After nearly a two-month review period, McLean High School has selected its student speaker for the Class of 2025’s graduation: senior Samantha Carey. Carey, who will attend Elon University for acting in the fall, knew she wanted to be the student speaker during the grade-wide senior meeting on Jan. 15.

“I’ve always loved being on stage. I’m going to college for acting, and I just really like that feeling. So when I heard the speech was open to anybody at the senior meeting, I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do that, that’d be really cool,’” Carey said.

While initially unsure of what to write about, Carey found inspiration while remembering an encounter at McLean.

“The inspiration for the speech was when I was sitting in the vice principal’s office, wondering what was going to happen. Ms. Lowry said, ‘Honey, it’s okay. Just focus on doing the next right thing,’” Carey said. “My speech is about how when you’re lost in life, just [remember to] break everything down really simply, and just focus on the next right thing that you can do.”

Despite having steep competition, Carey’s speech was selected out of around a dozen entries. One thing that set her speech apart was her crafty incorporation of humor into an otherwise serious moment.

“What ultimately stood out for her is the fact that she allowed moments of levity,” said Michael Barrs, an English teacher who was on the committee to select the student speaker. “This will allow people to laugh at things that you can relate to, which I think is really nice.”

Additionally—and perhaps more importantly—Carey’s speech was inclusive to all types of students at McLean. Barrs noted this aspect as one of the most important qualities of a winning student graduation speech.

“Too often, when I am on the committees where people present their speeches, the speeches are excellent but not relatable to certain groups,” Barrs said. “A speech at graduation should include, in some way, everybody.”