Home. A word categorized not by the physical structure of a two story house lined with a white picket fence but of the people it contains inside.
For me, Rancho was home. From the time my little three year old self marched into Sonshine preschool and promptly told my mom she could leave, to now experiencing the thrill of graduating, Rancho has and will forever be home.
For inside a home, a family resides. And that is what you all are to me, my family. I have never seen love on display so clearly than I have from the teachers and students here at Rancho and from the bottom of my heart I would like to say thank you. Thank you for the lasting friendships I have been able to make, for the knowledge I have gained, and for the foundation of faith that is now unshakable.
My Rancho family began when I met Chelsea Sanderson and April Treadway in preschool and has grown into the people you see sitting here today. From halloween parties at Rachael’s, off campus lunches at every restaurant on Temecula Parkway, yelling at the top of your lungs football games, senior domination at Forest Home,our epic prank, the grueling but rewarding senior project, senior trip and Disneyland grad night, this year has been a year none of us will ever forget.
The Senior Class of 2015 has a unique disposition which can be seen in the way we love. For we love big. We fight for the ones we care about, we wrestle with injustices, we seek to do what is right, and we love Jesus fiercely.
Our hearts are for the abused and nothing, not even oceans or continents will ever stop us from reaching the lives of the broken.
With a sense of pride in our school, our class has Tried to lead through example. We've modeled how students should respect the teachers, compete in activities, and give 100% effort into everything they do.
From the moment we shoved three picnic tables together in the middle of the dining hall at Forest Home to accommodate all of us, I knew we were a class that was one and the same.
The song oceans became our anthem and the bridge our prayers which says:
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my savior.
United at the core, we have become a family, that will leave a legacy for all to see. Scholars, athletes, actors and actresses, quiet, talkative, spirited, and serious students who never chose to just be “good enough.”
Because of this tenacious spirit, the senior class of 2015 is prepared to enter the world with confidence, character, and integrity.
How you might ask? Because we have the single most important aspect needed to change the world.
We have belief in the power of Jesus Christ. Because of Him we have a love that moves mountains, grace that begins again every single morning,a peace that covers our darkest fears, and a confidence in ourselves derived from knowing that our value is in Him and Him alone.
As we take the first steps towards our future, I hope you remember the power you possess in the name of Jesus Christ. For in Him you are worth for more than gold. You are loved, you are valued, you are free, and you are unstoppable.
Remember the words of truth found in our song that radically touched all of us that starry night in Catalina. When you are faced with trials of many kinds, remember that you are His, and He is yours. In your moment of weakness remember the One who is there to catch you when you fall. In your teary-eyed nights, remember the God of Comfort. In your stress and in your fears remember the God of peace. And in every season of life from now until eternity remember the God of love, who will never ever let you go.
So let’s not say goodbye. Because from this moment on we will carry a piece of each other with us, reminding us of this year and the family we have become, giving us hope as we embark on this crazy rollercoaster of a life.
For life really is all about the journey, and it is just now beginning.
I love you all.
Thank you.
