Milton's Salutatorian Looks Back at his Graduation Speech and High School Experience

Doing well in school and staying involved is one thing, but Milton High School's salutatorian enjoyed every minute of it, even through the nerves of speaking in front of a packed Copeland Field House on Sunday.

Passing on a chance to go to private school as a child, Sam Shepard is a proud graduate of the Milton Public Schools.

"It's been a phenomenal experience," said Shepard. "The school is a wonderful place to go."

Shepard chalks up his positive experience to two groups of people: his classmates, which he called cool, kind and openly accepting and the faculty.

"The teachers do a really good job of showing students why we're all here," said Shepard.

With the title of salutatorian, the Brown University-bound Shepard earned the right to be one of three students, along with the class president and valedictorian, to address the Class of 2010 at graduation.

In the week leading up to his speech, Shepard began to feel the mounting pressure from his friends and peers who were sure he'd deliver a memorable address. It didn't help that Shepard considers public speaking and writing his weakest subjects in school.

As he prepared for the speech, Shepard said his worries were combined with excitement and a sense of honor.

"To get to be one of three students who gets to speak made me feel lucky," Shepard said.

Shepard's nervousness hit a peak about three-quarters of the way through his time at the podium on Sunday, when he began to shake.

Relieved to sit down, Shepard was skeptical about his delivery. "I didn't think I did well at all," he said.

But his supporters quickly quelled his concerns, telling Shepard they enjoyed the speech.

Aside from earning high marks in the classroom, Shepard was involved in an array of activities at MHS. For his first three years of high school, Shepard played soccer in the fall. For his final three years, he played tennis, where he served as a senior captain.

Shepard was a Milton High School representative on the Greater Boston Region Student Advisory Council, where he worked on solutions for achievement gap issues at area schools. He also served as a member of the Diversity Committee and the Latin Club. As a senior, Shepard was the President of the Latin Club.

Shepard has always been involved while keeping a heavy course load. He said he typically takes a class based on his interest and then addresses the workload. This dedication to learning will certainly take the 18 year old far as he continues his education at Brown.

Shepard recognizes that college professors are less likely to check up on his progress. "You have to care about the work," said Shepard. "You're taking the classes for yourself."

Shepard will enroll at Brown without a major, but suspects he'll pursue political science or economics. Brown became Shepard's school of choice after visiting the campus. He enjoyed the atmosphere and liked the people he met.

"The main thing was, I couldn't find anything I didn't like," Shepard said.