So, many of you probably already know my family. My dad, Jimmy, my mom, Mary Lynn, and my sister, Lyndsey. But many of you probably don’t know that I have a Labrador retriever named butterscotch, or “Buddy” for short. He’s incredibly friendly, but he’s full of energy.

One year, long before mom could worry about me driving myself to school, after dropping me off on the first day of school, she returned to the house to find that Buddy’s lot was empty. In fact, he jumped over his fence and ran all the way over to Evan’s Hardware before my mom courageously rescued him and returned him home. It wasn’t the first time he had escaped his lot, and it definitely wasn’t the last time — not even the last time that day. It certainly caused a panic at the time, but I now realize that Buddy can teach us how to jump our own fences, too.

These fences hold us back from unlocking our true potential. We put them up ourselves, but they are often imposed on us by others. As an Appalachian, I can say that I have felt “fenced in” by this stereotype of who I am supposed to be. We are supposed to be unsuccessful, uneducated, poor hillbillies. Over time, it’s become easy to believe that.

Nobody ever told Buddy that he couldn’t jump that fence. He’s a Labrador retriever, and, deep down, he knew that. He – rightfully — believed he could jump that fence, so he did.

We should all take note and realize who we are. I have seen some remarkable feats performed by some remarkable people in this class. I personally believe that some of the finest people in the world live right here, right now, in Martin County, Kentucky.

Be proud of your strong roots. Like Buddy, know your breed today, because you are truly amazing.

It wasn’t enough that Buddy knew who he was and believed in himself. He could have sat around for years knowing he could get out, but once he finally took that leap, he ran all the way to the end of the Earth as he knew it — the mouth of Turkey Creek.

Sometimes we need to take that leap. Once we believe in ourselves, it’s much easier.

We all have dreams and aspirations, but how many times have we heard people expressing their life regrets of not taking risks? Far too often, people say, “I wish I would have taken that job,” “ I wish I had spent more time with that person,” or “ I wish I had visited that place.”

Life is a gift and it’s too fragile not to chase our passions and dreams. There is too much green grass on the other side not to take that leap.

I pray that all of you decide to know your breed and take that leap. For those of you that do, I want you to keep on running. I thank God that Buddy stopped, but when you align your talents with what you enjoy doing, throw your heart at it. Don’t stop. I’ve said it before. You are some of the finest people I have ever met in my life. I speak for myself, those in the stands, and this entire community when I say that you are deserving of the absolute best and that we will never give up on you. So, do one better and never give up on yourself. Never settle for anything less than your worth, which is more than your weight in coal.

Once we develop this success-oriented mindset, once we push past the labels and hindrances, our limits will be far beyond these mountaintops. Appalachia will flourish. We will end the war on drugs. We will end the war on poverty in the very place it was declared. Once we know our breed, take that leap, and keep running in order to jump over our own fences, our achievements will know no bounds.

I leave you with this Martin County High School Class of 2022, my friends, people that I love dearly: Go show the world what I already know, the community knows, and, deep down, you know too — that you are capable of truly amazing things.