Valedictorian, Emily Shull, Delivers Remarks to the Class of 2025

June 27, 2025

Emily Shull is the Class of 2025 Valedictorian. In the fall of 2025, Emily will attend Brown University.  Emily's memorable remarks to the Class of 2025 follow below.  

Good afternoon Mr. Sfreddo, Mr. Baber, Mrs. McMahon, Mrs. Saperstein, Trustees, Faculty, Family, Friends and the Graduating Class of 2025, 

“What will this day be like? I wonder. What will my future be? I wonder.” Those are the words Julie Andrews sang in The Sound of Music as her character Maria left her life to embark on a new adventure as governess. Titled “I Have Confidence,” the song explores how we find confidence, courage, and worth in ourselves. It reflects on how we move forward, push into the future, and instead of remaining in the past, bring the lessons of where we came from with us always. 

As I look back on my time at Sacred Heart Greenwich, the thing that stands out the most are the values instilled in each of us. I will eternally be grateful for each and every teacher who helped to shape me—us—along this journey.

In fact, it is those who have educated us and who continue to educate us that defy time. Ever since I first watched the movie Dead Poets Society as a young child with my parents, I have endlessly been looking for my own “Robin Williams” teacher. This is the profound truth about our teachers here at Sacred Heart: They are passionate, and they care deeply about the success of every student. Essentially, we are emboldened by the lessons and virtues we need to carry on beyond King Street because we have been taught by those who lead us by example. In so many ways, leading is learning, and learning is leading.

I’d like to share a few lines that Robin Williams said in Dead Poets Society to his students that I feel encapsulates what it means to learn and to live: “We don’t read and write poetry because it is cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering—these are all noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love—these are what we stay alive for.”

I do not share this quote to encourage everyone to be a poet. I share this quote to illuminate that poetry is not just an art style or a profession; no, poetry is a way of living. It is seeing the world and all its rough edges and loving it, making meaning of it. Poetry is like breathing. It is essential to living and not merely existing. It is drinking in the essence of life and feeling every emotion to the fullest. It is this passion, this yearning to live, to seize the day, or as Williams says in the movie “Carpe Diem.”

We have learned this way of living here at Sacred Heart in our theology classes, English classes, language, science, and history classes, and even math classes. Being a poet means living a life full of passion, love, beauty, and romance. Ultimately, we find purpose not in our 1600 on the SAT nor the number in our bank account, but rather in the lives we change. It is the ordinary things in life that define our legacy. It is the smiles in the Upper School hallway. It is the staying five minutes after class to continue talking to a teacher about their lesson. It is all the times we have laughed together, made an inside joke, won or lost a race, regatta, game, or match.

You do not need to change the world to make a difference. You just need to change individual worlds. In fact, Romantic poet Emily Dickinson saliently writes that “if [she] could stop one heart from breaking then [she] shall not live in vain” (Dickinson). Looking ahead, that is what we must do. Each of you will make a difference as you reflect upon the lessons you have learned here and carry courage and confidence with you wherever you may go. Love the mundane. Embrace the present moment. Ultimately, have confidence in all that you believe. 

As we walk out the front gates of Sacred Heart for the last time and out onto King Street, I want to end with another quote from The Sound of Music. As Julie Andrews so eloquently sings, “Oh, I must stop these doubts, all these worries. If I don’t, I just know I’ll turn back. I must dream of the things I am seeking. I am seeking the courage I lack. The courage to serve them with reliance, face my mistakes without defiance, show them I’m worthy and while I show them, I’ll show me.”

Essentially, courage does not mean you are unafraid of what lies ahead; no, courage means you look at what is ahead of you directly in the eyes and not let it stop you from achieving your dreams. And truly, if we stand back up again in the face of adversity, if we know that even the smallest of dreams are worth the fight, then anything, everything, is possible.