Class of 2024 Graduation Speech
Hari Om. Good morning everyone. I’m Krishnan and I teach the 11th grade here at Balavihar along with Avinash. Today I have the honor of saying a few words to the graduates on this very special day.
Before I address the graduates, I want to just take a moment to recognize the amazing group of students that we are here to celebrate. Most of you may not remember, but this class started high school in the height of the pandemic. I remember how we were all struggling with our Zoom classes. We were struggling to make sure that our cameras were not pointed at the ceiling fan and others could actually see us. So I can just imagine how tough it must have been to start high school during this time.
In spite of that, you will see from their accomplishments – what an amazing class we have. One thing I’m most inspired by is how all of them have service and volunteering as a key part of their journey in high school. And many of those opportunities came through Chinmaya Mission – for that we have to be grateful.
To the Graduates …
So graduates, as this is the last day you will be attending Balavihar as high schoolers, I wanted to leave you with three things as you all go off to college. These are not new things. We have been talking about them all through high school. So this is just a reinforcement. Some key nuggets to take with you as you start your next chapter in life. Pay attention, because there is a quiz as we go through this.
Always Improve
The first one is – Always Improve. You don’t have to improve a lot. Just improve slightly, but do it every day. In our discussions on Self Unfoldment in high school, the central message is how we bring about change within ourselves. We talked about developing practices like the gratitude exercise or just simply making your bed in the morning – continue to build on those. Think about how you can do one thing a little better than the way you did it the day before.
Gurudev says – “You are always in competition with yourself”. Small changes on a daily basis will show drastic impact over the long haul and remember we are always playing the long game. Be one percent better today than your previous self. Always improve.
Be Curious
Approach each day with a sense of curiosity and wonder. You have all been blessed with great opportunities. You are going to some of the best universities in the world – make the most of it. Make friends, find new interests, meet and develop new mentors.
If you have a choice between meeting someone or doing something new versus doing what you have always done – always try something new. Be curious and optimistic that you can face any challenge. Always be curious.
Find your purpose
The third nugget is – find your purpose. Find your passion that gets you excited about getting out of bed, or better yet it’s so exciting that you lose sleep over it. If you find that passion, that purpose – you will be living your best self.
Some of you have already figured it out, while others are still trying to. Don’t worry. If you approach the world with curiosity and wonder, you will find it. So – find your purpose.
Alignment with BMI framework
If you think about these three things, you will find that they align with Gurudev’s BMI framework.
-
- At the Body level – always improve.
- At the mind level – be curious.
- At the intellect level – find your purpose.
I hope you will hold on to the ideas and ideals that we have talked about in Balavihar and make the most of the opportunities ahead of you.
Finally I want to thank Chinmaya Mission for giving us this amazing venue to learn and grow together. I want to thank each and every one of the graduates. Because of the interactions with you in class, the teachers get to Improve, be curious and be purposeful.
You will always have our blessings. May Gurudev’s wisdom and blessings always guide you.
Thank you and Hari Om!
Krishan
