Meet Addison Trail’s 2013 graduation speaker

On June 9, Addison Trail senior Saagar Patel addressed his classmates and the audience during Addison Trail’s commencement ceremony.

Patel entered into the school’s annual competition to earn the chance to speak during the graduation ceremony.

“My first reaction when I heard I won the competition and would be the student graduation speaker was, ‘That’s so cool – and now I have a lot of work to do,’” Patel said with a laugh.

Patel's speech focused on where the class of 2013 is now compared to when the class began at Addison Trail, the changes the class members have gone through and the accomplishments they’ve achieved.

“It’s awesome to be the last person to speak to our class and leave them with something they’ll remember,” Patel said. “The biggest lesson I’ve learned during my four years at Addison Trail is to roll with the punches and make the best of every situation.”

Patel plans to attend University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to major in biology (pre-med).