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Senior Send-Off: Darrelle from Miami Norland Senior High

Dear Fellow Graduates of 2020,

My name is Darrelle Young, you may know me as “D-Rail”, or even simply as “the Poet”. I wanted to be the first to congratulate my fellow Vikings and the remaining graduates throughout the world, on your graduation accomplishment. My fellow Vikings, the waters may have been rough, but if a Viking can’t make it through, who can? We worked tremendously to get our hands on our diplomas. All four years of our high school education will push us towards our future goals; no day we spent at Miami Norland was in vain. Remember, you learn something new every day, even if it isn’t physically in a classroom. 

I don’t want you to look at this as a wasted year. This school year was a year for the history books, a phase we survived graciously. Yes, it’s unfortunate that our year was cut so short; but our senior year had no shortage of fun, learning, and preparation for our futures. From pep rallies to football games, we had our share of events to be grateful for. Just because we missed “Grad Bash” doesn’t mean we have to “bash” our entire school year. We will graduate from one stage of our lives to the next, literally. Don’t dwell on the current circumstances; take the time we have left to go down your contact list, call all of your family and friends and make plans before everyone goes their separate ways, to say, “I love you” and “See you later.” Don’t be afraid to share with people how they contributed to your life. Quarantine can feel just like a prison; barely being allowed outside, having a specific amount of people in a space at one time, limited human bodily interaction, all reminiscent of a prison system. So, I strongly encourage you to brighten someone’s day, just by a simple phone call, email, text message, Face time, or Zoom Meeting. This will surely bring light among the darkness that we are all experiencing. We are the light that we need! By brightening up someone else’s day, we brighten our own day.

Our “2020 Vision” couldn’t foresee these horrible circumstances, so take your time and make the best of it. There are campuses closed all around the country, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a learning opportunity. Continue to hold yourself accountable, be patience, and continue to persevere. You are “the light” and you got this. One day, your child or children will ask you what happened in 2020 and what you did.  What would you be able to say? Will you be on the right side of history? Will you be proud? Remember, “This Too Shall Pass.” Find comfort in knowing that one day, we will go back outside healthy and be able to show love to everyone who we have come in contact with. Our graduation isn’t a goodbye, it’s a “see-you-soon”, and that’s exactly how we all need to treat it, Coronavirus or not, we made it!

 

Sincerely,

 “D-Rail,” the Poet