the stairs getting my diploma?” As this day has gotten closer, I’ve kept asking myself, “Why is it so hard to say goodbye? What is it that has made these past four years enjoyable?” And I realized the answer is simple. It’s everyone sitting right in front of me today. All of you are what makes this place special.

There’s no doubt Ensworth is beautiful and has incredible facilities. But these buildings around us aren’t why I love it here. Because what use are all our classrooms if there are no students and teachers to fill them? All those pictures on the walls with words of encouragement like, “failure = learning!” would go to waste. What would be the point of all our Harkness tables if we weren’t there to have discussions around them, even ones where Mr. Mischinski has to intervene because the conversation devolved into a swordfight with meter sticks. How sad would it be if there were lab classrooms filled with fun, dangerous chemicals, and stylish safety goggles but no D Mil to use them and show you how to create an explosion (safely, I might add)?! Imagine our fitness center, alone and deserted. All that equipment, but no students on the grind, no yelling fitness coaches, and no heavy metal playing? Sad. All of our luscious sports fields that are probably more pristine than the White House lawn itself would be for nothing. My point is, we are lucky and blessed to have a school with so many great facilities to enjoy. But it’s not the buildings, the bricks, the floors, the walls that make me love it here. It‘s you all. 


Karim Daouk, Student Government Vice President, Chosen by Senior Class

When I was writing this speech, I got the chance to look back at the Class goals we set in one of our first class meetings at the beginning of the year. As I read through them, two things stood out that were really important to our grade. First, after a period of limited social interaction and school activities, we wanted to be spirited. Needless to say, we achieved that goal. In all my years at Ensworth, no grade has been more spirited than ours. The football season set the tone for the year, as we painted up, packed the student section, and got loud at every game, rain or shine. But our school spirit was not limited to just sports. Throughout the year, we supported each other as we showcased our talents in other areas. We showed up in big numbers to watch the plays and musicals, college board signings, Capstone presentations, dance concerts, and Jazz and Rock Band concerts just to name a few. I don’t think I will ever forget seeing Edward Hull, in the front row of the theater during assembly, get the whole school on their feet as Jasmine Finlay gave an electric performance in the Rock Band concert preview. It didn’t matter where or how our classmates were thriving, and we supported each other no matter what. 

This leads me to the second goal we set for ourselves. We wanted to be cohesive and inclusive. We wanted to feel like one grade, not separated by our social circles. Our desire to be inclusive led us to do more together. Whether it was our senior shenanigans, gradewide dance afterparties, or our skip day, we did everything together. Even though I have been at Ensworth since Pre-first, our class has grown far closer as Seniors than we had in any of my other years here. And while our closeness makes saying goodbye more bitter, it makes our memories together more special. Not many high school seniors get to say that they are graduating with 119 friends, but I do, and that makes me feel lucky. 

Lanie Dyke, Class Speaker

Our time at Ensworth has come to an end today, and I hope, while maybe you can’t relate to these specific communities that I luckily became a part of during my time at Ensworth, that my speech makes you all think back to groups of people that helped you grow as a person and that you also feel impacted as well. In a few minutes, we will be leaving the Harkness tables behind, but I want you all to know that you can make an impact on the lives of other people, just like you all have done to me these past 13 years. And know that you can also just as well learn from the people you surround yourself with. So I encourage you all to find a community just as great as this one, though that may be hard to find, and continue making an impact on the lives of others. 

Before I go, I wanted to share a quote that many of you know I love, as I used to have it taped on the back of my phone case. To me, this quote sums up what it means to find a community that you can grow in. To quote everyone’s favorite 10th grade English author, F. Scott Fitzgerald: “For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, you can stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” 

Spencer Dore, Chosen by Senior Class

"We have to remember these days because there is no guarantee that they will last forever. So enjoy them as long as they last. I love you guys."
— Sebastian Vettel, German Formula 1 driver who won 4 consecutive world championships, the 2nd most in history

To conclude, I’d like to tie it all back into the quote that I opened with. Sebastian’s prophecy came true; his “glory days” did not last forever, just as he predicted. But he publicly shows his admiration for the days when he could go and win any race he competed in and the team that helped him do so. He still often jokes about how the RedBull team is his family and how one day he’d like to “come home” and race for them again. So rather than seeing this, our graduation, as the end of an era, the conclusion of our glory days, I want to encourage all of my peers to look at the next four years as the beginning of your glory days. Your four consecutive championships are right at your fingertips. So take his quote into college; use it as I  have this past year. Use it to push yourself, to make the most of every single day, to never let down an opportunity, to love, to laugh, to have fun, to bring your pet goldfish to school, to hijack the PA system, to give a speech at graduation, and, as Sebastian so infamously recommended: to remember these days, because there is no guarantee that they will last forever. So enjoy them as long as they last. I love you guys.
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Red Gables Campus (K–8)

Nashville, TN 37205
(615) 383-0661

Frist Campus (9–12)

Nashville, TN 37221
(615) 301-5400
Ensworth is a coeducational, kindergarten through twelfth grade, independent day school.