In her now-viral graduation speech, valedictorian Lydia Owens of Woodmont High School in South Carolina reminded her fellow graduates to find their worth in Jesus. Owens has many things to be proud of. As a valedictorian, she holds the highest grades in her class, and she has worked hard throughout her life to achieve academic success. However, when tragedy struck two years ago before her graduation speech, the valedictorian realized her identity was rooted in something more powerful than worldly success.
Owens started her speech by challenging her peers to consider what success means to them. Things like dream jobs, good grades, and wealth may sound like success, but Owens warned her classmates to look deeper. She said, “When you decide what success means to you, understand that the things you will accomplish in your lifetime do have value. However, your successes do not make you valuable because you are so much more than how well you perform. If you believe you are only good enough if you succeed, what happens when you fail?” Placing your identity in the things of this world will disappoint you because they are only temporary.”
The valedictorian learned this lesson firsthand a few years before delivering her inspiring graduation speech. At just 16 years old, Owens lost her mother. In her graduation speech, the valedictorian reveals that up until that point, she had prioritized getting “perfect” grades above all else. She put schoolwork before everything else in her life. She told the crowd, “Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wrestled with perfectionism. I placed my value in my academic achievements. To me, success meant being perfect.” However, all of that changed when her mom passed away unexpectedly.
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
Suddenly, the grades she’d once held so dear failed to matter in the face of such a deep loss. And amidst such incredible grief, only one thing could bring “a peace that surpasses all understanding,” as explained in Philippians 4:7. Owens explained and was then met with a round of applause, “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.” During this extremely difficult period, Owens’ faith soared, changing her entire perspective of true success.
She said, “I realized the many years that I spent placing my worth in my academics meant absolutely nothing in light of eternity. My worth is not found in my successes or failures. My worth — and your worth — is found in Jesus because He is the only one who will ever satisfy us.” In her graduation speech, Owens shares this incredible truth with the graduating class at Woodmont High School. She proclaimed, “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. You don’t have to worry about whether or not you will be successful. Because God promises that His grace is sufficient for us and that His power is made perfect in our weaknesses.”
Not surprisingly, the powerful words of Owens’ graduation speech as valedictorian went viral. Though this amazing young lady has every reason to be proud of how she honored God, the humble valedictorian continues to point the light back on Him and her late mother.