Ella Byrd McKeirnan Valedictory Speech

Gonzaga Preparatory School Graduation

June 4, 2017

Good afternoon. My name is Ella McKeirnan and

I am honored to have the opportunity to speak to
you today. I would like to begin by asking you to
recognize a member of the Gonzaga Prep
community who is not a senior but is also
graduating this year: Mr. Falkner. In his decades
of loving service, he has shaped the amazing
experience that Gonzaga Prep students enjoy. He
has shown his care for all of Gonzaga Preps
students through his dedication to Fair Share, and
his constant smiling presence and optimism will
be greatly missed. Please join my fellow seniors
and me in thanking Mr. Falkner for everything he
has done for Gonzaga Preps students, past,
present and future.

Thank you.

I had the opportunity four years ago to deliver a

speech at my 8th grade graduation. I can't
remember much of what I said, but I know I had
nothing to say about my upcoming high school
years. I never would have guessed that I would
have the opportunity to cheer on my school in the
Tacoma Dome every year, that I would be
inspired by a G-Prep astronaut alum, that I could
love Spirit Week as much as I did, or that my
Search and Magis experiences would allow me to
open up and grow in unimaginable ways. And did
I think I would have an opportunity to give a
speech at my high school graduation? Well,
maybe I dreamed about it, but in my dream, I
definitely had hair.

So, here I stand again, facing another

unpredictable future, like everyone here, hoping
and praying for the best. Most of you know what
you will try to do next, which school you plan to
attend, even what you intend to study, but beyond
that, what will actually happen next is unknown.
Fortunately, Gonzaga Prep has prepared us
spiritually and academically to face this uncertain
future with its triumphs and challenges, victories
and defeats.
One thing the Class of 2017 has demonstrated at
Gonzaga Prep is that we are really good at
triumph. I am in awe of the things our classmates
have accomplished over the last four years. We
own a football state championship, two girls state
basketball championships, and multiple regional
and Greater Spokane League titles in other sports.
Our Destination Imagination team has competed
in Globals every year, our choir and debate teams
have regularly won competitions, and one of our
classmates, August Corpetts, was the first
Gonzaga Prep student to be named Lilac Queen in
25 years. At the recent Spokane Scholars
banquet, our seniors won more awards and more
scholarship money than any other school. Our
classmates will attend outstanding institutions
like West Point and the Naval Academy,
Princeton and Stanford, Notre Dame and Boston
College, Washington and Washington State,
Gonzaga and the University of Portland, among
many others. And the majority of our classmates
are receiving academic scholarships to attend the
schools they have chosen. There is no argument
that the Class of 2017 is great at winning. But
how are we at losing?

Our class has not had many struggles, but the

losses we took felt epic. No one will ever forget
losing the spirit paddle to the sophomores last
year after an all-time bad officiating call led to a
near bench-clearing brawl with the faculty Im
looking at you, Taj Hoardand I know that at
least I am still bitter about it. Nor have we
forgotten that we were the first class in modern
history to be banned from leaving campus during
lunch, but I blame that on the class of 2016, so if
any of you are out there, thanks for that. Its
probably not even worth it to remark on the
continuation of the impossible dress code for girls
or the few classes that we all loved to hate,
because I think we have to admit that, overall, we
have had pretty smooth sailing.

That is not to say, however, that real challenges

will not come. It is inevitable in life that we will
face loss and hardship. Some of our classmates
have already had to experience personal trials that
cause me to shudder. Now that I am suddenly one
of those unfortunate classmates, I stand before
you today as living proof that life can hand you
some major adversity that you never could have
predicted.

Luckily, along with our parents and families,

Gonzaga Prep has given us tools to deal with
adversity. We have learned from our teachers and
coaches to push through the hard to get to the
good. We have learned faith and resilience from
Joe Feryn. We have learned humor from Mr.
Kuder and joy from Senora Traynor. We have
learned from Steve Gleason that awesome aint
easy, and from our retreat experiences that the
best is yet to come. We have learned here that
when times are hard, we do not give up; we
persist. Most importantly, weve learned here that
we are not alone. We have an enormous team
behind us thanks to the Gonzaga Prep community.

When we first arrived at Prep as freshmen, we

heard a lot about that incredible community. And
I suspect that many of us won't fully realize its
true meaning or importance until many years from
now. With my recent challenges, I have learned
early and first-hand the full power of this
community, and I am here to say how lucky we all
are to have had this transformational experience
at Gonzaga Prep, and how important this
community can be in lifting up its members
bodies and spirits. Our classmates, teachers,
administrators, parents, alumni, benefactors and
friends have come together with the Society of
Jesus to create this unique and enduring place in
our hearts and minds that pushes us to persevere
and to be more than we might otherwise be, for
ourselves and for others. I know the relationships
and community we built here will last across time
and distance. I have recently seen it up close with
my parents who are both Class of 1987 alums.
They are often sustained through this difficult
time for our family by the love and support of
generations of Prep community members.

We all have our reasons to be proud of the special

community that Gonzaga Prep has created. This
school has helped us grow as students, as leaders
and as people. It has prepared us all for whatever
comes our way. For me, it has created a backbone
that I can rely on to push me through my own
struggles. In my own uncertain future, I know that
I am prepared to face whatever challenges await
me, in large part because of what I have learned at
Gonzaga Prep and because of my membership in
this community and the relationships I have built
with my classmates.
I am very proud to be a member of this Class of
2017. We have all been inspired to positive action
by our experiences at Gonzaga Prep. I know that
in the future these special people graduating today
will do amazing and unexpected things; they will
act in ways that will improve and transform their
communities; they will go forth and set the world
on fire. I personally cant wait to see it.

Thank you.