Thousands of teens throughout Gwinnett County have been walking the stage in recent days, receiving their diplomas as well as healthy doses of advice from school leaders, friends, family and each other. AJC Gwinnett Opinions invited school valedictorians to share with us the speeches they delivered during those all-important commencement ceremonies. The following are excerpts from those received.

LIANA NISIMOVA

BERKMAR HIGH SCHOOL

Life is a gamble; if you don't play, you can never lose, but you will also never win. ...

As you reflect on the decisions of the past, can you recall a time when fear of failure has kept you from pursuing a goal? Do you also regret not taking the risk? ...

I do. Fear of the unknown has kept me from doing many things in my life that I still regret. If I had applied to the best university in the nation, would I have gotten in? If I had stuck to martial arts as a yellow belt, would I be a black belt today? If I had tried out for a sport, would I have been good? These are just a few of the things that I wonder about, but to tell the truth, I have only faced minor risks. The greatest risks in life and the biggest rewards await us. ...

My mother has always encouraged me to take risks; she constantly recites the Russian proverb: "Those who don't risk, don't drink champagne." In other words, you will have nothing to celebrate if you don't take that leap of faith. This saying is not what I live by, but what I strive to live by. ...

Take control of your future. Take the risks with the big payoffs; apply for a job that you believe is just out of your reach; pursue the adventure that you fear; speak what is on your mind. Believe in yourself enough to attain success and to survive failure, because what we most regret in the past are not the things we did do, but the things we didn't.

In the words of T.S. Eliot: "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

YOON MUN

BROOKWOOD HIGH SCHOOL

We all know in vague terms what we want from life: happiness, security, not to be Britney Spears. But how do we get there? In the Wonderful Land of Oz, Dorothy had it easy (minus the flying monkeys) because she always had a yellow brick road to guide her. Unfortunately for us in the real world, there is no yellow brick road. This is actually not a bad thing, and it took me quite some time last year to realize this.

I always trusted that going to college was the right choice for me. That was the easy part. But when I started to explore college options, I became confused because I was convinced that there had to be one perfect college out there, my path to happiness, and I didn't know how to find it. ...

Every college I visited was the "best choice" according to the students there. Just to top it all off, I then talked to some people who had decided to take ... time off from school to work or pursue a passion, and they said that was the best decision they ever made. By this point, I was absolutely exasperated with my search for the path to happiness. But then I realized something.

Happiness is not a treasure that can only be found at one specific place. It is not a gift that you can give to others or receive. Happiness is something that you make for yourself. And happiness is different for everyone. You don't need a high-paying job to be happy; just ask your teachers. You don't need a degree to qualify you for happiness; you don't even have to go to college. So don't worry about what path anyone else is walking. Stay true to yourself when making your decisions, and you'll be paving your own personal yellow brick road.

GINA LEE

COLLINS HILL HIGH SCHOOL

We have grown up in so many ways. Not one of us can claim to be who we were a year ago, let alone four years ago, and not one of us will be the same a year from now. ...

I want to say a little heartwarming thanks to my parents. I have lived apart from my parents since I was a little kid. Just looking at my dad who is with me right now, watching me graduate, makes my eyes watery. Hi Dad. I love you. I'm sorry you never had a chance to watch me grow up. I know you had to be as strong as I was. Thank you for teaching me how to be independent, how to be strong, how to be compassionate, and how to steer my own future. I hope I grew up to be a daughter whom you could be proud of. ...

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow but a vision. But today well-lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Anyone who thinks the sky is the limit has a limited imagination. Accept challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory. Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. And if not now, when?

It is now. Right here at this moment. So when it comes to the time when we toss our tassels to the left, may your hats fly as high as your dreams. And remember, this time the sky is NOT the limit.

JOEY KRUMPACH

COVENANT CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

High school was an adventure for me —- a learning adventure of the truest sense of the word.

Covenant is a great place with many opportunities for its students. Here, there were doors opened to me which may have never been available otherwise, even though some times, I needed a little "push" to walk through those doors.

For me and many of my classmates, it seemed like an exceedingly long time between the beginning of our ninth-grade year until now. So much has transpired. There have been so many experiences and so many paths have crossed that have affected our lives forever. But that is what Covenant is all about —- touching hearts and changing lives and being all that God has planned for each of us. Beyond the academics, students at Covenant have been given a special nurturing atmosphere in which we were encouraged to explore ideas, think in new ways and grow into the young men and women we have become. For all that, just saying thanks seems so small, but the thank you I send is deep and profound. ...

And to my class I say this: It's time to move on. New adventures to seek out and new friendships lie ahead. For this one last moment we sit together. From here we embark on many different roads and face a myriad of challenges. But we are prepared to face the future. We have been taught the fundamentals and given the tools to successfully enter the adult world. We may be young, but we're not afraid. We may be few in number, but we're strong in spirit. We may be diverse, but we're concerted in our desire to make a difference in society. With God's grace, we are ready. Bring it on.

DUSTIN BURNS

DACULA HIGH SCHOOL

To the graduating class of 2008, the first class to be born in the '90s, the class that has been repeatedly experimented on by new and "improved" standardized tests, the class that remembers the turn of a millennium, an attack on the heart of America and the subsequent war —- it's been a long time coming, but thankfully, we've only just begun. ...

If you are leaving from here today as uncertain about what you are going to do with your life as you were when you were in diapers, don't worry, you're not alone. I guarantee most of the adults in this room still don't know what they want to be when they grow up.

I'll leave you with the most important bits of advice I have been given. Eventually, you will reach a point where you will settle with what you have. If you don't want this kind of work-9-5-and-cut-the-grass-on-Sundays life, I urge you to get more formal education than you think you'll ever need while you're young. Once you reach this uncomfortable comfort point, you're not going to go back to school or want to take initiative to improve your career.

Also, one day in your 20s you're going to have an epiphany: You are going to realize that everything your parents or authorities have done and are doing is actually for your own good. So, while you're starting to think that you're independent, don't be too hard on your parents and professors —- they are only trying to help you.

Lastly, be proud of yourselves, but don't congratulate yourselves too much. We've accomplished a lot, but we've only just begun.

JESSICA MARY LYSZCZASZ

FAITH ACADEMY BUFORD CAMPUS

Accepting Jesus into your heart isn't just a "get out of jail free" card. He wants to heal you and show each and every one of you the amazing plans he has for your life. I know the miracles that Christ can do in your life. If you're ready to quit playing around with this "whole religion thing" and want something that's real, if you want to know where you would go if you were to die right now, if you want God to come in and heal your broken heart, or if you're just lost and don't know where to go, then please join me in praying this prayer.

Dear Lord, I admit that I am a sinner. I have done many things that don't please you. I have lived my life for myself. I am sorry, and I repent. I ask you to forgive me. I believe that you died on the cross for me, to save me. You did what I could not do for myself. I come to you now and ask you to take control of my life, I give it to you. Help me to live every day in a way that pleases you. I love you, Lord, and I thank you that I will spend all eternity with you. Amen

RAHMAAN LODHIA

GREATER ATLANTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

If one had met me when I first entered GACS in kindergarten, I would have appeared one of the last people to be in this position in the future. I entered school without knowing a lick of English, speaking in a foreign tongue in my early years at school, making average grades, and being one of the shyest and quietest students at this school. ...

The insight that I will explore, if you have not caught on by now, is the potential that resides in each of us to do something great in the world. ...

For one to become truly "great" in my opinion is for one to make his or her life meaningful to any degree. That could range from coming up with a magnificent breakthrough in the field of science to simply being a significant influence in a friend's life. With that in mind, it is to see that anyone is capable of becoming great. ...

I believe that one can assess his or her strengths and skills by finding who he or she really is. If one begins to understand the person he or she is by developing his or her character, one can find his or her potential. Every ordeal we face, whether big or small, shapes who we become, and in turn, the way we deal with our troubles shapes and builds our potential. ...

If there is one thing you remember from today, then remember this: We all have the capability of making a difference in the future that lies ahead of us. Never sell yourself short or question your capabilities, because, as I once heard in a song, even the "smallest softest voice can carry the grand biggest solution."

REBEKAH YODER

HEBRON CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

At this point, some of us don't know what God's will for us is —- What should we do with our lives? What should we major in? The questions are endless. For me, it's sometimes scary to be heading toward the unknown. However, we can all rest in the fact that God has a perfect plan for us even if we don't know what that is right now. ...

Purpose has always been a fascinating concept to me. It is unbelievable to me that our awesome God cares so much about us that He takes the time to fashion and design a unique purpose for each of our lives. In Psalm 138:8, David confidently stated that God would fulfill his purpose for him. God allows his children to go through hard times, but these situations prepare us for the purpose that He has for us. ...

Karen Kingsbury, one of my favorite authors, said this in one of her books: "Things work to the good for those who don't fight life's ups and downs, but roll with them allowing God's purpose to be bigger than all their hopes and expectations combined. When God's purpose is the main thing in your life, all things will work to the good." ...

I charge you with three things: First, fill your mind with God. By doing this, His will for your life will be revealed to you. Secondly, choose life. Make decisions that will make God proud. He has an amazing purpose for your life, but it will only be fulfilled if He sees that you can handle it. Finally, be your utmost for His Highest, your best for His glory. Give God everything you have and you cannot fail.

McKINLEY "MAC" HILDEBRAND

KILLIAN HILL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Tonight I would like to ask the question, "What was it all for? What was the purpose of all that time and effort?" ...

As we get ready to move on —- (and "commencement" is all about moving on) —- we need to challenge ourselves to focus and build on that real purpose behind the education we've received in this place. ...

You see, knowledge is only half of the equation. Wisdom gives us the ability to discern what is right and use our knowledge to glorify God. Not a "worldly wisdom" ... since Paul warns us, "Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" But the wisdom that is based on the fear of God. ...

What has our achievement amounted to? I sincerely hope it is more than a piece of paper and a handshake. If we have been paying attention in class, we have achieved a sense of perspective, a respect for knowledge and a desire for learning, but as much as we value these things and as much as this school promotes these things, our administration and faculty obviously want to leave us with a deeper achievement. ... The greater good, the purpose behind the purpose of our education, is to teach that a successful life comes from believing in something worth living for. And that something is a Someone ... who loves us and has a greater plan for us than we could ever imagine. ...

As we look forward to new beginnings, maybe this can be our new focus for the years to come ... to look past the temporal to make an impact on the eternal. And it is my hope, and I believe it is the hope of the parents, of the teachers and of everyone here, that we will continue to build our achievements upon the Rock that is Jesus Christ.

HANNAH WARREN

LOGANVILLE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

As I began to reflect on the past four years in preparation to write this speech, I realized that our class is perhaps the most amusing class that has graduated from LCA thus far. ... Thanks to all of you for helping me to see that life is not all serious, there is always time for humor.

Congratulations to the class of 2008! You have successfully completed the first leg of the triathlon called life and are now ready to begin the second leg: college. ... I came across a quote from the famous classical Greek philosopher Plato which said, "The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life." I could not agree more with his statement, and I feel that you and I have each received an education that points us in a direction in which we can succeed in our future lives. ...

Whatever field God has called us into, we can rest assured that our education has not been a waste of time, but a preparation for the many good things God has planned for our futures. So ... I would encourage you not to look at this as the end of the race, but as the beginning of the second leg of the race, filled with many bright futures.

EMILY AUNE

MEADOWCREEK HIGH SCHOOL

If you're anything like me, you have about a million different emotions going through your head right now. You're excited, anxious and nervous. You're thrilled to finally be finished and sad for the exact same reason. ... You don't need me to stand up here and tell you what amazing things you're going to do in the future. You all already know what incredible opportunities and experiences are ahead of you. We all know we're going to go on to accomplish great things.

What I would ask of you instead, ... is to remember this. Remember right now. Take a second to look around you, and pay attention to how it feels to sit together as the Class of '08 one last time. ...

This day is an accomplishment, in and of itself. It is not only a symbol of the great things that lie ahead of us, but also a recognition of what we've already done. It took me four years to get to this point, but I finally realize that high school is not simply a means to a greater end. It stands for something more than just "a way to get into college." It has been a learning experience; a chance for us to grow; a chance for us to define who we are; and although, at times, it hasn't always been the most enjoyable or easy experience, it has always been an extremely important one.

And so ... as we say our good-byes and move in separate directions to start the rest of our lives, try to hold on to these feelings and memories as long as you can. ... Whether we realize it now or not, those things will always be a part of what defines us, and we will come to realize how good we had it here.

CORBIN KLETT

MILL CREEK HIGH SCHOOL

I've been thinking about this idea of living life to the fullest recently, and in doing so reflected upon two opportunities I've had over the past year to travel to Guatemala on mission trips. Interacting with the people of an impoverished nation made me realize exactly how much time I waste doing things like thinking about myself and what I can do to make myself happy. ... I was able to reflect on the notion that maybe the key to happiness is simpler than we envision. ...

Sometimes in our culture, it is easy to get caught up in a materialistic mentality. Yet the pervading sense of hope and peace in the Guatemalans, despite having very little, reminded me that, as the saying goes, we need to stop loving things and using people and start loving people and using things. Setting aside selfish ambitions and serving others is what enables us to live life to the fullest. ...

Your ability to make a difference isn't connected with your GPA or who your family is or even with your plans about what you'll be doing this summer or where you're going to college in the fall. We've learned about people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi over and over again —- just normal people who led normal lives until they decided to change the world. All too often we remember these people but don't emulate their characteristics. ... We fail to live out what we have learned: that the ability to change the future depends on the courage to take initiative, to take a leap of faith. ...

In the Book of Hebrews, Paul describes faith as being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. In a word, confidence. Only when we step out of our comfort zone in faith and realize that there's more to life than just this life, only when our concern for others trumps personal security and only when our actions are dictated by a resolve to make a difference, can we experience life to the fullest.

RITI MAHADEVIA

PARKVIEW

Standing here reminds me of the last time I stood in the middle of this field about three years ago. I will always remember that first MCJROTC District Inspection with actual drill instructors. There's no way around it; I stuck out like such a sore thumb, with my short frame dressed out in camouflage and the smallest-size combat boots that were, embarrassingly, even too big for my feet at that time. Those stern, bellowing drill instructors taught me that day the importance of determination when placed outside my comfort zone.

I will also always remember the time when a ... beetle the size of Mount Everest ... crawled into sight when I was talking to my counselor in the counseling office. I stared at it awkwardly, taking no action while my counselor left the room instantly to call in a type of counselor [SWAT] team, armed with flyswatters and high heels. ... Though I do not know whether I was more shocked by the beetle's surprise appearance or the image of highly respected members of the counseling staff frantically chasing after it, that day I observed the importance of being dependable in times of crisis. ...

All the previously mentioned episodes have been aspects in my experience at Parkview in which I fumbled or tried to overcome those sometimes embarrassing or unusual circumstances in which we sometimes find ourselves. Nevertheless ... we are all sitting here today as products of all that we have experienced at Parkview and the lessons we've learned from them. Parkview has really had a memorable impact on our lives because it has forged the values all 595 of us will always depend upon. ...

As Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "Where we love is home —- home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts. The chain may lengthen, but it never parts."

JOY CHOI

PEACHTREE RIDGE

I want to talk about TIME. No, not the magazine. I want to talk to you about how time escapes us, eludes us and then creeps up on us when we least expect it. Especially on a day like today. [Am I right, parents?] Even though we've only been begging for it to fly by, I still wonder, where did all the time go? ...

My fellow graduates, what have you done with your time here? Did you use it wisely for productive ends? [Or did you waste it all away surfing through MySpace or checking Facebook statuses?] Did you get to know the people around you? Did you think of others besides yourself and leave this world a smidgen better than when you entered it? I hope that somewhere in our jam-packed schedules we slowed down every now and then and shared our time with those we love. ...

It's true when they say "Time is money"; you only get a limited supply, and you have to be wise about how you spend it. ... So instead of spoiling your day with bitter grudges, choose to spend your time in smiles and hugs with the people you love. Choose to spend your time working on the things you need to get done. Choose to spend your time spreading the contagion of joy. ... Time has tested us, but it's been good to us, too. And we're here to celebrate the challenges and triumphs, and look ahead to what's in store for us. So, let's go out in to the world with a smile, Peachtree Ridge, and make good use of the rest of our time.

EMILY FULLER

PROVIDENCE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Although we have learned a lot during our high school years, I am told there are many things we'll have to learn next year at college. We will have to learn how to juggle all of our classwork, including papers and exams. Those of us moving away from home will have to learn to live with a roommate in a tiny dorm room, do laundry and be hours away from our parents. No matter what we are doing next year, we'll have to learn how to grow up and be adults.

I think I can speak for most of us when I say I am looking forward to the future. I am excited to go to college and to see what God has planned for my life. I have more questions than answers concerning my future, but I think that's OK. Alan Cohen once said: "It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." ...

Although this time in our lives can seem uncertain, I am confident in the fact that God has a purpose for each of us graduating today. Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." As we begin a new chapter in our lives, the Lord will continue to guide us down the path He has designed for us.

BESSY BABY

SOUTH GWINNETT HIGH SCHOOL

I don't need to motivate you. Every single one of you sitting in front of me is motivated. If you had not pulled an all-nighter to finish that project that was due the next day, even though you knew five weeks ahead of time the due date, you probably might not be here. Your motivation has brought you this far. ...

Some of us came to South with prefixed goals and dreams. The others, or shall I say the majority of us, found ourselves in high school. We formed our own cliques and our own comfort and moral support groups. We formed relationships, one of the four R's at South, with our teachers and friends. ... We created friendships and bonds we share with our peers, teachers and community that we will cherish in our memories forever. ...

As we leave South, there are some questions I want you to keep in your minds: Is this enough? You graduated high school and got your diploma. Is that all you want to achieve in life? Have you created a positive change in our community that nurtured and protected us? Have you shown the true characteristics of a South Gwinnett Comet? As you leave with your diploma today and set on your journey to make your mark in the world, remember this quote from Gordon B. Hinckley: "You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others."

In your venture through life, bring pride and fame to your family, school, community, and most importantly, to yourself.