by Gillian Blount, Salutatorian of the Class of 2021

Teachers, administrators, board members, friends and families, and most importantly the Class of 2021, we are gathered here tonight to celebrate what will go down in history as one of the greatest moments of our lives.

My name is Gillian Blount. I am a member of the Commercial Arts shop of the Lawrence County Career and Technical Center. I came here for an opportunity to receive a better education, to both face and conquer challenges, and to make new friends. In my time here, my mentors have taught me that learning is a change of behavior through experience, that practice makes perfect, and that you must believe in yourself.

I feel I have proven to them without a doubt that I am ready to begin a new chapter in my life, and I know I’m not the only one because you’re all here and I am certain that you, too, are ready to see what life’s next journey will be. My journey will take me to Point Park University where I plan to study to become an animator. My purpose is to entertain people who watch my animations because that’s been my dream since I was a young child.

I’m encouraging each and every one of you to keep on pursuing your dreams. You are who you choose to become, whether you want to be a doctor, a musician, actor, firefighter, lawyer, whether you want to go to college, join the military, or become a member of the workplace. The possibilities are endless. If there’s anyone who’s discouraging you from following your dreams, anyone saying that your dreams will stay dreams, just remember: the haters don’t know who they’re messing with!

As for the teachers, the administrators, and board members...keep on encouraging your students to work hard, be persistent, and to never let go of their aspirations; just look -- it worked for all of us, and we made it in spite of everything that happened this year!

To all of us sitting here dressed alike in these snazzy gowns and caps: The hard work you all have all put in has paid off.

I’d like to extend a huge thank you to each and every one of you for coming here tonight to help us celebrate this milestone. I want to especially thank my family and all the other families in the crowd, even if some of your family members couldn’t make it here and are watching this from afar, I can guarantee that no words can describe how proud of you they are.

I want to end my speech with a quote from Ginnifer Goodwin, “Try to make the world a better place, look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me, it starts with all of us.”

Thank you and congratulations to the Class of 2021!