Emma Roos was introduced by her fellow Valedictorian, Lilah Gettler:
I am extremely honored to introduce our next valedictorian. She is someone who succeeds and makes an impact in whatever she puts her mind to, whether that’s academics, athletics or community service. She is a dedicated and thoughtful student, and her intelligence and work ethic has led her to thrive in some of the most difficult classes in this school. She is a captain and four-year varsity player for the softball team, a varsity field hockey player, and a coach for youth athletes in both sports. She cofounded Wilton Loves, a local organization dedicated to promoting kindness, inclusion and positivity in our community. In addition, she is a student ambassador for Filling in the Blanks, vice president of Key Club, and a member of DECA and Spanish Honor Society. Above all, she is a good person, one who genuinely cares about the feelings of others, is morally grounded, humble about her accomplishments, and a loyal and inclusive friend. She will continue her education next year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study business and biology. Please join me in welcoming Emma Roos.
Hello everyone. First, I would like to say thank you to everyone who made this ceremony possible such as the teachers, school administration, custodial staff, parents and everyone else who had a role in the success of the Class of 2026 over the years. I would also like to congratulate Dr. O’Donnell on his well-deserved retirement.
Next, I would like to give a special shoutout to my grandparents. Without your hard work and sacrifices I wouldn’t be standing up here, so thank you.
As I contemplate moving forward from the only life I’ve ever known, naturally I’m scared, which I’m sure you can all relate to. As a lifelong softball player, I keep coming back to this quote from Babe Ruth: “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” While it has had many literal applications during my time as an athlete, lately I’ve been thinking about what it says about life in general.
Mistakes can make us doubt ourselves and our ability to achieve our dreams. From someone who has had their fair share of strikeouts, I’ll say that they were some of my toughest moments but also were experiences that eventually blossomed into some of my largest growths.
At this point, I would like to say a massive thank you to the people who have inspired who I have turned into today and the people who were always there to pick me up. To my mom and dad, thank you for always supporting me with smiles on your faces and being the people that got me to start believing in myself. While I have made many friends who are important to me over the years, you both were the first ones. So thank you for everything. I love you guys.
Now I am sure this all sounds cliche (because it is) but life is about pursuing what you want regardless of the risk of failure and trying again and again until you make something happen for yourself.
This speech puts this sentiment into practice. Anyone here who has met me would know that giving a speech in front of a thousand people really isn’t exactly my style but here we are so I might as well enjoy it while it lasts. Time goes fast and you won’t get anywhere if you don’t give life a try.
So some advice from someone who isn’t qualified to give any: take the opportunities that make you nervous, get out there, and don’t be afraid to mess up. As a perfectionist I could do a much better job with that last one.
While counterintuitive, if we gave ourselves more room for failure, it could lead to equal or even greater levels of success because we would leave more space in our lives for being happy.
As we move on from this school, remember that we are all human: we will all make mistakes and come up short but we are all also capable of greatness in one form or another.
To the Class of 2026, thank you and good luck.
