Speech At The East Ascension Class Of 2016 - 1019 Words

Good evening to everyone gathered here today. I am honored to be here representing the East Ascension Class of 2016. Our time spent in East Ascension’s halls has flown by, yet this day seemed never to come any closer. I am reluctant to leave the sense of community I have come to know as I have walked these halls, but also excited to see what life has in store for me. Today is a bittersweet moment for each of us. While it is a scary yet thrilling moment, we are finally leaving our comforting nest to spread our wings and take flight. Although, I will say that I am thankful for the unfortunate events that have landed me in this graduating class. On August 27, 2005, my family left St. Bernard Parish to head to Baton Rouge. The windows†¦show more content†¦The ditches spilled water onto the streets, and earlier that day, the levee had burst, filling my home with ten feet of water. The few days that we were supposed to be away from home turned into a lifetime as Hur ricane Katrina flooded New Orleans. Everything that we had come to know was no longer, forcing our lives to begin anew. The world was now a foreign land to me. There was no dotted line or a bold red â€Å"X† to guide us. My family searched for places to live and jobs to support us. My sister and I walked through different hallways and attempted to fit in at our new school. Most of these kids had grown up together and suddenly, multiple Katrina victims were thrown into their mix. As the quiet girl at school, it was intimidating to approach people, introduce myself, and make conversation. I struggled with forgetting everything that was left behind: toys, clothes, pictures, jobs, and friends. I had only seen pictures of what the storm had done to my house, and the damage was devastating. Foot after foot of water still remained weeks after the tragedy. I imagine how the air reeked of the swamp. There was also the fear of what lie hidden beneath the murky water. Not onl y was it fears of critters, but of valuables now unsalvageable. Soggy furniture was upturned and even hanging over doorframes. Our neighbor’s aboveground pool was dragged down the street and across the neighborhood. Only weeks before, I was running in those streets and swimming in that