Ballenas Secondary's valedictorian's address from James Miguel on June 26, 2025:
To all of us, I raise an imaginary toast goblet to say “ Congratulations on officially graduating!"
My name’s James, but if you don't know who I am, that’s totally cool. I got dinner last month with a few old friends from 2021, and our conversation literally started with someone pointing at me and saying “Oh my Gosh, I totally forgot you existed.” We all laughed, and then we admitted just how far long ago the beginning of high school even felt. But today, gathered here in this gym for one last hurrah, of course we’re reminded of everything Ballenas once again.
Where We’ve Come From:
Imagine this: it’s your first day walking into a heavy-bricked room surrounded by other kids running and screaming and using safety scissors to give each other haircuts. Then, all of a sudden, it’s not your parents telling you to stop climbing on the furniture — it’s a strange person that makes you call them Mr. or Ms. This may remind you of your first year of school.
Since then, people have taught you to read stories, count to 100, make baking soda volcanoes, identify where Nova Scotia is located on a map, and even try to teach you Pre-calculus — that last one’s still a bit dicey to me.
More so through these teachings, you’ve learned valuable lessons on how to be compassionate, spot when someone is feeling down, and develop your own moral to determine right from wrong.
For the past 12 years, you’ve given your early mornings, late nights, and even more hours of your life into new rooms that have opened new doors…to more new rooms.
Elle Woods famously declared at her Harvard Law graduation: "We did it! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a husband to go find!” OK, maybe that last part doesn’t apply to all of us, but we definitely did something incredible in our time here.
And through that time in school, you’ve developed the skills you need to help you succeed…But succeed at what?
What Now?
Who do we become now, and what will drive us now that we don’t have a final project due date? For most of our lives, we’ve been measured by grades and deadlines, but as we leave these halls, the world won’t be handing out rubrics or extra credit anymore. The next chapter isn’t written yet, and it’s up to us to decide what gets pencilled in.
A lot of what happened here at Ballenas was just me finding out who I was for myself. I was figuring it out with my friends. I made friends that took photos, a friend that played sports, a friend that was an entrepreneur, and even a friend that thought it was their job to remind the teacher about last Friday’s homework. All of this was in aid to finding out what kind of person I was meant to be.
Many of us came to this place with doubts — our own, or other people’s. Maybe someone thought we weren’t smart enough, or serious enough, or “didn’t look the part.” Maybe you came to high school knowing what you had to say, but didn’t have the tools to say it yet.
Well, in the cinematic highly acclaimed chick-flick Legally Blonde, Elle Woods applied to Harvard. She was underestimated, dismissed, laughed at. One admissions officer even asked: "What are your backups?”
To which Elle replied: "I don’t need backups. I’m going to Harvard."
Sound familiar?
In the same way, we showed up. We studied hard, we stayed up late, we asked the hard questions, and we found the strength to keep going — and thank God we did!
Just like Elle, we can lead (from here) with the same confidence in whatever we choose to do.
In Grade 9, I remember trying out for the track team. I had no business being there — and definitely no business being blonde at the time — but, I showed up and ran anyway. Being there, I would get so nervous, as to if I was doing everything right — which is funny looking back, because I was just running around rubber circles. Still, it literally made me want to puke buckets. But, through constant motivation, staying after practice, and a few unnecessarily long “water breaks”, I pushed through. Track gave me a certain adrenaline that I couldn't get from anything else, but I hadn’t quite found my groove yet. By that summer, I had invested time into finding the right coaches, warm ups, and rituals to help me succeed—and succeed I did. Just one summer after trying out for my school’s track and field team, I had qualified to compete for Vancouver Island in the B.C. Summer Games in three track events. I was over the moon.
Explore the Unknown:
When you care about something, it’s scary to give it your all. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned here, it’s that your dreams have to be bigger than your fears. Picture your dreams as a hot air balloon and your fears as the weights holding it down. If your dreams are strong enough, they’ll lift you up — but you have to help them rise with hope and courage.
Trying new things is terrifying, but we can’t really get around it. So how do we learn to deal with the life altering changes coming our way? Recently I heard a sermon at church where the pastor pondered whether us wanting to feel comfortable was good or an excuse made out of fear. I left that Sunday morning asking myself: ‘Am I really growing if all I want is to marry rich, avoid discomfort, and live a non-working life in the Bahamas? Tempting, but I realized the answer was ‘no’. Always choosing comfort means you’re not really growing or challenging yourself. Real growth comes from facing discomfort and pushing past fear, not from avoiding challenges or taking the easy route.
Through our time at school we’ve learned that seeking out the uncomfortable is the only way to progress as an individual. We can’t stay stagnant, we have to push. A few nights ago when I was rewriting this section, I looked out of my bedroom window at the rain hitting the ground. I thought about two things.
- Should I crack open another can of Redbull?
- (More notably) A puddle and a river are both made of water, but there’s a big difference: a puddle just sits there and never changes, while a river is always moving forward. And then I thought ‘We’re totally the same way”—we can choose to stay where we are, or we can keep growing and moving ahead.
Going back to that sermon I vividly remember zoning out until this verse caught my attention: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2). Now, beliefs aside, what I got from this verse was that we’re not called to a life of comfort, but to a life of purpose, courage, and self-faith—even when it means stepping into uncomfortability.
There were many times during high school when it was so tempting for me to just stick with what felt safe—hanging out with the same people, taking the classes I already knew I’d be good at. But looking back, the moments I grew the most were always the ones where I took the chance — signing up for something new, speaking up in class, or even delivering a motivational speech here today.
Last year, I had the chance to compete in a national musical theatre competition. I was 17, up against university students with years more training, and I only had a week and a half to prepare five songs for the judges. I remember feeling totally out of my depth — like, who was I kidding, trying to keep up with people who had already been living their dream for years? I worked late nights and just focused on doing my best … but I still had four projects to hand in by Monday.
I kept pushing, and somehow, against all odds, I ended up placing AND handing in all four projects in the end. That moment taught me something huge: you don’t have to feel ready or certain to take a leap. You just have to move forward, even when it’s uncomfortable or scary. That’s how you grow, and that’s how you find out what you’re really capable of.
From Here to Beyond!
Standing on this stage today, I couldn't feel brighter. But, when the lights go dark, the exit signs are the only thing you’ll see. Look around… last time I counted three in this room — 27 around the whole school. And over the next however many years of your life, there’s going to be many more and more exit signs.
But what will you do? What will you choose?
I don’t know anybody here today who took the easy route. That’s why you're all here in your caps and gowns.
So let's continue to not be people who seek out comfort, but seek out uncomfortability.
Some of us will chase big dreams — maybe you’ll be the next person to cure a disease, write a Broadway musical, or finally figure out why printer ink is so expensive. Others will find purpose in quieter ways: supporting family, building up their community, or simply being the friend who always brings the “good snacks” to movie night. No matter the path, what matters is that we choose it for ourselves.
We’re stepping into a world that’s unpredictable, sometimes overwhelming, and always changing. But if high school has taught us anything, it’s that we’re adaptable and like a river, we push forward through hard terrain.
Part of my Valedictorian election speech was a promise that I would be using a Dr. Suess styled rhyme at some point in my speech, so to the people who hounded, here you go:
“You’ve survived pop quizzes and projects galore,
And tangled-up feelings you just can’t ignore.
You’ve doodled on your notebooks, and slept through the bell.
You’ve eaten cafeteria food, and somehow lived to tell.
You’ve zigged and you’ve zagged down these old high school halls,
You’ve tripped over backpacks, and bounced off the walls.
You’ve run out of pencils, and run out of glue,
And wondered if teachers are aliens too!
But, now comes the moment, the big “What comes next”,
Will you travel by rocket or send your first text?
Will you juggle 3 jobs or sleep all afternoon?
Well whatever you do, the future’s for you!”
To Send Us Off:
Going back to Elle Woods, I think she taught us a lot more than how to bend and snap. She taught us that authenticity is power. That you don’t have to trade kindness for strength and you definitely don’t have to trade your blonde locks for a serious career in law either. She also taught us that you can wear what you like, step out of your comfort zone, and still ‘win your case in front of the Supreme Court’. Well, maybe not yet, but give us a few years.
Ballenas family and friends, throughout the past five years, we’ve done more than just finish high school, We’ve set ourselves up to become the future we dream of. Know that who you are isn’t set in stone by genetics, past decisions, or luck, who you are and what you value are decisions you get to make today.
Graduates, you can all breathe now. It’s over — but it’s also only just begun. Grads, feel the empowering, loving energy around you and save the feeling to your memory. Let it push you into the next avenue of your youth. Grads, look to the person to your left. Now look at the person on your right. These are more than just familiar faces — they’re your biggest cheerleaders.
Ballenas family and friends, I’m truly honoured to be speaking on behalf of all of you in wishing success to everyone in this room — graduating or supporting. And remember, if anyone ever questions your dreams, take a page out of Elle Woods' book, just smile and say:
"What, like it’s hard?"
Congratulations class of 2025. We’re certainly a class to remember.
