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High School Valedictorian Goes Viral With Faith-Filled Speech
By Movieguide® Contributor
A recent high school grad is going viral after giving a faith-based speech during her commencement ceremony.
Lydia Owens, the valedictorian and senior class president at South Carolina’s Woodmont High School, shared how her faith helped her through dark moments, including the death of her mother.
She cautioned her classmates on putting too much value in “how well you perform” or “what you accomplish.”
“If you place your identity in what you accomplish, and you believe you are only good enough if you succeed, what happens when you fail?” Owens asked. “What happens when you don’t have a lot of money or you don’t have a lot of friends? Placing your identity in the things of this world will disappoint you, because they are only temporary.”
She continued, “When tragedy struck my life, it was not my grades nor my accomplishments that helped me navigate through that loss. When everything else in my life felt uncertain, the only person I could depend on to stay the same was Jesus.”
“My worth—and your worth—is found in Jesus because he is the only one who will ever satisfy us.” Owens told her classmates. “No matter what your future holds, please remember that life is so much more than how successful you are. Even if you accomplish all of your dreams or none of them at all, you are still valuable and you are still good enough because you are made in the image of God.”
In an interview with WHNS, Owens spoke further about her mother’s influence in her life, saying, “She always pushed me to be my best self and always encouraged me in my faith. She’s the reason that I have such a strong faith. She was the example of how to be a Godly woman and how to love people intentionally.”
Owens will be attending Anderson University in the fall, where she will study elementary education.
Lydia Owens recently delivered a speech at the Woodmont High School graduation ceremony, where she was recognized as the school's Valedictorian and Senior Class President. Lydia is the daughter of our Executive Pastor, Brian Owens. So it might not surprise you that she mentioned… pic.twitter.com/MISArwjjPn
— Wayne Bray (@waynebray) June 1, 2023
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