Since not everyone was able to be in the room to hear the words of this valedictorian that I posted about here I reached out to someone who knew Ryder and his mom and asked permission to post his speech. Permission was granted.
Below is the valedictorian speech given by Ryder Wesson. I posted about his speech previously but I think that if you have a moment it’s worth a read especially if you’re thoughts go to your own personal fate and what life has been about or what you are slowly venturing into.
The speech
Good afternoon friends, families, and classmates. My name is Ryder Wesson and I am grateful to be chosen as this year’s Valedictorian. For those of you who don’t know me, I moved to the Lumsden area almost two years ago and started classes at Lumsden High School at the beginning of Grade 11. When I first came to this school, people thought I looked much older than I actually was. Some thought I was the new football coach, which was quickly proven wrong when I put on equipment and actually played a game. Then some started to believe I was an undercover cop, with that being the ongoing joke about the new guy. By the way, I have reports written up on everyone, especially you Hartley, so the joke is on you guys. It may not have been easy to fit in at the start, but eventually, I found my place, adapted, and made some great friends.
Undercover cop or not, tonight I have been chosen to speak for my fellow classmates. I want to start off by saying thank you. Thank you to all of the staff who have put so much time and passion into our education. The extra treats, help after school, trying to answer our sometimes dumb questions, and kindness you share towards us does not go unnoticed. So thank you from all of us.
Thank you to all of the parents who sacrificed everything for their kids to have a fair chance in life. Thank you for being there for us when we need you and loving us unconditionally, even though that may not always be easy. Though we may be leaving you soon, it is okay. It’s our turn to take charge of our lives and we will never forget all that you’ve done for us. So thank you.
Congratulations to all of my fellow classmates. Many of us achieved great things this year. I can’t go through all of our individual accomplishments but I would like you to take a moment for yourself right now to look around. Feel proud of all you’ve done. At the very least you made it.
I’m going to be honest, I had no idea what to talk about for this speech. Every grad I’ve ever been to I nod off during the speeches, as most of you probably are right now. I don’t believe this is some huge monumental day that’s going to change our lives. But, what I do know from my last months of school is that moving forward, my fellow classmates and I will all be on new paths. Everyone will be wandering mostly blind different directions into the adult world. I believe most of you feel as I do about this: scared, anxious, excited, confused, lost; you name it. Personally, I don’t know where my life goes from here now that the confines of high school and rules from parents are gone. So, though I don’t know more about life than anyone else my age, I wanted to take this opportunity to share a story and some advice that is helping me in these times of uncertainty.
When I heard I might be moving to this town called Lumsden two years ago, I was scared and worried beyond belief. I was comfortable in the small town of Coronach where I came from. Moving to a new place, going to a new school, joining new sports teams, and making new friends brings a lot of challenges and uncertainty. What if it ended up being horrible? What if I couldn’t make new close friends? What if I hated this new town and felt out of place? What if everyone there thought I was an undercover cop? Well, I didn’t worry about that, but looking back maybe I should have.
All of my thoughts and feelings about my new path forward were negative, leaving me with sleepless nights thinking about the move. I couldn’t find a way to be okay with and accept the change occurring in my life. But I knew I couldn’t keep this bad mindset, as change is inevitable and I had to find a way to deal with it. So, doing what every other 16-year-old boy would do, I started reading books and philosophy to find some answers. I tried to find how all the great people of history could deal with the change and suffering of life, how they dealt with situations much, much worse than the one I was in. I found many great answers to my questions and continue to. But one thing that has stuck with me to this day is the stoic phrase Amor Fati. Amor fati is Latin, meaning “the love of one’s fate.” It was used by the former emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius, in his writings over 1900 years ago. Amor fati basically means that no matter what has or will happen to you, what you have or haven’t done, what you will or won’t do, you can learn to accept, be content with, and love what life has in store for you.
Learning about Amor fati changed my perspective on the move to Lumsden. It made me realize that both good and bad things were going to come out of it and that all I could do was accept and love what was happening. It taught me to take charge of what I can control, and that I don’t need to worry about what I can’t. I still felt scared and anxious for all the reasons aforementioned, but I also started to feel excited to see what life was about to show and teach me. I felt content knowing that it was going to play out exactly the way it was supposed to.
I can stand here today and tell you all that I am glad I accepted and loved my fate. I have had a great time here in Lumsden, met great people, and won multiple sports championships with my new teammates. I even have Amor Fati engraved on my provincial championship football ring I am wearing today. Most importantly, I have grown immensely as a person in this new environment. There were, of course, hard times and pain here; it was by no means perfect. But nothing in life is perfect and blissful: that’s what makes it worth living.
I don’t know what my life is going to look like in the next few months, let alone years to come. But neither do any of you. Some of us may have chosen our next job or what we will be studying in post-secondary, but none of us know the pain, adversity, happiness, loneliness, joy, and peace that is going to come. These are exciting times; what is ahead may be unknown, but is so much greater than anything we leave behind.
So I wish all of my classmates luck in what is to come for you: you are great people capable of doing great things. I wish I could’ve gotten to know you all better in my short time here, but if we see each other down the road, don’t be afraid to say hi and ask how the other has been. But no matter where you all go, realize that life is happening for you, not to you. Most importantly, learn to love and accept your fate; Amor fati. Thank you.
The reflection
I hope that you enjoyed this speech even though you most likely don’t know Ryder, I hope you are moved by his words and he has given you something to think about.
I am in a place of amor fati—in love with my life.
As always, thank you for reading Lovelies
Angie Counios 
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