Read excerpts of the speeches given by Valedictorian Ana Meza and Salutatorian Ellen Muirheid at the Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2025 on May 25, 2025.
Excerpt from Ana's Valedictory Address
Today, I’d like to take us back to freshman year physics. Not to the long worksheets or labs with high error, but rather to a simple concept: an object in motion stays in motion, and an object at rest stays at rest, unless acted upon by an external force. Ursuline, our external force, is what set us in motion.
We came here unsure of ourselves, often hesitant to speak out. Rather than staying in our comfort zones, we were promptly set in motion. Sitting with someone new at lunch, taking our first AP classes, and navigating college applications gave us pockets of unfamiliarity to push our growth. And once we started moving, we didn’t stop.
We each found our own unique passions—we are mathematicians, actresses, athletes, journalists, and so much more. Each of our experiences built our purpose and built us stronger as a class. In pushing our boundaries, we became a class in motion. A class that adapts and builds each other up. While the past four years have been filled with their challenges, we are now equipped with not only the confidence, but also the sisterhood to conquer whatever comes our way. We will carry on every experience we’ve shared to continue carving our paths. We leave Ursuline with not only newfound knowledge and relationships, but also with a purpose.
In the spirit of Serviam, we leave with the goal of setting others in motion. Supporting each other has become second nature, and, as we’ve helped each other navigate the challenges of growing up, we’ve realized that none of us were meant to do this alone, and that our greatest strength has always been each other. This foundation of compassion will guide us as we step into the world and serve a purpose greater than ourselves.
As we head our separate ways with big dreams, let us choose to lift others as we climb. We can challenge stereotypes and even change lives through small, consistent actions. Listening with empathy, lending a hand, or a simple smile can create a ripple effect in the lives of others.
Excerpt from Ellen's Salutatory Address
Looking back at all that we have accomplished as a class, I am filled with love for both Ursuline and its community. However, more than anything, I am filled with disbelief that our time together is finally coming to a close. Are we sure that we aren’t still nervous Freshmen, walking in that first day with spotless saddle shoes? Or maybe we’re excited to use Sophomore entrance with the confidence of experienced Ursuline students. Or upperclassmen, Juniors carrying car keys and caffeine as we rush from [test] corrections to SAT prep classes and to club meetings all in the same day. Or, I guess it just has to be true, all signs do seem to point to it: we’re graduating seniors with saddle shoes much dirtier from our time at UA.
A well-known symbol of the Ursuline experience is the saddle shoe: just as we walk along the path of high school, growing and changing as we navigate our four years, so too do the shoes on our feet. They become scuffed from years of jumping in the stands at intramurals, from hurrying through the halls to make it to class on time, and from running out as we said our final prayer together on the last day of school. Our saddle shoes become dirty, broken, and torn. But these shoes, physical symbols of our own growth as Ursuline students, serve as more than just evidence of Ursuline’s effect on us. The marks that cloud the whiteness of our shoes are personalized tattoos of everything that WE have touched during our time at UA. Every scuff and scratch and missing shoelace are evidence of a reciprocal mark on a door or desk or hallway at Ursuline. Everyone knows that high school is a time of personal change, but our four years here were also a time for us to be a part of Ursuline’s legacy. Ursuline has shaped our lives, and, in return, we have had the opportunity to take part in Ursuline’s long tradition, too.
These excerpts will appear in The Texas Catholic graduation special edition.
