Of all the graduation addresses by prominent guest speakers at schools across the country over the last month, the absolute best one by any possible standard known to humankind was the guest speech at Lower Lab’s (PS 77) commencement ceremony last Friday for their graduating 5th graders. You see, every year the school invites back a recent alum to participate in the event, and this year the honored alum was my 16-year-old daughter, soon to be a high school junior. The week prior I delighted in giving her unhelpful and ridiculous suggestions like speaking in strident bullets with lots of hand orchestration in the spirit of Bernie Sanders (“You. Have. Much. To Be. Proud. Of.”). Fortunately for everyone there, she crafted her own message and delivered it in her own style.
It didn’t matter that my daughter was not one of the graduating 5th graders–my wife and experienced the event like it was our own personal waterworks as well. Looking at those adorable kids, it was impossible not to be sucked into the joy of the moment and remember back to our time there.
Elena’s big message, in fact, was that there is a connection between the past, the present, and the future, and that her time at Lab (in ways she’s only beginning to appreciate) prepared her well for her present challenges in school and in life—and the graduates similarly will be ready for what’s next for them. I thought she was a much more graceful advice-giver than her dad usually is.
A safe, solid, and incontrovertible message, for sure, but she delivered it with enthusiasm, jokes, and pacing, in an assured manner which was itself evidence for her case. She was ready for this, and for what’s next.
Now as for my wife and I…
I joke.
I think the secret truth is that we are too.
Eric Messinger is the editor of New York Family. He can be reached at emessinger@manhattanmedia.com
