Graduation 2024 Speeches: Wilton High School Boasts a Record Seven (!) Class Valedictorians

Introduction: Wilton High School Assistant Principal Dr. Amy Korn

The Class of 2024 has achieved at unprecedented levels throughout their time in Wilton Public Schools. This week during the senior walk through at Cider Mill and Middlebrook [Schools], teachers were thrilled to celebrate each and every one of you. Teachers spoke of your kindness and being role models of the attributes of the Portrait of a Graduate.

I could not be more proud of each and every one of your achievements and my focus today is on your academic prowess. You are number one in the state in both EBRW on the SAT and the NGSS test and number two in mathematics on the SAT.

Today, it is both my honor and privilege to announce a new record.  A record number of students that have maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout their four years of high school. 

We have more than doubled the current record. For the first time in history we have seven valedictorians, or seven “vals” as we like to call them. Please welcome to the stage the Class of 2024 vals who will introduce each other and give a speech: 

Sophia DeStefano
Grace DiBuono-Krafick
Yana Giannoutsos
Arjun Patel 
Katherine Rusin
Arian Shah 
Saniya Shah

Kate Rusin

Hello graduates, families, and friends. Thank you Dr. Korn for introducing all of us. My name is Kate Rusin and I have the great honor and pleasure of presenting our first valedictorian to speak. A dedicated varsity athlete (cross-country captain this past season), Eagle Scout, and piano prodigy, he plans to study applied math at university next year — you’ll have to ask him in a few years what he ended up applying it to. He is a wonderful person in and out of the classroom that I am grateful to be friends with, and if you don’t already know him, you’ve definitely heard of him. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the man, the myth, the legend: Arjun Patel.

Arjun Patel

Good afternoon, and thank you, Kate, for the introduction.

We are fortunate to live in Wilton and graduate from this high school. Our families, friends, teachers, custodians, and fellow Wiltonians have spent a lot of time and effort to get us here. To all of them, thank you.

I want to talk about happiness. The rest of this speech means nothing if none of you value it, so let’s pause for a quick poll. If you would prefer to never, not even once, be happy in their lifetimes, stand up.

What about the opposite? If you would like to be happy, stand up.

We value happiness, a lot. That’s a good thing, because what makes us happy is usually good for the world. I am constantly amazed that the members of this graduating class are most excited when they can improve the well-being of others, tackle big problems, or reach incredible personal goals and achievements. But even for the best of us, that’s not going to be true in every single moment.

There are going to be times in your life where you have to choose between the right thing and the thing that makes you happy. You have three options. One, cave in, be selfish, abandon the correct path. I don’t think you will. Two, do the right thing by convincing yourself that all along, that really made you happy. Sometimes this works, but many times, you end up having to lie. All I can say is that the worst thing you can be in life is a liar, especially if you’re lying to yourself. That brings us to Three: do the right thing, no pretenses, no deception. I think strong people like yourselves would be proud of that, and rightfully earned pride just as valuable as happiness. And this is where I’d like to end: you don’t have to be happy, all the time, but you should do the right thing all the time. Thank you.

I’d now like to introduce our second valedictorian for the Wilton High School Class of 2024. She was a huge presence in the high school theatre department, a co-captain of the ski team, and atop of that she is a fantastic artist. She is committed to studying biochemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. This person is incredibly sharp and witty; her words are worth listening to. I’d now like to give you Kate Rusin.

Kate Rusin

Hello again. Thank you for the introduction, Arjun. I won’t say you’re wrong about how funny I am, but I do know comedy is best when unexpected, so I’ll start on an earnest note.

Today, I am going to talk about passion and investment. I didn’t take econ this year, so I won’t be talking about financial investment, but I am a theater kid so I do know about giving your all to something.

Firstly, I’d like to thank the experts who taught me about these things in the first place: my parents, my family, my teachers in each grade, and the faculty and staff here at Wilton High School. You’ve invested so much effort, caring, expertise, and hours of sleep to get us here on this field today, and you did it with a smile on your face, I think at least most days. Putting it mildly, it has been quite the feat. We are immeasurably grateful.

Secondly, I want to recognize the work and dedication this class has already shown in achieving personal and community goals. I’ve seen it in outstanding athletes and team captains, overwhelmingly skilled artists, dedicated club presidents, and more. It’s an insult to call someone a try hard, but you wouldn’t have gotten where you are now without trying hard when it most counted.

I mean, look at me. Throughout high school, I’ve worn my labels of nerd and theater kid proudly, made many questionable fashion choices, dyed my hair every color known to man, wiped out on the ski mountain plenty of times, and could be seen opening an energy drink at 8:20 a.m. an unhealthy number of days. Yet, it was all a long term investment in finding myself and finding my people. The best connections I made were when I threw myself into a project, a team, a show to an embarrassing extent. I found people whose creativity inspired my creativity, whose energy electrified my energy, whose convictions demanded respect from my convictions.

As we set off on new journeys, I implore you to give your all to your hobbies and your careers, your friendships and your relationships, your passions and your protests. You have so much to bring to all these things, you just have to give it. Don’t slack off or let up because you think you’re a math person and the last two quarters of calc have gone fine. Trust me, I know from experience that does not work out well. Do your do diligence. Push through the final quarter with integrity and enthusiasm. You will reap the rewards and hopefully come back to tell us all about it at the reunion.

Sophia DeStefano

Good afternoon, and thank you, Grace, for the introduction.

Before I start, I’d like to thank my parents, the two people who have been my rock; my friends, who have pushed me to be the best version of myself; and all of my teachers, from kindergarten until now, who have instilled in me curiosity and a love for learning and who have guided me through the last thirteen years.

I am honored to be one of this year’s valedictorians and to be up here talking to all of you, my fellow graduates. I can’t wait to see where the next few years will take us as we all chase our futures, whatever those futures may be. Maybe one of us will become a rock star and come back to play at Wilton High School in 20 years like Goose just did.

When I thought about what words I would say that would leave a lasting impression, I realized that they would be words I had heard throughout my life, and words that perhaps only now hold such a degree of significance.

My grandfather always tells me how blessed he is. Whenever I ask him how he is doing, no matter how much he is going through or how he actually is, he always responds with “I’m blessed.” He does his best to focus on the good and to leave be what he cannot control. He truly feels blessed.

As I take a look around and soak this all in, I’m realizing how blessed and fortunate we all are. That is not to say we haven’t been through some tough times, actually some very tough times. Yet we are blessed to have had the opportunity to receive an education at Wilton High School and to be here right now. And we are fortunate to have such a supportive community full of compassionate students, encouraging teachers, and loving families.

Our class, the Class of 2024, is one of excellence, resilience, and diligence. We have come a long way since freshman year, and we have undeniably done more than merely “made it through.” We excelled, and we are leaving our mark. I could list our class’ achievements, but I would be going on and on forever.

As we move forward to the next chapter of our lives, it is important to keep an open mind as we set foot in new environments yet always remember who we are and where we come from. We are taking a huge step in our lives, and there will be many ups and downs. But if we think like my grandfather and focus on all that we have as opposed to what we don’t, we will all go very far. We are blessed.

Congratulations, class of 2024! Thank you.

Grace Dibuono-Krafick

Thank you, Sofia, and good afternoon, family, friends, faculty, distinguished guests, and the graduating Class of 2024.

I am honored to stand before you today and deliver this speech. However, I am accompanied by six other incredible valedictorians, so I will try to keep it brief.

Instead of advice, I’d like to begin with an anecdote. On my first day of kindergarten at Miller-Driscoll School, I got off the bus feeling confident and ready to start the school year. Once I entered the building, though, I realized that I had absolutely no idea where I was supposed to be. I looked around for my teacher for a little while, but eventually, I just stood and cried until someone helped me find my classroom. While this happened, a photographer took my picture, somehow managed to get my name, and then posted it on the Internet. That photo is one of the first results of a Google search of my name. I used to be embarrassed, but now I laugh whenever I think about it.

From this story and my subsequent journey through the Wilton Public Schools system, I discovered the power of resilience and the potential for growth. A rocky start may undoubtedly put you on a more difficult trajectory, but it by no means eliminates the chance for success. As some of you may know, I was a pitcher for most of my softball career thus far, but I switched to the outfield just last summer. I played left field this past season and will continue in college. It was difficult, but change is often a predecessor to growth.

I also learned the importance of acceptance and adaptability. One of my earliest softball coaches always told me to “control the controllables,” an elegantly simple mantra yet one that can prove exceedingly difficult to live by. Getting caught up in things beyond our influence can be so easy. People will betray your trust, disappoint you, misplace priorities, and make you feel less valuable than you truly are. Not everything will go according to plan. However, there’s no use in worrying about things you can’t control when you could be spending time working on things that you can. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer during the height of COVID in eighth grade, I was angry and confused. Throughout his treatment, though, he demonstrated to me the true meaning of strength and optimism. He listened to the doctors and did everything right, and I did my best to support him in any way I could. He is now more than three years cancer-free, and I could not be prouder of him.

In fact, I am beyond proud of all of us, the Wilton High School Class of 2024. We have shared many experiences in and out of the classroom that have shaped us into the individuals we are today. We are a talented group academically, athletically, and artistically, but that’s not what will stick with me the most. GPAs and SAT scores will be forgotten, that season’s record will dissipate from memory, and all we will have are experiences and, above all, how others made us feel. As my mom says, “the most important thing is to be kind.” When I look back at high school, I doubt I will remember the quadratic formula or the rhyme scheme of that Spanish poem, but I will remember the time we did headstands in math class and those late-night drives with that one Tears for Fears song on repeat. You can never know what will stick with someone forever, so never take advantage of your place within someone’s trust, memory, and heart.

Lastly, I want to thank my wonderful parents, brother, family, friends, teammates, teachers, softball coaches, and you, the Class of 2024. Each of you has played a significant role in my journey. Without you, I would not be standing here delivering this speech. Finally, I implore you to control what you can, relish the moment, and remember, in the words of Tim McGraw, “bitterness keeps you from flyin’ / always stay humble and kind.”

Thank you.

Yana Giannoutsos, Arian Shah and Saniya Shah

Yana: Hello everyone. First off, thank you teachers, faculty, parents, and peers. You have all played a pivotal role in making us who we are today, and we owe much of our success to your support, guidance, and example. We hope that in this speech, we are able to convey, at least in part, how much we have learned from you.

I am pleased to present Arian Shah. Arian is one of the two twins up here today, who I’ve come to know closely. Arian is looking to pursue finance —

Arian: (interjects) I’m 6’5” on a good day.

Yana: (continues) He is the picture of humility, and one of the wittiest people I know. 

Arian: I’ve been given the opportunity to introduce Saniya. I like to call her my spare parts, but I couldn’t have asked for a better sister. Saniya hopes to enter law, while maintaining her keen interest in writing.

Saniya: Yana Giannoutsos is a gifted writer and plans to study comparative literature, specializing in English and Spanish works. She is one of the most grounded, sensible, yet energetic people I have ever known. From co-managing The Forum, our school newspaper, this year to just hanging out, I enjoy every minute I spend in her presence.

Arian: And now, for the part you’ll tune out.

Saniya: The truth is, you only get one life. We hear these inspirational phrases all the time — things like, ‘Shoot your shot,’ ‘Chase your dreams,’ ‘Seize the day.’ But it is much easier to post these words against a pretty background on Instagram than it is to seriously sit down, plan, and work for what you want. It is tough to accept that we only earn things in life when we claw our way toward them. Yet, this is the truth. 

Arian: She’s right, you only get one life and people alway say to ‘Shoot your shot,’ ‘Chase your dreams,’ and ‘Seize the day.’ But, in my opinion, that’s not enough. The real fun lies in waking up each day with absolutely no clue what’s gonna happen. Embrace the chaos and let life surprise you. Why do something today when you can do it better tomorrow?

Saniya: I wonder how much of this he wrote last night… Though we often feel that time passes us by too quickly, know that it slips past faster when we are not prepared. So, if there is one piece of advice I can give, it is to dream big, but not that big. Know your limits, and more importantly, make realistic goals —

Arian: (Interrupts) Everyone has goals and aspirations, and, while some say these are important, the very best experiences in life always come when we cast these aside and choose to live spontaneously. There are no limits in life. Act first and seek forgiveness second. So dream big, yes, but also live big, savor the moment, and let go of your plans — 

Saniya: (Interrupts) I’m sorry! Fortunes, if they come, come to those who strive for them. And I want the world to not know what hit it when we, the Class of 2024, go out there —

Arian: (Interrupts) Life is short, make it shorter.

Yana (Emerges between the two siblings): Okay, okay guys!

The real truth is, life itself is a contradiction. If we followed every morsel of advice we have ever received, we would be stuck — paralyzed. Because every person has a distinct idea of what is acceptable and right and good. We are told to live our lives to the fullest, yet are also criticized for prioritizing enjoyment over the grind of work, school, and other obligations. We are told to plan for the future but are dubbed rigid and uptight when we put off parties or short term enjoyment in favor of predictability. 

We are standing up here today, but none of us can truly give any valid advice on how each of you should live your lives. Whether you plan to seize the day or take it slow and meticulously plan the next four years, or settle for something in the middle, just make sure that you make every choice intentionally, chase goals worthy of your time, and soak in every experience that comes your way… Life is not long, but it is also not short. You alone have the power to reinvent yourself, and change your life’s direction as you see fit. You are not stuck as who or what you have been. So don’t be afraid to carpe diem one day but plan out the next. Don’t be afraid to be the person devoted to both work and play–to be a contradiction in yourself. Do what you want (within reason, of course), and live how you want — because nothing else really matters. 

Thank you.