Today you close one chapter and open another, and I could not be prouder of you. Graduating from high school is a big day for anyone. For you, it is also the first step toward something our family has never done before. You will be the first of us to go to college, and I hope you feel how much that means to all of us.
I think about the person you have become, and it is easy to see why this day has come. You are determined. When you set your mind on something, you keep going until it is done. That is the kind of spirit that builds robots in a club room, and it is the kind that gets you through a hard semester of engineering, too. Every problem you solve will teach you something, and you already know how to stick with a problem.
You are also funny, Jordan. Never lose that. A good laugh can lift a whole room, and it will make friends of strangers faster than anything. Those are gifts you will carry into every classroom, every team, and every job you ever have.
And you are generous. I think of you cooking for your friends, making sure everyone is fed and happy. That tells me more about you than any grade could. The best engineers I can imagine are people who care about the folks they are building things for, and you have that kind of heart already.
I hope you keep playing basketball when you can, and keep cooking, and keep making time for people. Work hard, but save room for joy. Your future is wide open. You might design things that help people, lead a team, or invent something no one has thought of yet. Whatever you choose, I know you will bring your determination, your humor, and your kindness along.
Be proud of yourself today. You earned every bit of it.