Banquet Speech: Luke Cunning

Welcome! The communications committee decided to dust off the YMSL Fort Collins blog, and for our first post of the 2018-2019 year, we're sharing Rocky Mountain High School senior Luke Cunning's speech from the banquet in May:

I would like to start by saying that when my mom first signed me up for YMSL I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea how far it would take me or how much I would grow from it. After my first year I considered quitting because I kept telling myself “This is too much work” or “I don't have time to do this.” But despite this I decided to stay to make my mom proud. Needless to say I am grateful that I am still here standing in front of all of you today.

Since then I have realized that YMSL is more than just something I can do to make my mom proud, or even to have something to be proud about. It’s not about having something extra to put on a resume or college application. It’s not about spending time with friends, though I have enjoyed working with all of you these last three years. YMSL is about the people you help along the way and the connections you make with those people.

My fondest memory I have from YMSL is working on the ultimate gift project for the learning house. I was working on the stairs and the decks to the front and back of the house all day and not working on much else. By the end of the day I looked around and realized how much work had been done. In the span of only a few short hours of hard work we had managed to help the owners of the learning house with renovations that would last years to come. This also leaves an impact on all the kids who attend the learning house so they have a nicer place to learn and be kids. What I learned from this experience was that we can achieve great things when we work together.

YMSL has given me opportunities that I never would have thought possible without it. I would like to finish by thanking everyone here for working hard and making this year amazing. I would also like to thank all of the moms for supporting your sons and for always being someone to look up to.