Class of 2018 Valedictorian Address

The year’s Valedictorian Mai Nguyen came to The Orme School from Vietnam and was a wonderful addition to our campus community. She is a talented artist who was also one of the editor-in-chiefs of the 2018 Yearbook. In addition, Mai was inducted into the National Honor Society. She will be attending MIT in the fall and studying electrical engineering and computer science, with a concentration in computational photography. Please enjoy her Valedictorian Speech below.

Valedictorian Address by Mai Nguyen – Commencement 2018

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure for the Senior Class to share such a special experience with our families, teachers and friends.

I would like to thank members of the faculty for giving me the chance to speak on behalf of the graduating Senior Class. I’m very honored to represent such an incredible group of people with so many different talents.

Throughout the whole year, as I took pictures of sports, activities and school events for the Yearbook, I was always blown away by the Senior Class’s hard work and dedication. Some of you are amazing athletes who never stop pushing your mental and physical limits. Whether it is a photo of football, soccer, softball, swimming, basketball, track, cross country, tennis, horsemanship or volleyball, I could always see the determination and passion in your eyes.

Others are brilliant people who never stop seeking new knowledge. Our Quizbowl Team knows just everything from the names of every country in Africa to the best waffle recipe ever. Our Math and Chess Teams managed to win almost every time they went to a meet.

In this Senior Class, there are also incredible artists who amaze everyone with their art, writing or performances. The awesome people who always stepped up to take care of Prom, Carnival, Coffee House and every other event so that the rest of us could have fun. The hardworking people who are able to juggle their work in Founders and their responsibilities as students. The list could go on forever.

Whenever I went home for break, I always got asked, “How can you survive a boarding school in the middle of nowhere with 150 other kids?” Without fail, the answer was that I love the people in this community. They inspire me not only with their achievements, but also by being awesome people in general. Some have a unique sense of humor that never fails to cheer everyone up. Others are incredibly compassionate friends who always have our backs. Being a teenager at a boarding school is not easy, but our friends here can at least make it somewhat manageable. Also, many of my friends surprise me with the personal hardships that they have had to tackle at such an early age. It is truly inspiring how they manage to keep it together under such pressure.

Honestly, I believe that everyone in the Senior Class deserves to give this speech today because all of us have great academic, athletic, artistic and personal achievements that we can be proud of. I hope that you guys can continue to do whatever you love in the years to come.

On behalf of the Senior Class, I would like to thank the wonderful members of the faculty for their dedication. Thank you for going above and beyond what is required of you to help students become the best versions of themselves.

Also, I want to thank everyone else in the Orme community for being part of our experience this year. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Goodbye and good luck with your future endeavors!