BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County High School’s class of 2024 heard a moving speech from valedictorian Ashdon Kerr at the commencement ceremony May 24 in the school gymnasium.
Kerr opened her address by remembering the late school principal, Brian Charles, acknowledging the impact he had on the students despite his short tenure as principal.
“He made every single student feel special and was unlike any person I have ever met,” Kerr said. “I consider myself lucky that I was able to know him.”
His legacy, she noted, continues through “his family, students and his two precious pugs.”
Expressing appreciation for her own journey, Kerr recounted her long-held dream of being valedictorian, which she fulfilled as she spoke to her classmates.
“I would not be standing here today without the unwavering support of my mom and dad,” said Kerr. “You are the motivation behind everything I do and are the reason I am standing here today. I will never be able to express my gratitude for everything you have done and continue to do for me.”
The speech took a creative turn when Kerr discussed how an essay about shoes, which helped her gain admission to her dream university, inspired her. She used different pairs of shoes to symbolize key life lessons: her soccer cleats represented hard work and dedication, while her dance turners symbolized overcoming difficulties.
Ashdon detailed how her soccer cleats exemplified the value of dedication and hard work experienced on the school’s soccer field. She encouraged her classmates to apply these traits in all their future paths.
“Whether you choose to continue your education, learn a trade or begin working immediately, it is important that you focus on becoming the best you can be,” said Kerr. “In life, there are no shortcuts, and you will fail. But failures are not endings. They are beginnings. If you work hard you can achieve all the goals you have set for yourself.”
The dance turners, she explained, taught her the importance of resilience and facing challenges.
“I have danced since I was 3 years old, and I am now a part of the senior elite competition team,” said Kerr. “Up until my seventh-grade year, everything had come pretty naturally to me. But whenever it was time to learn a specific skill called turns-in-second, I struggled.”
After working on her turns for many years, Kerr added, “They have improved, but they are still not perfect. Today, I want to tell you that in life you will face challenges and you do not have to be perfect.”
Wearing her white heels at the podium despite the discomfort they brought, Kerr illustrated another life lesson: enduring pain for beauty. This metaphor extended into a message about accepting life’s challenges and discomforts to achieve greater goals.
Concluding her speech, Kerr encouraged her fellow graduates to think about the “shoes” they would wear as they step into new phases of their lives.
“I encourage you not to be afraid to take risks and to try on new shoes,” she said.
Her final message was a call for her classmates to believe in themselves and their dreams.
Kerr is the daughter of Jimmy and Amy Kerr of Inez.
She plans to attend the University of Kentucky, one of only 20 students out of a pool of 3,000 applicants awarded the Otis A. Singletary Scholarship.