Johnson, Pulsinelli excited about opportunity to write unique speeches for graduation

The two primary student speakers at Bearden’s 2022 graduation will be Lydia Pulsinelli and Valedictorian Baylor Johnson.

These graduates have written unique speeches that will be shared with their classmates, friends, and families on June 1. In addition to those two speeches, Campbell Ella will introduce the Alumna/Alumnus of the Year, Olivia Roddy will talk about the senior gift and introduce Johnson, and Javier Castro will talk about the senior gift and introduce Pulsinelli.

With different elective focuses throughout high school, Johnson and Pulsinelli will take inspiration from their experiences. Both emphasized that they did not want their speeches to be conventional or follow the typical graduation speech template.

Johnson said she has written from a personal perspective that catalogs her story throughout high school and underscores how people are capable of growing and evolving.

“I want it to be a story rather than something inspirational or metaphorical,” Johnson said.

“The main thing my speech is about is my growth, and just starting from the beginning of high school and where I was at. I’m a completely different person, and I’ve worked very hard to get where I am today.

“Not everyone’s path is school, and if it is, then great, but it doesn’t matter where you are – you can get to where you want to be,” Johnson said.

Pulsinelli said she was inspired by her influences throughout high school, ranging from the clubs she was involved in to the teachers that changed her, and the friendships she has built along the way.

“It’s inspired by the fact that I didn’t really know what to write about,” Pulsinelli said. “I started asking around different people what they thought I should write.”

Pulsinelli highlighted the importance that her community has had when shaping her experience and helping her be successful.

“I talk about meeting all those people who have influenced me and the different things I’ve been a part of in my time at Bearden that have shaped me,” Pulsinelli said.

She used some of the many people who have influenced her throughout the past four years to build a story of growth and discovery to emphasize the importance of being involved in one’s community to create a valuable high school experience.

“I didn’t want it to be your traditional boring graduation speech,” Pulsinelli said. “I wanted it to be unexpected.”