Salutatorian Values Positivity

Salutatorian Francis Rayos del Sol ’16, the winner of the Rev. Edward J. Spinello, S.J. Award for outstanding commitment to student activities, emphasized the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people. Rayos del Sol will continue his education at the Cornell University this fall.

The following is the text of Rayos del Sol’s address:

Good evening, everyone. Welcome, Mr. Raslowsky, Mr. LiVigni, Mr. Meditz, Mr. Fernandez, members of the board, administration, teachers, coaches, family, and friends. Most importantly, welcome the Class of 2016! I’d like to begin by saying that I am incredibly humbled to be speaking in front of you tonight. We are gathered here to celebrate this class’ transformation from young men to official sons of Xavier. I’m proud to say that each person in the Class of 2016 has mastered how to be open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice. My fellow Xavier brothers, congratulations!

When I began writing this speech, I knew that I wanted to highlight the great times we have spent—together. Throughout our years at Xavier, our accomplishments and experiences have been extraordinary and diverse. From reigning supreme on the athletic field to performing spectacular musicals to impacting others on CFX trips around the world, our senior class has undoubtedly impacted Xavier and the global community. Though our status may change from students to alumni in fewer than two hours, the past four years are simply an indication of what is to come. As we leave this great institution, I firmly believe that we have an early start on how we will, as Ignatius would say, “Go forth and set this world on fire.”

Now, all of you have done great things, but I want you to remember that your accomplishments would not have been possible without all of the remarkable people within this community. Everyone here, including myself, is not the same young man who walked into Xavier on that first day of freshman year, and that is because we have met teachers, coaches, mentors, and friends that have changed us for the better. Think of yourselves as living, breathing representations of the new building on 15th street. Over these past four years, you have grown into true masterpieces that the world is ready to see and appreciate. Whatever you choose to pursue from this moment forward, I urge you to keep surrounding yourself with positive people who will make you a better scholar, a better friend, and above all, a better human being.

Before concluding, I’d like to travel back in time to four years ago, where we were sitting quietly during Freshman Orientation as Mr. LiVigni spoke to us all. He mentioned that the people sitting around you were your new brothers, and perhaps even one of them could be your future best man. To this day, I’m convinced that Mr. LiVigni got a bit ahead of himself. He was speaking to jittery freshmen who were overwhelmed by the idea of high school, let alone marriage. But he was correct in assuming that the relationships we’ve built during our time at Xavier are some that we’ll take with us for the rest of our lives.

Now take a moment to do the same thing Mr. LiVigni told you to do on that memorable day.  I would like you to look at the person to your left and to your right, look at all of the amazing people on the altar, think about how proud your family and friends in the pews are for you, and just take it all in. These are the people that have rooted for you, supported you, and most importantly, loved you. No matter where you go as you continue the rest of your life journey, never forget that the people in this cathedral will always be by your side. After tonight, our journeys will continue, and the world is simply waiting for all that we have to offer. This is only the beginning.

Enjoy the rest of the ceremony, and once again, congratulations to the Class of 2016!