Mishell knew as she sat at her own 8th grade graduation from SMPA that she wanted to be the Commencement Speaker when she graduated from college. Eight years and a double major later, she walked up to the podium to offer these words of wisdom to SMPA’s current graduating class:
“Talent and ambition know no distinctions of race, nationality, wealth or fame. Your background, your past, your culture, your accent, and even your last name should not hold you back, but rather shape you and make you grow. You deserve to be here, you deserve to go to high school, and you deserve to graduate college. You all come from different places, have had your share of disappointments and failures. Don’t hide your last names, or your accents, for you are not selected on pedigree, but on merit, and merit alone. Work hard, work smart, but overall, put in the work. If you put in the work, people notice. If you fail and you continue to try and achieve your goals, people notice. If you don’t stop, people notice. And those are the people that eventually help you succeed. I can confirm this 100% for it is how I succeeded.”
-Mishell
Saint Martin de Porres Academy 2011
Lauralton Hall 2015
St. Lawrence University 2019
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