Ariana+V’s+Final+AmEx+2014+Speech

=Title of Speech= Bring Back #YOLO

=Text of Speech= So what did you do this weekend? Last night? Did you go to church? Did you spend quality time with your family? Did you wake up early to watch the sun rise? Did you read a book for pleasure? Chances are if you are like 80 percent of high school students, you probably did little to none of these things or other spiritual, enriching activities simply for self-betterment. Chances are, you stayed up later than you should have doing the homework assignment you should’ve started two days ago, then went on a social media sight like Tumblr, Twitter, or Instagram to wind down for the night. And then, you might’ve sprung out of bed remembering that homework assignment due tomorrow. And THEN, you probably passed out, (on your bed if you’re lucky.) As teenagers and young adults, we devote our time and energy not into living or experiencing the great and many fruits of life, but into the things we supposedly “need” to do to get into college and be successful so we don’t, as Wyatt so eloquently put it, “eat shit and die.” In the America I hope to grow old in, I hope to see well rounded students going outside raising pigs, talking to the elderly, playing varsity sports and being enrolled in AP classes, not so they appear desirable to colleges, but because they are passionate individuals aspiring to live life to the fullest. I hope to see students that care more about their personal integrity (because yes people, that is still a thing) more than their most recent test grade. Because let’s face it, for the majority of our junior year, everyone enrolled in Physiology was more concerned about the location of the Soleus than the contents and vivacity of their soul. So looking around during the first time Tree came in to “teach” poetry, instead of pouring their guts out into poetic reflections of the postcard in front of them, people were staring at their muscle anatomy papers like they were the Bible offering eternal salvation (and for some, maybe they were. ) But how sad is that? Whenever Mrs. Kindred, or any teacher for that matter, gives us an assignment that’s graded for completion we all breathe a sigh of relief because that means we won’t try on said assignment and focus on something else that’s actually graded. I find this so sad, because it is usually the cool and expressive assignments where teachers give us liberty and artistic license when we all slack off and don’t care. No matter how interesting, relevant, or valuable. It disgusts me that I am part of this: selling my soul to the College Board, spending less and less time with bunnies and family, having a tiny infrequent social life. We focus our lives on what is important to colleges, rather than on what is important to us. I didn’t enroll myself in dance this year because I was afraid it would take too much time away from homework. So instead of spending time enriching my life with a rigorous art form, I declined the opportunity and stayed at home with more time available for YouTube and procrastination. In the America I hope to grow old in, I hope to see students, and well everyone, with a passion for life, spending more time with their pets than on their college applications, and instead of dreaming of getting into good colleges, dreaming of their lives after college, the reason we actually go to college. I hope to see less students measuring their self worth according to a letter or fraction written on top of their papers. I want to see #YOLO on more posts. Then again maybe if we were really YOLOing it we’d post less…but that aside. I don’t want to see #YOLO pics of people smoking or drinking or doing something stupid. Guys, you only live once, so do it right. Don’t do something stupid when you’re in high school to get yourself killed or ruin the rest of your one life. But just as importantly, don’t waste your life over studying or taking 50 hours of SAT test prep, or doing community service that you really couldn’t care less about. Don’t completely slack off either, but find something productive that you love. Life is precious and short. Everyone dies, not everyone lives. I don’t want to be remembered for getting a 2400 on the SAT, or even getting all 5’s on my AP tests. I’d rather be remembered for being a loyal friend, or a loving mentor, and later a caring, personable physician and a fun, loving, wise mother and wife. So go outside, get dirty, do something a little bit crazy, dare I say it, hang out with your parents, get to know your siblings, scrape your knees, take a gap year, get up early on a weekend to see the sun rise, smash your iPhone, (no, just kidding, don’t do that) just do something you love. Life is too beautiful to waste and maybe instead of only living once, live everyday.

=Cite Your Sources=