Tennessee School for the Blind
Joshua Harper, 2010 Valedictorian
Good morning
Governor Bredesen
Distinguished Guests
Parents & families, friends, faculty, & fellow classmates. We are gathered here
today to celebrate a milestone in our young lives.
My fellow classmates, we have all worked hard to get to this point, but we still
have many achievements in our future to celebrate and many challenges to
overcome. How many is up to each of us.
As Les Brown, an inspirational speaker once
said, “I advise you to say your dream is possible… and then overcome all
inconveniences,… ignore all the hassles,… and take a running leap through the
hoop,… even if it is in flames.”
We can do practically anything that we put our minds to if we persevere.
Having a visual impairment does not mean that we are helpless…. We just
may need to accomplish a task in a different way. So I say to you today, be
strong, be brave, be determined, and be true to yourself…
Don’t give up at the first sign of trouble.
There are many individuals to whom we can look for inspiration… For instance, a
gentleman, who not only graduated from TSB, but was also our guest speaker at
last year’s commencement ceremony, Kareem Dale, is currently
Associate Director, White House Office of Public Engagement & Special Assistant
to the President for Disability Policy,
The world renowned artist, Claude Monet painted one of his most famous murals of
water lilies while blind. Harriet Tubman
continued her mission to fight for the freedom of her people even after she
became blind. And, of course, we
shouldn’t forget that the past two superintendents of the Tennessee School for
the Blind did not let vision challenges stop them from pursuing their career
goals…. When someone tells you that you cannot be whatever you want to be,… I
am here to tell you that you can do it. The people I noted are only a
few who prove the truth of that statement….
Your future is what you make of it…
Vision will not be the obstacle preventing you from reaching your
goals… if you do not reach your goals it will be because of a negative attitude.
So be positive and know you can do what you set your mind to.
Helen Keller once said,… “Optimism
is the faith that leads to achievement… Nothing can be done without hope and
confidence.” ……. Is
that not the truth?
My fellow classmates,.. I wish you all the best and that all your dreams are
fulfilled… And I cherish your friendship
and support through our years at TSB.
On behalf of the senior class of 2010,.. to all the faculty and staff of TSB, we
offer our appreciation for helping us become who we are.
We thank you for your efforts to ensure
that we are able to walk across this stage today… There are also many other
important people whom we need to thank for helping us to get to this point in
our lives… To our families,.. you have been there for us, and you deserve our
deepest and most sincere appreciation… To the alumni,.. Friends of TSB,..
Lions.. and the community at large;.. your support and generosity to the school
is so important. To the Governor,..
Legislature,.. State Board and the State Department of Education,.. without your
constant support the Tennessee School for the Blind could not provide the
wonderful opportunities that it does. As the saying goes, “It takes a village to
raise a child.”
In closing,.. I would like to say thank you one and all for being a part of this
special day in our lives.