“During my time at Choate, I’ve learned a thing or two… which is really only like half a thing per year… so not a great ratio. Really this is more about my mindset than something I have learned, which brings me down to ¼ thing per year… Let’s not get distracted by how few things I have learned.
One of the biggest changes that I have seen in myself from when I first started at Choate is that I now say yes to things. In my early days at this school, I would always find an excuse not to do something. Dance party form event? Too cool for that. Evening club meeting? Too much homework. And it was true; I did have a lot of homework that night, and I most certainly was too cool to be dancing in the Humanities Rotunda. But I have a lot of homework every night, and — I don’t know if you can tell — but I am always too cool. You can always find a reason not to do something, but if you spend too much time listening to those reasons, you end up missing out on some really amazing moments.
I couldn’t tell you the exact moment of this shift, but some time in my sophomore year I realized that I was suddenly doing things. I had been to every Choate theatrical production that year, I was going to club meetings, I had just applied to a signature program. Something in me had changed — whether induced by a lack of sleep or legitimate personal growth, we may never know.
It turned out I liked doing things. Who knew! Practically every time I took part in an activity despite the numerous reasons against it, I ended up having a great time. Looking back, it would be painful to have missed that magical journey through the snowy cross country course 2 with my friends or to have skipped a hilarious performance of Noises Off. Even for the things I didn’t like — wrestling, for example — I was still glad to have tried, to have eliminated any future regret that I had missed an opportunity.
And so I reach what is the heart of my speech, what I hope that you will learn so that some of you can beat my record of learning ¼ thing per year. When given the choice between doing something and not doing something, consider, truly consider, doing it. You’re always going to have a math test to study for, a history paper that needs to be turned in by midnight, or a Chinese presentation you need to prepare for even though you’re going to have to repeat everything in English anyway. I implore you, set those things aside every now and then to experience everything that Choate has to offer. Go to a chess club tournament, stop in at that form event even though you think it’s stupid, try a new sport that you’ll probably suck at. I have never ended up regretting taking the initiative to do something. What I regret most from my time at Choate are the things I never even bothered to try.”
