I have a story.

One day, as I was walking through the main hall of Salem, I noticed something that changed my entire view of everyone at our school. I saw a sparkle in the eyes of each person who passed by. I saw an energy that wants to radiate from every single one of you, but it is waiting until the right time. Each one of us holds a certain potential to accomplish, obtain, and influence.

Today, we are assembled together as the Salem High Graduating Class of 2009 for the last time. We have traveled a long, arduous journey, but we traveled it together, and that made it all the more special. Thank you, Salem administrators, teachers, parents, fellow students, and everyone else gathered here today for sharing this significant moment with all of us, as we step off from this journey and onto our next path in life. My name is Nikita Consul, and I am going to illustrate in a new way the fact that each and every single one of us holds the potential to make a difference in the world.

I mean it when I say that every single one of us can make a difference.

"But I am only one person," you protest. My fellow classmates, if there is one thing I may ask of you, I would like to request all of you to discard the thought from your mind that you are in any way too minuscule to combat every situation that comes along your way. None of us is inadequate or unqualified - we merely fool ourselves to believe so.

Nelson Mandela, in his address Circle of Quiet, said:

...our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measures.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. We fear our own confidence; we fear taking the risk that will allow our fullest potential to bloom. But unless we overcome that apprehension and take on the most positive attitude possible, we will never see the depths of our hidden power. Once we learn how to harness our potential, we can use our talents and brilliance to serve the world.

And why should I do that, you ask?

What motivation do I have in serving the world?

I have an answer for you. When I volunteered for National Honors Society at the Valentine's Day Special Olympics Dance in February, I discovered a happiness that I had never experienced. Taking the hands of Special Education students, and showing them that they can have fun with the general population makes a huge difference in the lives of these students. The students' smiles almost reduced me to tears right on the dance floor. The kind of joy that we experience when we help another is both strong and unique. I suspect this is because the joy is a slice of true bliss.

Our world seems to be changing beyond our control. Economies are plummeting, melting ice is eroding coastline cities, and terrorism is on the rise. In the midst of what seems to be turmoil, every human being deserves every ounce of happiness possible. It is our utmost duty and also our privilege, as human beings, to spread such happiness and comfort. Even something as simple as a Special Olympics Dance can stimulate the spread of joy. In the future we can create our own scholarship funds for aspiring students like us. We can write letters to public officials or run for public office ourselves to help voice the concerns of our community. As we help others, we feel happy, satisfied, and productive. Moreover, we help people to gain more confidence and develop their individuality, allowing them to enjoy their lives in the future.

Making a difference in our world is an opportunity for us to make the change in the world that we are waiting for. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Our work will not get done without our initiative and contribution. If you ever have any idea, do not hesitate to act upon it. If you ever have a doubt, do not hesitate to question it. If you ever have praise, do not hesitate to voice it. It is when we restrain our voices, actions, and protests that the world fails to change. And then it remains how we do not want it to remain.

As we sit here, together for the last time, each and every one of us is wondering what will happen next. Apart from what we have planned for the near future, we remain perplexed as to what kinds of turns our lives will take from here on out. We simply await the next stage of our life to come our way.

As we wait, we must not forget that it is the trip - the journey - that we will travel that makes life truly joyous. How we approach that journey will matter.

Fellow classmates, that sparkle - the energy that resides within you - is a gift. It is a gift that you can use to accomplish great things in the world. I have faith that each of you will make a difference in our world some day, somehow. And when you do, I hope you will remember your high school years and this graduation day.

Congratulations, fellow graduates.

Thank you.

So I was inspired by a need. To. Tell. My. Class. About the World. The graduation speech's theme: Tell your classmates how they can "Make a Difference in the World".
I really enjoyed writing the speech. I spent days writing it. Days revising it. Hours rehearsing it.

Eventually..
It became my way of becoming someone different and stepping out of my niche.
No one expected me to win. Everyone would have understood my other passions if they had only listened to my speech. But they didn't expect me to win.

As soon as I wanted to win to prove them wrong,
It all fell apart.

I didn't win.

And 12 hours later, I realize... It's quite OK.