Si Se Puede

Today is Saturday, March 16, 2013, which means last night was the Cesar Chavez Scholarship banquet. The banquet I was granted the honor of being the Student Speaker at, did I finish my speech and read it or did I fail to do so and just wing it?

Obvs, I finished my speech, you can read a copy of it below. Overall it was a pretty sweet turnout, the food was decent, not very vegetarian friendly but the veggies and mashed potatoes were good. There weren't as much people as there was when I received the award but still enough to make my nerves go insane. I was so nervous that I got really hot and my hands started to sweat as the Keynote Speaker (who spoke before me) was speaking.

I don’t know what it is, I didn't have stage fright in high school being onstage for band, or speaking in front of the school for assemblies or graduation but there is something about standing onstage reading my own writing that scares the crap out of me. I think it might be because I know that writing is my passion, it’s what I love and hold dear to my heart, and I fear that everyone doesn't feel the same way about my writing as I do. I fear that they’re all judging me thinking, “Why on earth would she write that..?!”. When it comes down to someone reading my own writing, a huge wave of insecurities splashes upon me. 
After I read my speech, I did receive a good applause but I don’t know if it was the “You did awesome!” kind or the “It is proper etiquette to clap after one speaks” kind. Whichever it was, it’s done, I did my best and I am proud of myself for overcoming the fear of being onstage reading my own words.

xoxo,

alicia.

ps. today is also my sister Ernestina's 17th birthday, so birthday shout out to that gal who is New York today, lucky brat.

Here’s my speech if you care to give it a gander, thanks for reading.

  

Good evening everyone, my name is Alicia Ramirez; I am a student double majoring in Social Work and Journalism at Northern Arizona University. Now, I can’t promise that I won’t bore you tonight, but I can promise that I’ll try my best not to.

First off I want to congratulate each and every one of you here tonight; students your hard work and determination to succeed is paying off and receiving this award tonight just goes to show you that someone believes in you. Parents; congratulations to you as well because without your constant support, these students would not be here.

It is both an honor and a privilege to speak here tonight because not only does this mean that all my headaches and sleepless nights are slowly paying off, it means that my hard work and dedication to school no matter how tough it’s getting is being acknowledged and someone aside from my family and friends, believes in me. As a young adult in this society, it is easy to lose sight of who we are, what’s important and what we believe in. We’re all pressured to change our views on life if someone doesn't agree with us but luckily, there are still a few of us out there who choose to stand our ground and refuse to change our stance on issues we’re passionate about. I too, like Cesar Chavez, believe we should all fight for what we believe to be right, whatever it may be; for me it’s Animal Rights and Teen Suicide/Depression prevention and awareness, for you it could be something else, the possibilities are endless. But whatever you do, do not lose sight of what you believe no matter what your peers and society may think of your decisions to do so. Cesar Chavez fought for what he believed in despite what others thought or said; he was a strong willed man who went above and beyond for the Latino community, changing things for the better. And because of his passion to do so, I am more than honored to be standing here before you tonight as a former recipient of this award. This award alone has helped in many ways and I am forever grateful for this because I know that I earned this through my dedication and desire to succeed in school and fight for what I believe in and not only was it acknowledged but it was appreciated as well.

College will be a wonderful experience; you’ll make new friends, take a few steps out of your comfort zone and really find out who you are as an individual. You’ll also gain a new sense of independence because unlike high school, you are on your own, no one is going to sit there and babysit you to make sure you know what you’re doing. Your professors will assign things and assume you know everything and it’s going to be up to you to decide, “Hey, maybe I should go to tutoring” or “Hey, I’m not doing anything right now, a study session with classmates could do me some good.” Don’t afraid or ashamed to admit it, we all need help every once and awhile. Most professors offer office hours, and the library can be opened pretty late, most dorms even offer tutoring as well, it’s free so why not take advantage of it?

Aside from that, there is something I want you all to keep in mind.

Don’t be afraid to fail. I understand that the transition into college from high school can be tough for most; it was tough for me as well. Some of us can go from being a straight A student in high school to getting our first dose of reality and fail a class or two. Most of us deal with a various amount of issues in our lifetime, and unfortunately the majority of those issues are out of our control. Sometimes it becomes more than we can handle and we wind up on academic probation or suspension and that is when we truly begin to doubt ourselves. If you do happen to come across this situation in your schooling, do NOT give up on yourself, you’re not a failure and trust me when I say that if you keep your faith, as I am doing now, in due time, everything will be fine. I know it may not seem appropriate to say this at the moment but maybe in a couple of weeks, months or even years you’ll be down on your luck and this moment will come to mind causing you to realize that it is in fact okay to fail. Not to sound cliché, but sometimes, failing is that dose of reality we need that allows us to realize that we are, in fact, human.

When I look at you all I see a group of beautiful and intelligent individuals who are striving for the best. You’re all going to head to school in the fall and give it your all but unfortunately some of you will fall short. But trust me when I say that that, will be nothing less than a simple speed bump in your path. Keep on driving and one day you will realize that all the stress and headaches you will encounter are worth it because not only do I believe in each and every one of you but so does everyone here tonight.

In the words of Cesar Chavez, “Si Se Puede”. Congratulations again and thank you for allowing me to speak here tonight, enjoy the rest of your evening.