MUSE Global School 2025 Graduation Speech
When our superstar Humanities and Human Rights teacher, Jeffrey Martin, set out to write a graduation speech for the 2025 MUSE Global School graduation, he chose to write about what he knows. In this case, it meant tapping into the things he’s learned as a teacher.
“So many times I have spoken to students and realized that they don’t hear me because of their headphones. … So I decided to put on my headphones, make a playlist, and write this speech.”
What followed isn’t your typical high school graduation speech. Jeffrey wove a tale that was part story, part send-off, and 100% personal to the Class of 2025. He spoke on their personalities, their passions, and “their ability to avoid the bad vibes except in times where they want a little adventure or chaos and are open to the possibility of being hurt and wrong.”
“…I think it is best to approach celebrating them through their humor, their wit, their biting insights into life. Insights into myself, often uninvited, sometimes harsh and real, always deserved, and later on even appreciated.”
It was a speech filled with love, laughter, and, most importantly, honesty. It wasn’t a feel-good speech about all the sunshine and rainbows that were on the horizon. Jeffrey acknowledged how scary it can be to take a step into the unknown and that hardships will happen. And that’s when he dropped the best advice he had for dealing with those heavy things:
“Bet on you. Bet on you. Bet on yourself!… I can tell you 100 stories about that. I can also tell you that every time I did bet on myself, I ended up in places just like this moment, standing here, feeling pretty damn good about myself and about all of you and the time we created together.”
Take the risks. Do the scary stuff. Try new things. When you start to question what to do next, bet on you!
“Because you know what’s next? It’s the first time you will do something.”
Every “last” in your life is the cold open for your very next first. For our graduates, we can already see glimpses into the next chapters. They are filled with potential, built on the foundation of everything they’ve learned here.
At MUSE, we aren’t focused solely on the education of our students. We want to prepare them for whatever lies ahead. We prepare them to take risks, ask questions, and do what needs to be done. We help them find their voices and believe in their power to create change. And based on what we’ve heard about the Class of 2025, we don’t think there’s any doubt that they will.
So to our graduates, we’ll miss your wit, your wisdom, and your list of places to travel that aren’t touristy. And to the family, friends, and faculty that helped shape them, thank you for being a part of this journey.
Take it away, Jeffrey.
“So, take some time starting this afternoon to hit that reset button. And don’t worry about what anyone thinks, what you could have, should have, would have. … Try to enjoy the lasts and go after the firsts.”
