Alumni Spotlight: Kirill Naumov, Class of 2020, Graduation Speech

By Kirill Naumov, Graduate of 2020

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the class of 2020, I would like to welcome all the faculty, staff, administration, family and friends to the graduation ceremony of the class of 2020 to celebrate this huge milestone. 

Before I get on with the speech, I would like to especially thank some people for helping me get to where I am today: my parents… my sisters… my friends… teachers… Thank you. 

For being there in times of great need I would like to thank Narvesen, Maxima, Lulu Pizza, Bento… The list of food places I would like to thank goes on and we all know why, but Ms. Sally didn’t allow me to say it. 

Look at how far we’ve come since we started high school, individually and as a class. When we started high school in 2016, we didn’t know what to expect. What we didn’t anticipate for sure was teachers changing faster than we could figure out what’s being taught. Then came the realisation that maybe we were the problem… Pff, what a dumb idea, definitely not.

Dear teachers, thank you for putting up with us. We couldn’t have graduated without your support on every step of the way. I sincerely hope that all the teachers understand how much of a significant impact they had on our lives. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank all of the faculty and staff of ISR for, often at the expense of personal time, striving to make a difference in students’ lives.

Graduating from school is a huge achievement on its own. All students have to power through countless hours of studies, the exam pressure and the university applications. And then, when we were about to celebrate having survived school, when we were looking forward to study leave, to our graduation, to prom, and, let’s be honest, a lot of parties, everyone gets quarantined because of a global pandemic. 

And remember laughing about how cool it would be to graduate in 2020 because of how pretty the number is?… We’re not laughing now…    But hey, some people really needed to learn what personal space is. 

Class of 2020, we made it. As you go forward, do not be afraid to dream big. Remember, that many of the people we look up to (political leaders, famous scientists, billionaires and philosophers) started their lives as an average person. This is important now, more than ever. With the world in turmoil it is easier than ever to make an impact. Today, no adult can tell us “this is how it’s always been done” or “you’re just a kid, what do you know?” because the old system DOESN’T WORK. These uncertain times are a unique opportunity for our generation. It’s an opportunity to be part of a solution, not part of a problem. It’s an opportunity to sprint faster than ever towards our goals. 

Congratulations, class of 2020. Let’s keep making our parents proud!