Graduation Speech
April 9, 2025By Carlos Castellanos, 12th Grade Student
The great Francisco Morazán said: “Education is the soul of the people and fertilizer of the armies of freedom.”
When I started writing this speech, I spent hours thinking about what to express on these pages. Something told me that it could not be so superficial as not to be remembered, nor so deep as to make us cry. I don’t promise you the latter.
Throughout all these years, I have given my heart to all of you; it is hard to say goodbye to the family that God has given me for more than six years; you are all my brothers and sisters. I understand in a meaningful and profound way true love, you know what I mean (HAHA!). Gratitude flows in my soul, happiness in my heart, I want to extend infinite thanks for all the wonderful moments shared together.
We must never forget the times when we smiled together, because of our jokes, conversations, games; we had disagreements with each other, but with an outstretched arm we were able to resolve the disagreements together. Remember the laughter, it is a reflection of what we take with us, the memories. They are the window through which happiness enters. I hope we never forget each other. Hopefully in the future we can talk about the past and get excited about the present we built. May the desire to move forward never leave our minds. I want you to remember that anyone can have success, but succeeding is not for everyone and we are called to be great, in our great country. A great man, one of the many in Latin America, said: “The size of your success will be the size of your effort”, Francisco Miranda.
We have achieved many things as friends and colleagues. We have traveled together, and cried too. Things have changed in our life together. We have always heard from our teachers that we are a very close group, the most united, and I am certain that we will be remembered for a long time, for being the beginning of change, for being an example for others, for being who we are. I want to ask you something from my heart: never forget who you are. Work hard, be brave, succeed, win, form a family, but do not forget who you are.
We know that the years do not pass for free, they leave their mark, one that is indelible, and you my friends, whom I can undoubtedly call family, have been that mark that this path has left us, a path that has undoubtedly been long, but very good for our lives. I trust that I will be the godfather of your children, the cool uncle, be happy and may God bless you always.
To my dear friends and classmates in ninth grade, the road is long, but see, you are already literally halfway there. I remember when I was in 9th grade, it was a difficult year. It was during the pandemic and I managed to get through it, I achieved my goal, I continued on my path. Although I know that you are at a very important point in your life, making a decision whether you want to continue studying or not, is a point that we all face. If you continue it will be your decision alone, and as a good piece of advice, I will share the words of my mother when she told me, “It’s three years I know, it’s a lot, but what’s the point of staying stagnant and not continuing, what’s the point?” Today I’ll say the same to you. Don’t give up, continue, the best is yet to come.
Before continuing, I want you to give a loud and loving applause to God and to my peers. Yes, indeed, God, the great I am. I want to thank him for everything, the one who is great, gave us the opportunity to have a home and a family at El Hogar. There are so many things that he has given us, we are part of a great vision for God, I am faithful to the idea that says that nothing comes empty, everything has a purpose, God’s purpose is fulfilled today in each one of us.
The Italian, St. Gerard Maria Mayela, once said, “Here God’s will is done. As God wants and even when he wants” and without a doubt it is what El Hogar does, the will of God, he fulfills it and he will always continue to do so because that is the mission of this noble institution, to fulfill the will of God. On behalf of myself and my peers, I thank with all my heart the donors, whose contribution make our education, health, food, and for many of us a home, possible. To the executive director of El Hogar Projects, Denise Vargas who through her tireless work shows off what this institution does in each of us who are here. Thank you for never giving up and faithfully fulfilling our mission. I also want to thank Claudia Castro, director of El Hogar, whose unwavering committment makes a profound difference with and for each one of us.
I especially want to mention Norma Coello. You have marked my life, thank you very much for your understanding and love, for your attention, your support; they are a sign of your unconditional love and commitment to the institution and its work. Thanks to all the staff of Técnico Santa María, who have known with commitment and dedication how to educate us for the world of work to which we are destined. Today you can feel proud to see the fruit of your teaching.
I bless the lives of all those present here. Families of each of my peers are undoubtedly more than deserving of being here. I am excited today, for what we have achieved, one more step in our professional life. I want to thank in a very special way my family who is here this morning. To my mother, with much love I dedicate my graduation. You are the one who made me what I am. With dedication you have taught me that everything is possible in this life. To my uncles and cousins present, thank you for giving me encouragement every day. To Don José Justino Ramos, my dear grandfather, I love you. Thank you for always being with me, for not giving up and for being that father I needed. To my grandmother I know that from above she sees this. She knows how much I would have liked to see her today. She firmly believed that I was destined for success. Today I renew my promise to be the pride of my family.
Neverending thanks to all, God in his mercy gave us all the opportunity to meet at this time. ¡Viva la Vida! Let us all be happy and may the almighty bless you.
Con amor, cariño y orgullo: Carlos I. Castellanos
