Foundation Academy valedictorian's speech: Elijah Young

By Elijah Young

I cannot thank God enough for this achievement and the opportunity to speak to you all today. It is only made more sweet that I have the privilege to address you in spite of the unpredictability of graduation. 

Now, on behalf of the 2020 senior class, I want to take a moment to thank those God has placed in our lives to help us get to this momentous occasion. 

Thank you, Foundation Academy School Board, for all the hard work you have put into making this school into what it is today. 

Thank you, Foundation administration and staff, especially during this time of uncertainty, for working around the clock to run this school and make our senior year just as great as we hoped it would be. 

Thank you, teachers, for all of the love and time you have invested in us. Every year, our teachers spend countless hours prepping, teaching and grading. This year, even more was demanded of them, and they met the call. 

Thank you, families, for all the senior surprises you organized, for all the games and performances you supported, and for keeping us motivated to finish our school year strong. 

This year has certainly been a wild one. What started out as a typical senior year full of fun events and loads of work soon became a time of convoluted schedules and uncertainty. I was living a monotonous and unproductive life until a good friend told me that he feared coming out of the quarantine unchanged. 

It was then I realized that this quarantine is the perfect time to grow in my relationship with Christ. I started by purposefully making time to read my Bible and pray to God daily. I urge you as followers of Christ to do the same. It is so pivotal to our relationship with Christ to spend time with Him in this busy and chaotic world.

After the senior parade for our last day, I went home and immediately said to myself, “Well I did it. What now?” I then thought, “I guess I will just go and watch some TV.” 

But as I was walking down the stairs, I decided to start this new chapter of my life with God. I read 2 Samuel Chapter 8. In both Verse 6 and 14, it says, “The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.” Then I prayed, “God, whatever happens next, lead me where you want me to be and give me victory.” It is crucial to make God your main focus so that wherever you go, you can live a victorious life.

In a blink of an eye, our lives had completely changed. At times we felt hopeless as we have missed out on senior events we had been looking forward to. We lost our final prom: our last night of fun with our senior class. We lost senior chapel and the candle-lighting ceremony. We missed that feeling of joy and heartache as we passed the torch to the next class. Despite our best efforts to compensate for the loss, we have no control over the situation. We cannot control the effects of the virus nor the government mandates for social distancing. Only God is in control. During a time where we feel helpless, we must look to Him. 

Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” I have gone through depression, I have struggled with forgiveness, I have felt emptiness, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that only God can fill the void within us. He is hope when we are surrounded by darkness. If you haven’t decided to follow Christ, now is the time to do it. 

We are about to enter the next chapter of our life. The best thing we can do, Class of 2020, is start it with God.

Thank you.