[Katelyn MacDonald is one of the six honor graduates in the Goshen Central High School Class of 2009. The following is the text of the commencement address she delivered on June 26, 2009.]

Life is a game, but one worth playing. It occurred to me that at every moment, we are always trying to win, to achieve some higher goal. Every day is just the next move on the chess board or another chance at bat. But whatever game you end up playing, I hope you’ll always remember these three things.

1.) When you step up to bat, I hope you swing hard. And, in fact, sometimes, I hope you miss. Because it takes a lot in a person to walk off to the dugout with a head held high. This, despite all else, builds character. According to statistics, humble people live longer.

2.) A couple years ago, I ran in a 10K. Now, I was in pretty decent shape, and I had been training for it. So for the most part of the 6.2 miles, I was feeling fairly good, making good time. And as I came upon the finish line, I picked up the pace and sprinted, like every runner knows that they must finish strong. But the closer I got, I realized that this was not the finish line at all, and that I had about a half mile yet to go! Oh, I almost died! Because at that point, I knew I had two choices- I could give up, which meant slowing down considerably, or I could push myself. So that’s what I did. I’ve never been so tired in my life, but still, I ran full out, even though I’m still not sure where I got the energy. I knew that if I allowed myself to slow down, even a little, then my momentum would be gone, and I would be reduced to a crawl. Finally, I passed the real finish line in a time I was incredibly proud of. Life has all types of these speed bumps, and you have to be ready to adjust and still give it your all. So I hope you choose to run fast, even in the face of despair and exhaustion.

3.) It took me a while to come up with the next sport that I would use for advice. I mean, I had already done baseball and running, so what other inspirational sport is there? Then I settled on golf, because I had never really given golf a chance. I was forced to re-evaluate when I realized how fun golf carts are. Anyway, I learned that everyone remains completely silent when someone is taking a shot, because everyone deserves your respect, at least initially. So I hope that you are polite and courteous to whoever you meet, because you never know what that person’s been through, but they deserve that much from you.

But we’re still young yet, and we’ve only just reached that first hurdle in our lives. So, ’09, its time to venture out and continue playing your game, this time in the major leagues. Congratulations and good luck.