Sam Antonio, Jr.

Congratulations to Sam Antonio, son of Sammy D. Antonio and the late Cristita Somera of Asingan/McAllen, Texas as he receives the highest honor as Valedictorian of McAllen High School, class of 2009. He is also a recipient of the following scholarship grants: Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation, Rotary Club of McAllen, McAllen Chamber of Commerce, James A. Bush Scholarship, Federal Pell Grant, University Tuition Grant-Undergraduate, Texas Grant-Initial, Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant and State Top Ten Percent Scholarship. Sam will be attending University of Texas - business school at Austin this fall. Here's his Valedictory Address:

It's over. And to be honest, I've been petrified of this moment. Not because high school was about to end. Not because of all the new responsibilities I would now have. I just didn't want to make this speech. However, I realized a graduation speech isn't a curse associated with being valedictorian. Rather, it's an opportunity for me to express myself. For most of you, this is the first time you've heard me speak. And for those of you who had me for class, this is probably the first time you've heard me speak.

As you're sitting there, I know exactly what you're thinking. Some of you are asking yourselves “When will this be over?” Some of you are thinking how uncomfortable, unflattering, and oversized these cap and gowns are. Some of you are just hoping my speech ends soon. Unfortunately, it's not that time yet.

Fellow graduates: today, I am issuing you a challenge. For those of you who continue onto higher education, let this afternoon not be the only graduation you are a part of. I challenge you to keep yourselves motivated because believe it or not, some people are already counting you out. Ms. Ardis, my American Sign Language teacher, shared with our class a very important, and quite frankly, scary, piece of trivia. According to statewide statistics, only 14% of Rio Grande Valley high school graduates go on to graduate from college. Although, being around this group of people for so long, I am convinced we can destroy that statistic. Your teachers, this administration, and these people who sit all around you, believe in you. Graduates, I believe that deserves an applause?

As for the parents: wherever my fellow classmates and I are headed to, I challenge you to keep us motivated. The past four years, we may have told you we didn't need your help. Maybe we told you to give us space during that tough English project or after coming home from a hard practice. The truth is, none of us would be decorated and present today without your compelling push. And I think I speak for everyone by saying, we wouldn't mind that occasional “financial” help now and then.

And finally, for the teachers and administrators: I challenge you to make the next graduating class just as good as we are. However, everyone here knows it's impossible. There's a special multitude of talent with the class of 2009. If you were to personally speak to any one graduating today, you will have spoken with incredible athletes, academic experts, and multi-talented artists. You will have spoken to all-state musicians, aspiring authors, and possibly even a future president – anything you could imagine.

I would like to conclude my speech with a quote. “There's a big world out there – bigger than high school prom, bigger than high school itself. And it doesn't matter if you were the most popular girl, the quarterback, or the guy who got straight A's. Find out who you are in this world, and don't shy away from it.”

Sheba Viray Tayaba

A Step Forward

Graduation day is a very special and emotional day for the individuals and their families. It is a day they will probably remember for the rest of their lives. As the graduates march indoor or outdoor serenaded by popular or classical music, their parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends look on boasting pride with a hint of melancholy that their graduate is leaving a massive chapter of his/her life behind heading toward adulthood.

Formerly from Asingan and now residents of San Diego, California, the Tayabas were no exception. Sheba, the eldest of three, took center stage. As she walked ahead of the class, the audience roared, and her parents, Armando and Marilou, clapped and cheered proudly with eyes shining from welled up emotions. And their daughter’s speech brought even more cheers and more tears from almost everyone last Monday, June 16th at Cox Arena.

In her own words, here is Sheba Viray Tayaba’s Valedictory Address to Samuel F.B. Morse High School class of 2008:


Hello and good afternoon to everyone. It is my honor and pleasure to welcome all friends, family, teachers and faculty to Morse High School's 2008 Graduation Ceremony. Harriet Beecher Stowe once said that “The past, the present, and the future are really [just] one: they are today.” And today at our graduation the past, the present, and the future really fuse into one as we acknowledge the end of an approximately twelve-year journey and welcome the beginning of a new journey ahead.

The past twelve years of school have been quite memorable, but they have not always been a parade of good times. I can still remember my first day at an American school back in Japan in 1998. We had just moved from the Philippines due to my dad’s service in the Navy. I did not know a word of English, except for “yes” and “no”, and even then, I still would use them incorrectly. A mere couple of minutes after entering the classroom, my new teacher had asked me how old I was and I replied with “Yes…” After that encounter, I was placed in an ESL class for three years. Some of you may never have experienced anything like that, but I am sure that we have all experienced those occasional low grades coupled with occasional lectures from teachers plus occasional scolding from parents. However, we should not fail to realize that through all of the stress and pressure from school, we have constantly picked ourselves up and continued to move onward. And here we are now, celebrating one of our greatest successes in our lifetime: high school graduation. So bear in mind that although the past may have presented us with many challenges and struggles, it has also shaped us into the people we are now and brought us to where we are at this very moment.

But perhaps the most rewarding aspect of overcoming past hardships is the prospect of a better and brighter future. As I stand before you here today, I not only see fellow students, former classmates, and co-graduates, but I see future doctors, lawyers, businessmen, etc; I see a cluster of young people who, like me, are eager to make a difference in this world. Whether you will be attending a college, joining the military, getting a job, or doing something else with your life after high school, never forget that success is not an unrealistic ambition, it is attainable. We all may seem to be just ordinary individuals, but we are capable of achieving extraordinary feats.

Today serves as a bridge between our past and our future. The skills, wisdom, and knowledge we have gained from school, especially from Morse High School, will definitely help us reach our aspirations and fulfill our purposes in life. Today marks the beginning of our ascension into the real world. Though we will probably always have other people who are ready to guide and assist us, now is the time for us to finally take center stage; now is the time for us to shine our lights for the world and all to see. So join me in taking our next step forward and showing the world what the Morse Class of 2008 is really made of. I commend all of you on all your achievements and wish you luck in all your future endeavors.

Let me conclude by saying thank you first and foremost to my Creator for the guidance and all the blessings. Thank you to all of our teachers and mentors for providing us with a great education and helping to mold us into fine intellects. Thank you also to all of you, the class of 2008, for the camaraderie throughout the years, especially to my friends for creating many unforgettable memories with me. Last, but certainly not the least, thank you to my family, most especially my parents, for being my source of support, encouragement, and inspiration. On the last day of junior year last year, my dad offered to pick me up after school. Right when I got into the passenger seat and closed the car door, he punched me playfully on the shoulder, nodded and said, “Hey there, Senior!” And right now, I want nothing more than to walk out of those doors, meet him outside of this building and see him smiling as he shouts, “Hey there, graduate!” So once again, thank you and a big congratulations to the Class of 2008! Cheers!

Sheba has been accepted at UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and UC Los Angeles. She chose UCLA and will be majoring in Business Administration and Accounting this fall.