For many youngsters, peer pressure means it can be a little tricky to open up about their faith and their values. But one recent graduate of Woodmont High School in South Carolina, Lydia Owens, addressed her fellow senior classmates in her graduation speech, highlighting the beauty and importance of her faith.
Owens is both a valedictorian and senior class president of the school, and so gave a 3-minute speech about what success means to her, as shared by Fox Carolina.
She began by saying:
"No matter what your future holds, please remember that your life is so much more than how successful you are, even if you accomplish all of your dreams or none of them at all, you are still valuable and you are still good enough because you are made in the image of God."
Owens went on to explain how her own views on life changed two years ago:
"I had that reality check almost two years ago when my mom passed away. When tragedy struck my life, it wasn’t my grades nor my success that helped me navigate through that loss. When everything else in my life felt uncertain, the only person I could depend on was Jesus.”
The graduate explained to the crowd that her mom had been a huge source of inspiration for her:
“She always pushed me to be my best self and always encouraged me in my faith. She’s the reason that I have such a strong faith. She was the example of how to be a Godly woman and how to love people intentionally.”
Speaking with humility, Owens shared: "I don’t want anyone to say wow, Lydia, you did a great job. Yes, I said the words but that was God speaking through me."
The valedictorian will be heading to Anderson University where she'll be majoring in elementary education, and we can only imagine how inspiring she'll be for all her future young pupils!
