Graduates´ Speech 2025

Dear guests, staff, and fellow graduates,

Today marks exactly 1,057 days since our first school day in upper secondary school. And now, at last, we have reached the end – we’ve graduated. Yet, this moment feels bittersweet. Like many of our classmates, Zayn and I both have a pretty long history in this school. I actually started here back in first grade, and have studied alongside some of my fellow graduates for the past 12 years. That’s why it now feels so strange having to leave the school that has a such a prominent role in my life. But on the bright side, I finally get to explore the world outside of Varissuo.

Either way, for all of us graduates – no matter which schools we started from – the last three years tackling the IB Programme together have been the toughest yet. But standing here today, I can honestly say they’ve also been the most rewarding.

Looking back, I am reminded by this – a Rubik’s cube. I remember back in 5th grade my friends and I were obsessed with these. But even after all these years, the three layers of the Rubik’s cube reminded me of the three years of upper secondary school. At first glance, the Rubik’s cube looks impossible, but solving it is actually simple if you focus on solving each layer one by one, doing one step at a time. Similarly, the IB Programme looked so intimidating at first. But here we are – we also managed to conquer it one step at a time.

I didn’t experience the Rubik’s cube trend myself, but Raiyan’s metaphor is spot on. The first layer represents our first year – Pre-IB. In the beginning, everything felt scrambled, everything was new, especially for those classmates who joined us from other schools. But slowly, piece by piece, we started making progress. We got to know each other, started building friendships, and found our footing academically. And even when we made mistakes along the way, we still found our way forward. Before we knew it, we had built a solid foundation that prepared us to face the two demanding years up ahead.

The second layer represents our second year – DP1. The foundation was already laid, we just had to continue reinforcing it. In DP1, we strengthened our connections with each other and shared unforgettable memories through the London trip and Wanhat. We also got our first real taste of what is means to be an IB student as we were introduced to CAS and TOK. We concluded the year as we dove headfirst into the dark and murky waters of the Extended Essay.

The third year – DP2 – was dreaded by all of us. The third layer is the most difficult to solve, since you have to complete it without messing up all the progress you’ve already made. Similarly, in DP2, we relied on the momentum from the constant bombardment of deadlines to carry ourselves to the finish line. By this point, the camaraderie between us IB students was unbreakable. Together, we inched closer and closer to graduation, rushing to finish our EEs and IAs in time, while stumbling through both rounds of mocks. And somehow, in the middle of all this chaos, we even managed to squeeze in some fun with TJ100 and Penkkarit.

However, before we knew it, the finals came, and then they went, and that was it, we could finally catch our breath.

My fellow graduates, we’ve successfully conquered the IB Programme, one of the most difficult high school curriculum in the world. The journey was not smooth at all, but together we faced every challenged with determination and resilience. We should all be really proud of this great achievement.

Of course, we couldn’t have done this ourselves. On behalf of the entire graduating class, I would like to sincerely thank all the staff members, including but not limited to the cafeteria staff, cleaners, and technical team for the service they’ve provided us throughout or time here. I would also like to thank the friends and families of the graduates for supporting us through any late nights or moments of doubt.

Last but certainly not least, I would to separately thank each and every teacher and guidance counsellor, not only for their excellent job preparing us for the finals but also providing unwavering support, guidance, and encouragement whenever we needed it the most.

I would also like to a give a special thank you to our homeroom teacher, Riitta. We had the honor of being her last class before her well-earned retirement. Her warmth and kindness have made our time here so much more enjoyable, and we are truly grateful for the dedication she has shown us. So, if everyone could give one last round of applause for Riitta.

So, fellow graduates, let us look back and smile at the memories one last time. Let’s also forget TOK ever existed. Let us now look forward and confront the bigger puzzles up ahead with confidence. If we could solve the IB Programme, the hardest high school program in the world, simply by approaching it one layer at a time, I assure you that even when things feel difficult at first, we can solve any challenge that stands if front of us if we just stay persistent, trust in ourselves, and take one step at a time.

Thank you!

Raiyan Shamim and Zayn Asghar