We Remember: Northeast Magnet Class of 2008

The Lessons of an Empty Seat: My Grad Speech/Introduction — The Version that was Censored I learned, what I believe to be, the most valuable lesson of my life this year; but it isn’t the classroom lectures or hours of tedious homework that taught it to me. On November 27, I lost one of my best friends and the Northeast community lost a brilliant and amazing member in a tragic auto-accident. It was so easy at the beginning of this year to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of senior life: applications, meetings, interviews, competitions, scholarships, college visits, graduation preparation, staying caught up in much more intensive academic schedules and staying involved in the things we like to do. Life became consumed with getting ready to graduate. Personally, as is custom for me, I put up my blinders and tried to focus on all I had to do. The time I had to spend with my friends dwindled daily and eventually I had only moments to devote to those I truly cared about. Justin approached me and requested that I focus a little more time on him, share my life and burdens a little, I told him “later, I’m just so busy.” That conversation took place on a Monday afternoon, when I returned to school Tuesday morning after ignoring his calls the night before because “I had too much to do to talk,” the seat next to me was empty. That seat, his seat, remained empty for 7 hours, in 4 classes, every day for the rest of the year. Class of 2008, I had great plans of what I wanted to …