Abby Cianciolo

Staff Writer

Graduation day: the ending point of the year for every high school senior. It marks the end of the high school story and the beginning of the future. Hundreds of students, parents, teachers, family, and friends gather around to witness the conclusion of the most momentous year for any high school student.

The most momentous event of that day, however, is the student graduation speech. This year, senior Jillian Furcillo will be delivering the speech for her class.

Furcillo has been anticipating the speech for quite some time now. Even before the speech was announced, she was hoping to be chosen. She knew in her heart that she was passionate about it.

“I wanted to give the audience another look on school. I wasn’t always the best student or the ideal person to give this speech, so I wanted everyone to see how far I have come and how Westford Academy has helped me,” says Furcillo.

Over the last month or so, Furcillo has been preparing for this day. The process began when she had written her speech and went in front of a panel of judges to give her performance.  Soon after, she was called in for a
second interview with her revamped speech. Furcillo was then chosen as the class speaker, working with the English department to make sure her speech was perfect.

This tremendous honor left Furcillo ecstatic.

“When I was chosen, I was really excited because I was so proud of myself. It was a lot of my hard work over the past two years, and it all paid off,” the graduation speaker added.
And these past two years have not been easy for Furcillo. When she was a sophomore, her father, Donald Furcillo, passed away due to medical problems. It was a very difficult time for Jillian, but her father’s memory has helped her through.

“He has inspired me to be a better person and has shaped me into who I am now. I want to speak on behalf of him as well as myself,” Furcillo adds about her father.

The influences of her father will be a key subject in her speech as well as other experiences at WA that have helped her.

“In my speech, I will be reminiscing on everything that has happened to me here and how WA has helped me in my personal experiences and struggles through the years,” says Furcillo.

With almost no public speaking experience, Furcillo is quite anxious about graduation and speaking in front of so many people. She is hoping it is heartfelt and memorable.

“I hope everyone understands where I am coming from and remembers my speech. I don’t want it to be one those speeches people sit through and can’t wait until it’s over,” says Furcillo.

There is one area she hopes stands out the most to the audience.

“At the end of my speech, I mentioned how each of us is not promised a life without adversity but we all have the ability to overcome those challenges. This is what I want my audience to remember always from my speech,” says Furcillo.