Everyone wants to leave their mark and the graduation speeches help students achieve just that. 

“Students know that they have a voice and something important to say,” speech communications teacher and graduation speech judge Lisa Packan said. “I love to watch them gain the confidence and the ability to be able to do such a thing that makes most people really nervous.”

As the class of 2023 gathers for the last time, these speeches will be a crossroad of the past they’ve shared and their hopes for their impending futures. If planning to audition, graduation speech coordinator and judge Amber Bronson must be notified by April 10th. Additionally, a copy of one’s speech must be emailed to Bronson by 8:00 a.m. on April 18th. Speech requirements include the speeches being three minutes in length and having an introduction, body and conclusion.

“I try to give students tips to make it relatable, be inspirational and speak from the heart. I think in most cases, if they do that, then they’re going to capture the audience and they’re going to leave a good message,” Packan said.

Senior Alexandra Metzger has been dreaming of giving the speech since transferring. Pulling out all of the mementos and reminders of the experiences she’s shared with her class has helped inspire her speech. Leading up to graduation, she hopes to bring everyone together one last time through her speech.

“I just want to leave here kind of leaving my mark at Eisenhower, because I really did enjoy being here and it brought a lot of great memories,” Metzger said. “So, I just want to share with my class how much it meant being here.”