Class of 2023 co-Salutatorian Speech |Erin Pottschmidt and Clare Van Meter
Erin Pottschmidt (left) and Clare Van Meter (right) were chosen as co-salutatorians for the Class of 2023. Erin will be attending The Ohio State University in the Fall to study Architecture. Clare will be attending The University of Kentucky to study Architecture. This is the speech which they shared jointly with the class of 2023 and all of the attendees at the OA graduation on June 4th.
“They say it takes a village, and luckily, the class of 2023 was blessed with the best village out there - Oldenburg. What makes OA so special is that it truly is so much more than just a school - it’s a community. Over the past four years, today’s graduates have been supported and encouraged along every step of the way by our dedicated teachers, coaches, mentors, parents, grandparents, family, and friends. We have been given countless pep talks, received more life advice than we know what to do with, and have been included in many of these people’s prayers through all four years. Thank you to all those who stuck with us on this journey and will continue to have our backs as we walk out of this chapel and into the next chapter of our lives in a few moments.
Another thank you to each and every member of this class, who have made our highschool years some of the most memorable times of our lives. Together, we have contemplated the meaning and purpose of a chair, completed a quarter of school virtually, survived the one-way hallways of sophomore year, passed Chem I, grown closer together on our junior and senior retreats, prayed together every Wednesday morning, and walked up thousands of stairs. Many of us enjoyed the opportunity to travel together, whether it be to Spain, Italy, or just a quick spin around Oldenburg on warm spring days. We got to know all of our teachers, enjoyed listening to their stories, eating lunch with them everyday, and learning through the mistakes and successes that we had in their classes.
Most recently, we partook in the OA tradition of painting our senior blocks in the student lounge - the marks that we leave behind us as our time at OA comes to a close. Our legacy, however, will live well beyond the walls of Oldenburg Academy. Each one of us looks forward to a bright future. We are going on to be the world’s next doctors, nurses, pharmacists, entrepreneurs, engineers, artists, architects, firefighters, priests, teachers, and tradesmen. There is no doubt that the knowledge we have learned and the experiences we have had here will set us up for success in our lives, but we would like to focus for a moment on the personal growth that each graduate has undergone in the last four years.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” We stepped foot on this campus as timid, nervous little freshmen and will walk off today as confident leaders. This drastic change is due to the values that OA has instilled in us as students. Our time here has taught us to find the good in one another, to work as a team, to be good communicators, to respect others, and to cheer each other on. We have become kind, diligent, hardworking, intelligent, unique, ambitious young adults. These seats are filled with truly wonderful people, and it has been an honor to get to know them. So today, we want to remind you all that we celebrate not only our achievements, memories, and the futures ahead of us, but also the people that we have become.”
