Amber Miller's Address to the Class of 2022
In tragic events, we lost two of our own. X’zavia Booker and Nathaniel Stuart.
X’zavia was a beautiful girl inside and out because of her beautiful smile and kind heart. Determined to graduate, she completed two years of work within one year, and she finished her last cyber class on the final day of school just two days before Christmas break. She had plans to apply for Cosmetology school. On December 29th, 2021, X’avia tragically passed away in a house fire just days after learning that she graduated early from our Cyber Program. X’zavia was the daughter of Anthony M. and Kathleen L. (Ingram) Booker and a friend to many – especially in our cosmetology shop.
Nathaniel Stuart unexpectedly passed away on June 28th, 2021. Nate was a hard-working young man who – at the fragile age of 12 – started his own lawn mowing business, but he was anything but fragile. Loved by many, his broad smile could light a room. Nate said when he graduated he wanted to continue his business and become an official entrepreneur, using his skills to aid him in his goals. He was a friend to many, especially in our Electrical Occupations shop.
Today – We remember X’zavia and Nathaniel, and we celebrate their lives – their impact on us is beyond measure, and their memory will live on forever in our hearts. Please join me in a moment of silence.
——
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And to be one traveler, long I stood
And Looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
………..
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood; and I
I took the one less traveled by
And that made all the difference.”
As my freshman year was ending, and my sophomore year was approaching fast, I had to make my decision on whether to stay at Mohawk or take the path less traveled and go to LCCTC. Now that my senior year has come to an end, I look back and I see a school that gave me an opportunity and a chance to look forward to my future. My time here at LCCTC was the best years of my life, so far. I've created friendships with everyone here at the school, and I've created a bond with the guys in my shop. It's more or less like an annoying little sister bond.
I have chosen to ignore all the stigma about LCCTC continuing my high school education here, and it made all the difference for me. This school has given me opportunities that I have never dreamed a high school could give, but these opportunities weren't just given to me; they were given to every student at LCCTC. The chances here are endless. For example, as a senior, I took the opportunity to continue my training in a real-life setting. As a senior, CO-OP gave me the chance to learn real-world experience while still in school. As a senior, we all had the opportunity, and many took that path, but others chose their own roads for their own reasons. I truly hope that the juniors who are becoming seniors this year in August will consider the advantage that opportunity has for them next year. For me, it has made all the difference.
LCCTC is a phenomenal school filled with opportunities worth taking – chances to learn a valuable trade and to practice becoming contributing members of our community. I hope my words encourage future students to consider this path less traveled. I hope they find something within themselves to become the very best of themselves.
I want to thank all of my teachers that have helped me get through the last three years of high school, and I want to express my gratitude to the teacher who prepared his seniors for their CO-OP jobs. Your three seniors would like to thank you Mr. Miller for making the last 3 years of our high school experience not only fun but also very educational.
To also watch the video of Amber’s speech, please click here: AMBER MILLER
