BHS Speech Team Member Crafts Memorable Commencement Speech

Ashwini Reddy describes herself as coming off  a bit reserved.

So her friends were surprised when Barrington High School’s senior class board announced Reddy would be this year’s speaker at the school’s graduation ceremony.

Reddy will take the stage at Friday’s graduation to give her speech, titled “The Power of Silence.”

“Basically, it’s about how we in life are caught up in the noisy things and it’s never quiet,” she said. “We get caught up in the hussle and bussle of life and we don’t take time to reflect silently. It’s a powerful way to analyze our life.”

Writing the speech came easy, the words flowed and within a couple of hours she had it written. It took her longer to come up with the concept, she said.

“I definitely think it’s not the generic graduation speech,” Reddy said.

BHS does not have a valedictorian or salutatorian so the senior class board invites students to submit a speech to read during the commencement ceremony, Jeff Arnett, chief communication officer for Barrington Community Unit School District 220. Seniors must audition and read their speech then the board votes. A faculty member is also chosen to speak. This year, the faculty speaker is English teacher Alan Sanders.

Reddy has been on the Speech Team for three years so she is comfortable speaking before groups and decided to try out. She was notified in April that she was chosen to give her speech at the ceremony.

“I am a little nervous because there will be a lot of people there, but it’s a great opportunity to have the chance to address your senior class,” said Reddy, who will be attending University of Illinois Chicago in the fall. She is majoring in biochemistry and wants to become a medical lawyer. Her parents are Sekhar and Aurna Reddy, she is the second of three daughters.

“I’m definitely more excited than nervous,” she said. “It was just an honor to be picked.”