Sal Speech

A speech that Nashua North made me write/deliver:

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Good evening ladies and gentlemen, members of the faculty and administration, members of the school board, distinguished guests, family, friends, and fellow graduates. I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak today. However, I’ve wondered why I’m even addressing this community. I don’t exactly have training in inspirational or even public speaking, so just take these words as they are: the moody confused ramblings of a young, naïve teenager.

I hate high school. Or rather, I hate very specific things about high school. Waking up in the morning is dreadful. I hate that the senior parking lot is too far away from the main entrance, and that the junior parking lot has too many juniors in it. Walking from D3 to the cafeteria is just tiring. And lastly, only one third of our water fountains actually work. Nevertheless, I will always have a good memory of these past four years.

This is because high school is not defined by things that annoy you, or restrict your freedom. It is made up of the people you’ve met, the times you’ve shared, and the things you’ve accomplished. When we look back on our time here, we won’t remember nuisances writing endless essays, enduring countless hours of classes, or trying to find chairs in the cafeteria. We’ll remember experiences like joining a new club, qualifying for All-states, attending school dances or winning sports games.

All of this led me to one simple idea; learning isn’t restricted to the classroom environment. In fact, as most of us have found out this past month, you often don’t learn anything in the classroom. We are all still at an early point in our lives, with much to experience and encounter. When we expand our horizons, life suddenly becomes brighter, full of promise and hope. Each instance can be viewed as an opportunity to learn, to mature, or to just have fun.

For example, I hate waking up in the morning, but that teaches me discipline. I hate the two parking lots, but they teach me patience and tolerance. I hate walking across the school, but that gives me time to talk with my friends.

However, learning becomes meaningless if it isn’t used. We need to take these lessons from our past, and apply them to how we act today. Personally, I’ve learned not to pull fire alarms in the middle of snowstorms and not to bring grenades to school.

Anyways, we can probably gain the most from our relationships, especially those with teachers and faculty. They’ve made unmistakable footprints in our lives, as we go out today to make our own footprints on the world. I’d like to spend some time now to thank the people who have inspired me and put me where I am today, literally.

I'd like to thank Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Kimball for helping me evolve from a nerdy boy who liked math, to a nerdy boy who loves math.

I'd like to thank Coach Burns, for basically forcing me to go outside more.

I'd like to thank Mrs. Coleman, for teaching me how to write real good, and Mr. Freeman for teaching me to write real smart.

I'd like to thank my track team, especially Muite, Jahmar and Dre, for showing me the importance of teamwork.

And lastly, I’d like to thank all of you for waiting patiently for me to finish. Today is a day of celebration, so let us can learn from the past, enjoy the present, and look towards the future. There’s no need to hold grudges or be bitter, because each day overflows with opportunity to grow and explore. As important as high school is, it is these years to come that hold the most possibility and promise. So, let’s lighten up and soak up the sun. Congratulations and best of luck North Class of 2011.

Serguei's Speech

Don't take this seriously.

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Hello. If you are one of the unfortunate few who do not know me, my name is Serguei Balanovich, and I will be running to be your Senior Class Vice President. A day or two ago, I was sitting at my desk, thinking about why I’m running. There are many reasons for this, like my passionate desire to contribute to my community, a long-term interest in serving my fellow classmates, and a transcendental calling to lead and impact my school. But above all these, lies one overarching purpose.

I want to get into college. It would be a mad nice boost for my extracurricular activities. It would polish my application, adding the finishing touch to my 6.0 GPA and my 2420 SAT. It would fabricate my dedication, work ethic and leadership abilities. It would redeem my 799.99 in SAT physics. In essence, it would make me look better than I actually am.

As you leave the auditorium today, leave with a clear purpose for this election. Do NOT vote for the candidate who you want to hear in your morning announcements, the candidate who will fundraise for your senior prom, or the candidate who will organize your class reunions. Vote for me, Serguei Balanovich, so that I can get into Harvard. Thank you for being in my presence. You may now continue your mundane, pedestrian life.

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This was written by me, Victor Luu, as a joke to express my usual cynicism towards elections and leadership positions.

Baptismony

To update this blog, I figured it'd be worth posting my baptism testimony. This is my original version, almost twice as long as the one I actually read. I figured that most people would tldr after 100 words, so it wouldn't change much to post the longer one. Hope you enjoy anyways
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I was in hysterics. I was 12-years old and my parents were peacefully driving down to Chinatown. All I cared about was the paper in front of me; I couldn’t believe what it said. Its meaning was awful, and I couldn’t bear to look at it anymore. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I kept staring at the paper, hoping that it would say something else. Soon, I had to face the harsh reality; I didn’t get a 700 on my SAT math score.

This is the way that I once lived and, to some extent, the way that I still live now. It’s a hideous scene once you look deeper. On the outside, people may see me as a studious boy with a big head, a work ethic, and an unhealthy interest in math. However, situations like this truly highlight what my life was like. On the inside, my attitude was not simply striving for excellence, or seeking to do well. It was a near obsession with my academic performance, my accomplishments, and my sense of perfection.

I’ve grown up in a Christian family and we’ve always been involved in the church somehow. But Christianity was something that was marginalized in my life, whether I truly realized it or not. Yes, I attended church weekly, but I never felt committed to Christ. I never understood what it meant to be a Christian. Yes, I had my experiences at retreats or conferences that brought me closer to Christ, but those emotions soon faded away. I put my faith in the back seat, as I had more “worthwhile” things.

This couldn’t be a problem. It was how I lived the past sixteen years of my life, and I saw no reason to change it. In fact, this brought me a lot of distinction and approval among my friends, my peers, my family and other adults. Soon, I realized how useful this mindset was. I joined track in eighth grade and at the end of sophomore year, I got my Varsity Letter. Around that time, I qualified for the AIME, a mathematics test only given the top 1% of math students nation-wide. Life was good.

Around this time, my atheist friends started influencing me. Many of them were smart, accomplished students and could articulate their thoughts well. They told me seemingly inconsistent facts about Christianity. For example, how could a loving God send people to hell? How could he condone slavery and rape? Furthermore, I realized that these friends were perfectly fine without a God. They didn’t need to go to church weekly, yet they were able to achieve just as much, if not more than what I had. As time passed and as I filled my head with atheist philosophy, my faith felt unfounded and unnecessary. Christianity seemed to be a lot of wishful thinking. How could I believe in something that left no scientific evidence? Why did I need this crutch? I ended my sophomore year at the top of my class. Surely I didn’t need a God. I relinquished my theistic beliefs, deciding that there were no logical reasons to keep them.

What drove me was the illusion that I could be spiritually independent. Junior year might be the hardest year of high school, even though I’m sure most seniors strongly disagree with that, but I was able to pull through it, with marks that I was satisfied with. And, frankly, without that God to pray to, I didn’t see any changes in my life. I didn’t suddenly become corrupt or evil. I was nice to my friends and respectful to my family. I didn’t lie, I didn’t cheat, and I didn’t get caught murdering anyone. It was simply a change in attitude; a change that stimulated me to do more, achieve more and to strive for more excellence. My prior faith seemed like something that inhibited my progress, and now that it was gone, I could reach my full potential.

For most of high school, I spent time after school practicing for track. My junior season was coming up and I wanted to perform well. If I had a good season, I might even get noticed by colleges. I had high goals set and felt that my efforts would give me the ability to achieve them. Unexpectedly, I strained my hamstring during that time and was out for the entire season.

This was a catalyst for my return to Christ. Though it certainly wasn’t first failure, it was one of the first areas where I had no control over the situation. I couldn’t look towards myself to solve my problems. Despite all my efforts and preparations, I simply couldn’t accomplish what I set out to do. This was deeply upsetting and very humbling. I turned this experience towards other occurrences in my life. At the time, many of my senior friends were being rejected from elite colleges that I felt they were qualified for. Also, my dad was unemployed despite his long hours of studying and resume-building. I was bound to encounter these challenges eventually, and it seemed silly that I still believed that I could solve everything.

As God intervened in my life, I felt that my fundamental reasons against him were still abstract and theoretical. I began to read more Christian literature and sought to learn more. In Sunday schools during my junior year and even still now, I learned that Christianity is a real and objective truth. It’s not just built on heart-warming testimonies or Sunday-night spiritual highs. It’s concrete and reliable. I learned how to address the problem of evil, I learned how evolution coexists with and complements creation, I learned how the objective foundations of morality point towards a higher being, and I learned how the Big Bang Theory actually provides more evidence for the existence of God than against it.

I couldn’t counter these arguments. These were very reasonable arguments presented by very intelligent people, like C.S. Lewis and Francis Collins. I can’t say it was a revelation, but I began to realize the necessity of Christian faith. God, and not my intellect, was the only thing I could turn to as my source of strength and identity. It was the only logical choice.

This senior year has been a period of intense spiritual growth, especially with the difficult college begging process and the escalated stresses of high school. Spiritually, I’ve continued to learn more about Christ. In fact, only by opening my prior beliefs to peer criticism and honest opposition was I able to approach some semblance of truth. Through this process, Christ provided a way to reconcile my intelligence with my faith, and I’ve been able to develop a more intimate relationship with him.

I don’t expect my baptism here to be an end all to my walk in Christ. I expect it difficulties to come. But, I’ve decided that He is worth it and that I should pick up my cross and follow him.