THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 11, 2021 Page 17 Valedictorian’s Address: ‘Class of 2021, it is your responsibility to use your voice to make the world a better place’ By Zi Yi “Billy” Zeng Class of 2021 Valedictorian B efore I begin my speech, I would like to take a moment of silence to honor and respect the way too many innocent lives taken because of COVID-19, systemic and gun violence, bullying and other unjust acts of hate that we must condemn and speak up on. “Let me tell you what I wish I’d known. When I was young and dreamed of glory, you have no control, who lives, who dies, who tells your story. I know that we can win. I know that greatness lies in you. But remember from here on in, history has its eyes on you.” —“Hamilton” Ten months ago, many of us watched the Class of 2020 graduate at home, unsure of what our own senior year would look like. We learned new phrases and words like social distancing, asynchronous, remote Wednesdays, Google Meet, Zoom and our personal favorite word, breakout rooms. We learned how to navigate an entirely new lifestyle as our sense of security was stripped away from us. The world around us, in which we were so comfortable with, would never be the same. Our forms of social interaction were reduced to virtual-only and so, experiencing the same routine for the past year and a half has taken a huge mental toll on me, and I’d assume, on all of us here. Throughout this time, a five-lettered word echoed in my head. Alone, that was the word. Being trapped in my bedroom 24/7 gave me a lot of time to reflect. Sure, I had people who talked to me. We had our fair share of petty drama, Boba and New York Pizza runs and collective breakdowns over Ms. Filer’s APUSH [AP U.S. History] multiple choice quizzes. After all, we were just young, dumb, broke high school kids. But, growing up under your typical immigrant household, my parents dreamed of me and my brother achieving their visions of the American Dream. My mother would tell me, “Son, you study well, go to a good college, find a job, then buy a house” (in Cantonese). And so, this became my guiding principle. But as I brought home the good grades, I realized that I didn’t really know myself. That’s why I felt alone. I spent so much of my time invested in school that I realized my only personality trait was school and I didn’t want that. Looking back, my loneliness became my greatest superpower. It taught me how to forge my Zi Yi “Billy” Zeng Valedictorian (Courtesy/Maldonian) own path, craft my narrative and most importantly, it gave me space and the strength to explore my identity. Being alone shielded me from the outside world telling me how I should act, what I should be and what I should be doing. I had the freedom to explore, which brought me a great sense of tranquility. I learned that I actually enjoy playing a sport, which would surprise middle school me (shout out to my field hockey team, who by the way if you have not heard, finished this season UNDEFEATED – wooo go GBL champs! Another shout out to the wonderful captains this year, Elaine Du, Bonnie Kuang and Kenny Nguyen!). The most important thing I learned, these past four years, was that I can create change, no matter how big or small. Simple as that. And so can you. We all can. I always thought that you needed to be the most educated, most powerful and most outspoken to create change. As global citizens of this world, we all have a lifelong assignment that even Google Classroom cannot put a deadline on. And that assignment, Class of 2021, is your responsibility to use your voice to make the world a better place. Our voices are the one tool in our lives that will help us complete this assignment. No matter how hard others try to bring you down, your voice and your story provide such a special outlook on life. Your voices can be similar to each other, but like our DNA, can never be the same. Our voices grant us power. You are the only person in your lifetime that will know your full story and truth. History is the teacher who will always have its eyes on you, reminding you that this assignment of yours is here and will never go away, that is why it’s so important to speak your truth. As much as I love procrastination, history does not tolerate procrastination. The time is now. With that said, I know many of you are 18 or will turn 18, and those in the crowd listening who are of voting age and live in Malden, I urge you all to use your voices by voting for your next school committee members and city councillors in the upcoming municipal election this November. Change starts within our communities, and don’t you ever forget that your voice does not have any value. We must build solidarity with one another and achieve intersectionality because that is what makes us truly not feel alone in the world. I know our motto here at Malden High is “you are not alone,” but today I challenge all of you to be alone – really allow yourself to marinate in your thoughts, goals and aspirations – because you never know what beautiful transformations may come out of it. Don’t be afraid to elevate in silence. Obviously, I could not be given this platform without shouting out some of the best mentors and friends that I have had the privilege of getting to know. I felt bad leaving people out, so I tried my best to squeeze you all in because you have all done so much for me, and this is the least I can do! Shout out to my wonderful and 10x more talented co-Art Director, Natalie Pham: You are the sweetest and kindest person anyone will meet and don’t you ever forget that please. Shout out to the entire MHS science department, but especially Votaw, Haskell, Berryman, Simone, Webber, Campbell, Morrison, Kirby and Maglio, for welcoming me into your classroom with open arms, for being so patient with me when I was confused on every concept we learned about, and encouraging me to think critically – I hope that my professors at Tufts are just as awesome and inspiring as you all are! Shout out to my GMAACC family for trusting me to sit on your board and accepting me, a random stranger over the internet passionate about making a difference, into your posse. Andrea, Mai, Vivian H and N, Shaina, Jenny, Yu Sin, Monique, Diana, Johnny and Brendan and my inspiring co-Youth Leaders – Aileen, Enzo, Mandy, Trisha and Thomas – thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for giving me a voice and a place where I felt like I was genuinely heard and valued. You all showed me what a community looks like, and your commitment to the City of Malden is so inspiring. Shout out to the two busiest people that I know and still somehow find time to deal with all my extra-ness – Krishi and Sheilly – my 4 lifers. Thank you for listening to me and following along my wild ideas and giving me your endless and unconditional support. Without you, I would have never believed in myself to do what I do now. And I am so proud of you both; you both inspire me every day to be better. Thank you both for being you and also thank you for letting me complain whether you wanted me to or not. Lastly, shout out to my family (who probably has no idea what I’m saying right now, and will want me to translate this entire speech for them later) – everything I do is because of them. To them, I am their laziest son and older brother, but to me, my family has always been “my why” and they inspire me to carpe diem (seize the day). Now, wherever your journeys take you, Class of 2021, I hope you will always remember my three fundamental truths because these life lessons got me through it, and I hope they’re helpful. 1. Be nosy. Get up in everyone’s business, but know your limits. 2. Try to have it all. 3. Cry and let it all out. You’ll feel much better afterwards. With that said, I wish you all the very best. May the diploma that you are about to receive symbolize your roots at Malden High and the start of something new. Soak in both positive and negative experiences these past four years; they are your main character moments. There’s a world out there and your life is what you make out of it, so go make your mark on the world. As the wise woman herself, Olivia Rodrigo, once said, it’s brutal out here, so take care of yourselves. Congratulations once again, Class of 2021, and remember to stand tall and fear none! But before I go, I know everybody’s asking the question, everybody wants to know what I would do if I didn’t win valedictorian… And… I guess we’ll never know. Thank you! Valete! Orator’s Address: ‘It is a good time for all of us to look at clichés with fresh eyes’ By Jacob Pettigrew Class of 2021 Orator As I sat at my desk, mulling over how to write this speech, I came up with an unfathomably long list of b.s. clichés. “It’s been a rollercoaster.” “Go above and beyond.” “The sky’s the limit.” Blah blah blah. And the thing is, and I mean this with all of the love in the world to the rest of our speakers here today, you’ll probably hear all of that somewhere else. So, for the sake of originality and to spice up this snooze-fest, I’m going to try to avoid as many clichés as possible throughout this speech. So let’s get it going. When I learned that I was giving this speech last week, I was told that I’m supposed to provide you with an uplifting message about how my time in high school was the most influential period of my life and that each and every one of you has impacted me in innumerable ways. And while all that is true, if I actually said any of that, well… I’d be engaging in cliché. So I won’t. In addition to that, a lot of people recommended that I talk about how difficult this entire year was for everyone due to the pandemic. And while for ADDRESS| SEE PAGE 17 Jacob Pettigrew Orator (Courtesy/Maldonian)
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