Graduation Speech: Salesianum School

Graduation Speech
Jonathan Ransom
Salesianum School, Class of 2025

Why are you alive? 

It’s a big question that most of us have probably thought about at some point, but I’m not sure anyone has a good answer. There’s no law of physics or principle of chemistry that says you have to exist. 

Your body is made of matter, atoms, which themselves aren’t alive. Most of these atoms were originally made in supernovae, the hearts of dying stars. And somehow, they have come together in this moment in a way that has never been tried before and will never be tried again to create… you! A unique miracle, a pile of stardust that has become, in the words of Carl Sagan, a way for the universe to know itself. 

I’d like to invite all of us in this room, friends, family, teachers, and my brothers, to take a breath and feel the present moment. Breathe in, feel the oxygen fill your lungs, and think about your journey, what it took to get here. 

Feel the fact that in the present, you exist, a conscious miracle, the peak of evolution on Earth, with a body composed literally from the hearts of dying stars. 

And I want you to realize and to remember the insane truth that you are alive. You are alive!

This crazy, improbable, beautiful experience of life is composed of presents, of little moments, little gifts in which we can choose who we want to be. 

And you are the only one who will ever experience your life. There will be countless little moments that are yours, and yours alone, moments of sadness, happiness, longing, and love. 

On some level, I think it's really sad that because of these personal moments, we can’t truly share our whole perspective. I will never know what my mother thought as she painted one of her art pieces or how my father felt smoking a nine iron onto the green by himself on a Saturday. 

At the same time, though, it’s really beautiful that we all have our own set of moments. What you think, say, and do will only ever be truly known to you, and no one can take that away. 

Even more beautiful, we can share our moments. Whenever we spend time with others, we create a moment that is ours, but theirs, different and the same, creating a fundamental connection. 

Right now, during our miracle of life created from stardust, we are in a very special moment. It’s the culmination of everything we’ve worked for, finally getting recognized and solidified as we are granted a Salesianum Diploma. 

Everyone in this room has achieved amazing things to get to this moment. Through sports, academic clubs, competitions, and service activities, we have enough accolades to fill our college applications and merit admission to some truly incredible universities. 

However, I don’t think these achievements are what makes our time in this place meaningful. The connections we’ve made with each other through the shared little moments are what made the last four years so important. 

What I think is special about Salesianum is how we are reminded every day of the beautiful insanity and chaos of our own existence. 

At the end of Freshman orientation, arm in arm with Nick Gioia and surrounded by the classmates I now share this moment with, we sang the Alma Mater, which I had just a few hours earlier frantically tried to Google, thinking it was some prayer or something I had forgotten. And in that moment, I felt alive. 

My sophomore year in May, at a time where at many schools we would be waiting for the year to end, I remember having our foot on the gas in AP Seminar and reading “The Crucible.” While I could not tell you what happened in that play, I remember laughing with my entire class as Geno Klein read the part of Abigail in the funniest voice imaginable. Surrounded by joy, I felt alive. 

My junior year, reaching the state Semifinals in tennis with Vincent Dell’Oso beside me in a brutally long match, I felt alive. Getting a 2 out of 12 on a physics quiz because I had spent my study sessions laughing with Jack Cordery, I felt alive!

This year, debating Mr. Menicucci from big picture topics to small, I discovered an intellectual curiosity and competitiveness for the first time, and I felt alive. Sitting in the front row at the Silent Night game next to Ian Fahnoe and Aiden Moore, screaming as Brady McBride drained a three, I felt alive. Giving gifts to children in our community in an incredible event only possible with the help of every single person in NHS, I felt incredibly proud, and I felt alive. 

These moments are only a handful of the infinite memories that represent Salesianum—a few of my little moments that have defined my unique experience, and I am sure that if you asked my brothers, every single one has his own collection of moments, during freshman orientation, after winning a state title, opening night of the play, or during just a normal day laughing with friends during flex, where Salesianum helped them feel alive. 

Salesianum reminds us to reflect on these moments and to consider our blessings. From the Salesian reflections at our school masses, to the thought-provoking questions at the beginning of every prep, to the deep conversations on encounter and other retreats, this school reminds us to take in the moment. 

As we leave Salesianum, I think it’s important to take the lessons of reflection with us. Think about the times Salesianum made you feel alive, about your favorite moments from the last four years. 

Whatever good made those moments special for you, I want you to be that good for others. Hug a friend at senior week. Make sure a stranger is safe on the street. Support newcomers in your hometown. Choose your moment to spread love and kindness to build a world community like the one here at Salesianum.

One of my favorite moments this year was from my trip on Encounter. In one of my conversations, Mr. Adams, who led my group, said something that really stuck out to me. 

He said, “Faith isn’t like a switch that you turn on… it’s a decision you have to make every day, multiple times a day, until the day you die.” 

I think this is a great way to think about faith, but this mindset also embodies the lessons Salesianum has taught us. 

There’s no such thing as simply being a good person. 

Instead, it’s a decision you have to make, every day, multiple times a day, until the day you die and become stardust once again. You must seize the moments where you can be the good for others, improve your community, or spread love. 

We will only truly change the world if we decide to be good, every single day, and pass on the messages of love. 

Earlier this year, our very own Ben Miller gave one of the best Salesian Reflections I’ve ever heard. He talked about the “what ifs” that life holds, and how to deal with the uncertainty that the world will surely present. 

Now, looking forward to the next four years and beyond, I get it. I’m scared! What if I can’t make friends? What if I can’t handle a rigorous engineering program, or what if I realize engineering isn’t for me, and I have to restart entirely?

What if I can’t find an internship, or a job, or even worse, I find a job and hate it, getting absolutely no joy or fulfillment from it? 

What if you aren’t happy? What if you don’t help anyone? 

But what if… you do. 

What if you do? What if you make friends, love your classes, and even if they aren’t always easy, you push through and find a love of learning? What if, even if you don’t do what you think and you transfer schools or switch majors, you find somewhere you love and you’re surrounded by people who love you for who you are? What if you live authentically as yourself and use your calling to help people, making the world a better place? 

Life will always have uncertainty. There will always be nagging “what ifs” and unexpected challenges that pop up along the way. 

But we know how to handle these challenges because of Salesianum. All the little connections we’ve made through the little moments that we’ve experienced have given us the ability to turn the “what ifs” of life into opportunities and we know how to persevere through the difficult times that life will surely throw at us. 

Each day at Salesianum, we’ve witnessed the greatest miracle of all. We are the universe witnessing itself, through human life and connection, the little moments creating a unique experience that shapes who we are today and who we have the capability to become in the future.

How lucky are we to be here, in this moment, our whole lives ahead of us with infinite opportunity and power to make the experience we want to make? How lucky are we to be able to help others, to share our gifts with the world, and to live in a Salesian spirituality of generosity and kindness? How lucky are we to have this brotherhood that will support us throughout our lives? 

So, as we go forward into the possibility to see what life has in store, I want you to seize the moments of love, of service, and gratitude, forging connections to create good in the world. Always choose to be good, every little moment of every day, and never forget to be grateful for those who help you and give you the ability to succeed. 

We have been given the ultimate gift to exist at all. We can’t answer the question, “Why are we alive?” To even be a thinking, breathing, speaking being made of stardust is a miracle beyond comprehension. What will you do with this gift? How lucky are we to have this possibility? 

How lucky are we to be alive? 

Thank you.