Meredith Sullivan was introduced by her fellow valedictorian, Emma Roos:
It is my honor to introduce our final Class of 2026 Wilton High School Valedictorian. She is a talented public speaker, schoolwide leader and committed citizen. Among her roles are co-presidencies of Model UN, Mock Trial (which she helped lead to the top-4 in the state, a new WHS record), and National Honor Society. She is an accomplished writer who won the CT Bar Association essay competition and was the founder of a volunteer organization called Musical Cheer, which provides high school musicians the opportunity to play for residents of senior living communities. She is incredibly hardworking and will consequently be studying history at the University of Notre Dame as a part of the Glynn Family Honors Program in the fall. Everyone please join me in welcoming Meredith Sullivan.
First of all, I too must join the chorus of thank yous that have preceded me… To our teachers, friends, family, parents — thank you to everyone who helped us make it this far. I would also like to especially thank my twin sister, Arista. I wouldn’t be here without you.
Ok, now for my speech…
We’ve all learned a lot over the past four years: how to navigate the halls; how to not break beakers in chemistry, how to break dance in gym class.
But when I reflect upon my high school career, one lesson carried me through: find pockets of joy.
Perhaps the most important piece of advice I was ever given was given to me back in freshman year. I was freaking out about a math test when my mom said, “Try to enjoy the process.” At the time, I thought it was absolutely crazy. I was studying for a 3-in-2 test, the most important test of my academic career up until that point, and the advice given to me was to enjoy myself? That’s it?
Yes, that’s it.
Joy is simple. It is all around us.
We spend so much time in life waiting to celebrate big accomplishments — the grade, the acceptance, the graduation. But there is also joy to celebrate in the smaller moments, in figuring out a math problem you’ve spent hours trying to solve, in contemplating the infamous Mr. Sheridan quotebook, in sharing cookies every Friday, in the welcome teachers gave each time we stopped to chat.
Joy is simply everywhere, so my main takeaway is this: Find those pockets of joy.
Life will often feel like a math test, stressful, perhaps confusing, held together by guesswork and prayers. But maybe, in the middle of all the stress, the whole point is to recognize that simple joys abound.
So, to my fellow Class of 2026, thank you for filling the past 13 years with so much to celebrate. As we embark on this next, amazing chapter of our lives, let us continue filling our hearts with pockets of joy.
In fact, the next pocket of joy is right around the corner. It’s officially time to graduate! Congratulations everyone!
