Introduced by ASB President Raghav Sehtia (12), senior Alice Tsui addressed the topic of judgment in the second senior speech during today’s school meeting.

She presented the idea that although judgment exists everywhere and we hear it every day, “opinions are just opinions” and we should not let the trivial matters influence us.

Unlike past senior speakers, Alice initially did not intend to give a senior speech; instead she noticed that judgment is a common and widespread issue in high school, and thus decided to express her thoughts. She explained that she once too was affected by the opinions of others.

“I was lucky enough to have an epiphany sometime between my freshman and sophomore year,” Alice said. “It’s changed my life completely and made me a much happier person to be able to express myself freely. I was hoping to give someone else that epiphany, too. I wanted to reach out and change someone’s life.”

In her speech, she told the student body that “you are in control of your own happiness; […] never forget that you are your own power.”

Many students felt that Alice’s message was inspirational and connected well with the school community.

“I thought it was great that she could address the problem,” Jessica Zhu (9) said. “It’s definitely something everyone has to go through–being judged by other people–and I think she probably helped a lot of people be okay with themselves and who they are.”

Junior Vincent Lin also agreed with Alice and could relate to it personally.

“I used to feel really self-conscious about myself, [and] I used to be afraid of being judged for liking the things I do, dressing the way I dress, and saying the things I say,” he said. “I like what she had to say.”

Senior speeches will continue during future school meetings.