Patel: Graduation bittersweet for Clarendon Hall grads

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Students graduating from high school are used to having family come from far away to come see them on their special night. Friends, family and others come from out-of-state, or even fly cross-country to see the graduates in their families. But Rushabh Ashish Patel’s family flew halfway around the world to see his. “Every special occasion has a guest of honor, and while I do not expect you to agree on this, (these people) for me are my grandparents,” said Patel, who was the Clarendon Hall Class of 2014 valedictorian, while addressing 13 fellow graduates on May 23 at the school. “They came all the way from India for this very event. I want everyone to know I am very happy that my family was able to come today and be here for me, especially my parents, the ones that have given everything for me (and) sacrificed more than I can ever repay.” Patel congratulated his classmates on having worked 113,880 hours “to finally accept (our) diplomas.” “(Our parents) sent us to this school and paid tuition year after year just so we could get a good education,” he said. “While my family will always have a place in my heart, I do have some room for my classmates and our bonds. I feel tremendously honored to be able to represent them as I give the valedictory for the barely graduated Class of 2014.” Salutatorian Emily Grace Corbett encouraged her fellow graduates to keep moving forward.   “And when you have a rough day or rough times, think back on how much we all meant to each other in high school,” she said. Patel agreed. “However bittersweet (graduation may be), it is necessary,” he said. “Today we are saying goodbye to more than a school, to more than a faculty. We are saying goodbye to the place where we made our first memories, memories that no matter where we go we will carry with us forever.” Patel quoted Dr. Seuss, saying, “Don’t be sad it’s over; be happy that it happened.” “No longer are we kids; no longer can we pull the excuse that we’re innocent,” Patel said. “Now, we’ll be heard. Our opinions will matter, and in two years we’ll even be able to vote for our next president.” Patel was honest in saying he is “scared of what’s next.” “In two months, some of us will be going off to college, some will join the Air Force or another branch of the military, and some will get actual full-time jobs and not have to ask their parents for money,” Patel said. “Mom and dad, don’t worry, I’ll still be asking you for money!” Patel said he and his friends are more than a class. “This group of men and women sitting in front of you are part of my family,” he said. “One thing that I will take from this place, aside from my diploma, … will be the bonds we have made. We might argue, we might fight, but we are together and we stand up for each other.” “I can’t stress enough how important these memories are,” Patel continued. “At the end of the day, no one can take your memories from you.” Patel thanked Clarendon Hall faculty, staff and administrators throughout his time at the school for molding him and his classmates into the people they are today. But his final words were for his fellow graduates. “I wish you all the very best in life wherever you go: The sky is the limit,” he said, and then quoted Dr. Seuss once more. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”