Minnetonka Graduation Speech - Joe Cossette - 2022
It’s an honor of a lifetime to stand before you here
And share some words to celebrate your final high school year.
I have two kids at home, watching dad before their bedtime,
So like a solid children’s story, this speech is gonna rhyme :)
It’s like the world’s largest classroom standing up here on this perch,
But I heard if this goes well, I get to open for Eric Church.
Welcome friends and family who have traveled far and wide;
To the teachers, staff, and admin who are sitting by your side.
We are gathered here to celebrate each and every one of you.
I am thrilled to be here speaking to the class of Twenty-Two.
The class that had four years of school where no two looked the same.
When leadership was needed, you stepped up and always came
Picking up the mantle and resetting school traditions.
Navigating life in ever changing new conditions.
Unafraid to think more deeply and question your ideals.
Like the weeks of hot debate on if the world has more doors or wheels?
Or realizing just how bad you are at auto completing faces
For the friends and teachers you only knew while wearing masks in places.
On this day we can sometimes overvalue awards
And we place too much weight on the medals and the cords
But I want to be clear, just the fact that you’re here
Is enough. We are proud of your high school career.
So before you toss your caps as the graduates you’ll all soon be,
Here’s some advice that I wish someone had shared with me.
I used to think success came when I focused on gaps;
To keep putting time in so I could clean up the scraps,
But I’ve started to see that this isn’t all true.
It’s your strengths that need practice, they’re the things that you’ll do.
Why stop at good when you can work to be great?
Put your weakness aside, you should load up your plate
With the things that are natural, the things that you love.
The things that have always seemed to fit like a glove.
If you don’t know where to start, ask your family and friends.
They’ll help you see strengths in a completely new lens.
But finding these strengths is just part of your mission;
You must craft your new skills through smart repetition.
Learning from failure with persistence and grit,
Incremental improvements you are proud to submit.
I have watched this class show you aren’t afraid of a hurdle
By the number of times I have caught you on Wordle.
For the three of you here who somehow haven’t heard,
It’s a game - 6 tries to guess a 5 letter word.
If the letter is right it turns green in that spot,
If it’s close, it turns yellow, and gray if it is not.
You win the game by just trying and learning from guesses,
And when you finally get it, you get to share your successes
If it isn’t already painfully clear,
I think this game shares a lot with your path that led here.
When the future is foggy and too much to pursue,
Just take the first step, the rest will come into view.
But what do you do, if you’ve honestly tried,
With no progress in sight or no sense of pride?
Do you stay on that path or do you find a transition?
It’s a hard place to be so let me give you permission.
It’s okay to quit, I know this doesn’t sound right,
It doesn’t seem that inspiring, not too happy or bright,
But sometimes, just sometimes, quitting is good,
If there’s something else out there that you don’t do but should.
When I sat where you sit, this would not have made sense.
I never admitted when it got too intense,
Or boring, or painful, or too far in for me to change,
But that prevented me from new things, from looking down range.
The hardest thing that I’ve done, is the reason that I’m here,
It’s when I chose to quit my job as a well paid engineer.
It was hard. I wasn’t sure. I think it would have happened sometime,
But if I didn’t change my path; you wouldn’t have heard these sweet rhymes.
It’s not too late to change, no one knows for sure…
But with a willingness to jump, you might be better than you were.
Someone once asked me “What have you made?”
“What have you done to be showcased, displayed?”
To be honest, at the time, my answer wasn’t great,
I know what I’d say now, but my response is years too late.
So I ask the same of you, so that you can all reflect,
Because, “What have you made?” doesn’t have to be an object.
It could take the form of friendship that you’ve fostered and sustained,
Or maybe it's a change that you have worked on and attained.
Right now, “What WILL you MAKE?” motivates me more than ever,
It gives life to daily chores and has led to new endeavors,
And now that I am a father, with this role to live up to
I hope my mini-mes grow up as wonderful as you.
Because you leave behind a legacy and your ripples travel far,
You see your classmate’s strengths and love your peers for who they are.
Defending one another’s culture, gender, race or creed,
Celebrating differences, standing up for those in need.
Amplifying those who’ve felt unseen and felt unheard.
Setting an example through your actions and your words.
Our experience is shaped by where we’re from and how we look,
And sometimes our success was more than actions that we took.
When in a place of privilege, we must learn and we must listen.
We must recognize success is more than effort and ambition.
Be aware of the injustice and of people who’ve been slighted,
Find the things that you can do. There are wrongs that must be righted.
If there is one thing that I’ve learned from all this closing and returning,
It’s that everyone around us is still growing, WE’RE ALL STILL LEARNING.
I hope when someone asks you what you’ll “make” and what you’ve “made”,
You can proudly reflect back upon the deck of cards you’ve played.
You are all very special, and you have all been quite blessed.
To have what you have so I have one more request.
Whatever you do and wherever you go,
Pay attention to moments that force you to grow.
Your futures ahead will be filled up with stories
Of all your successes, and triumphs, and glories,
But the memories that stick and stand out when they’ve ended,
Are the moments when things didn’t go as intended.
Someday you’ll look back from a new point of view,
And appreciate the things that became clearer to you
In that time with ourselves. At home. Disconnected.
We learned to recognize things we should have always respected.
School isn’t just class, and school isn’t the grade,
It’s about branching out and connections you’ve made.
It’s the times when we’re stretched that push us beyond.
When you face these tough times, how will you respond?
It is my hope that you’ll do what you can
To step up and proudly stake your flag in the sand.
Using your strengths you will carve your own trail.
It might take a few turns but I know you’ll prevail.
The world will be yours, take care and take heed.
Set the example and we’ll follow your lead.
Congratulations Class of Two Thousand Twenty-Two
And share some words to celebrate your final high school year.
I have two kids at home, watching dad before their bedtime,
So like a solid children’s story, this speech is gonna rhyme :)
It’s like the world’s largest classroom standing up here on this perch,
But I heard if this goes well, I get to open for Eric Church.
Welcome friends and family who have traveled far and wide;
To the teachers, staff, and admin who are sitting by your side.
We are gathered here to celebrate each and every one of you.
I am thrilled to be here speaking to the class of Twenty-Two.
The class that had four years of school where no two looked the same.
When leadership was needed, you stepped up and always came
Picking up the mantle and resetting school traditions.
Navigating life in ever changing new conditions.
Unafraid to think more deeply and question your ideals.
Like the weeks of hot debate on if the world has more doors or wheels?
Or realizing just how bad you are at auto completing faces
For the friends and teachers you only knew while wearing masks in places.
On this day we can sometimes overvalue awards
And we place too much weight on the medals and the cords
But I want to be clear, just the fact that you’re here
Is enough. We are proud of your high school career.
So before you toss your caps as the graduates you’ll all soon be,
Here’s some advice that I wish someone had shared with me.
I used to think success came when I focused on gaps;
To keep putting time in so I could clean up the scraps,
But I’ve started to see that this isn’t all true.
It’s your strengths that need practice, they’re the things that you’ll do.
Why stop at good when you can work to be great?
Put your weakness aside, you should load up your plate
With the things that are natural, the things that you love.
The things that have always seemed to fit like a glove.
If you don’t know where to start, ask your family and friends.
They’ll help you see strengths in a completely new lens.
But finding these strengths is just part of your mission;
You must craft your new skills through smart repetition.
Learning from failure with persistence and grit,
Incremental improvements you are proud to submit.
I have watched this class show you aren’t afraid of a hurdle
By the number of times I have caught you on Wordle.
For the three of you here who somehow haven’t heard,
It’s a game - 6 tries to guess a 5 letter word.
If the letter is right it turns green in that spot,
If it’s close, it turns yellow, and gray if it is not.
You win the game by just trying and learning from guesses,
And when you finally get it, you get to share your successes
If it isn’t already painfully clear,
I think this game shares a lot with your path that led here.
When the future is foggy and too much to pursue,
Just take the first step, the rest will come into view.
But what do you do, if you’ve honestly tried,
With no progress in sight or no sense of pride?
Do you stay on that path or do you find a transition?
It’s a hard place to be so let me give you permission.
It’s okay to quit, I know this doesn’t sound right,
It doesn’t seem that inspiring, not too happy or bright,
But sometimes, just sometimes, quitting is good,
If there’s something else out there that you don’t do but should.
When I sat where you sit, this would not have made sense.
I never admitted when it got too intense,
Or boring, or painful, or too far in for me to change,
But that prevented me from new things, from looking down range.
The hardest thing that I’ve done, is the reason that I’m here,
It’s when I chose to quit my job as a well paid engineer.
It was hard. I wasn’t sure. I think it would have happened sometime,
But if I didn’t change my path; you wouldn’t have heard these sweet rhymes.
It’s not too late to change, no one knows for sure…
But with a willingness to jump, you might be better than you were.
Someone once asked me “What have you made?”
“What have you done to be showcased, displayed?”
To be honest, at the time, my answer wasn’t great,
I know what I’d say now, but my response is years too late.
So I ask the same of you, so that you can all reflect,
Because, “What have you made?” doesn’t have to be an object.
It could take the form of friendship that you’ve fostered and sustained,
Or maybe it's a change that you have worked on and attained.
Right now, “What WILL you MAKE?” motivates me more than ever,
It gives life to daily chores and has led to new endeavors,
And now that I am a father, with this role to live up to
I hope my mini-mes grow up as wonderful as you.
Because you leave behind a legacy and your ripples travel far,
You see your classmate’s strengths and love your peers for who they are.
Defending one another’s culture, gender, race or creed,
Celebrating differences, standing up for those in need.
Amplifying those who’ve felt unseen and felt unheard.
Setting an example through your actions and your words.
Our experience is shaped by where we’re from and how we look,
And sometimes our success was more than actions that we took.
When in a place of privilege, we must learn and we must listen.
We must recognize success is more than effort and ambition.
Be aware of the injustice and of people who’ve been slighted,
Find the things that you can do. There are wrongs that must be righted.
If there is one thing that I’ve learned from all this closing and returning,
It’s that everyone around us is still growing, WE’RE ALL STILL LEARNING.
I hope when someone asks you what you’ll “make” and what you’ve “made”,
You can proudly reflect back upon the deck of cards you’ve played.
You are all very special, and you have all been quite blessed.
To have what you have so I have one more request.
Whatever you do and wherever you go,
Pay attention to moments that force you to grow.
Your futures ahead will be filled up with stories
Of all your successes, and triumphs, and glories,
But the memories that stick and stand out when they’ve ended,
Are the moments when things didn’t go as intended.
Someday you’ll look back from a new point of view,
And appreciate the things that became clearer to you
In that time with ourselves. At home. Disconnected.
We learned to recognize things we should have always respected.
School isn’t just class, and school isn’t the grade,
It’s about branching out and connections you’ve made.
It’s the times when we’re stretched that push us beyond.
When you face these tough times, how will you respond?
It is my hope that you’ll do what you can
To step up and proudly stake your flag in the sand.
Using your strengths you will carve your own trail.
It might take a few turns but I know you’ll prevail.
The world will be yours, take care and take heed.
Set the example and we’ll follow your lead.
Congratulations Class of Two Thousand Twenty-Two