Commencement season 2024 is entering history with marks of turbulence and strife. Virginia’s rural areas, particularly the county where I grew up, are experiencing the same effect but for a vastly different reason. Through no choice of their own, Lee County children have born witness to the perils of an unbridled pharmaceutical experiment, suffering collectively and all too often personally in a war they did not start but must finish. In two meaningful ceremonies in Lee County high schools, the time was right for a call to action from within — to recognize this moment for what it is: the opportunity for the next generation to stride into its future confidently and purposefully, not to destroy or capitulate but to rebuild and renew.
State Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Washington County and chairman of Virginia’s Opioid Abatement Authority, shares this excerpt from commencement addresses he recently delivered at Lee High School and Thomas Walker High School in Lee County.
2024 Graduates:
As you stand on the brink of a new chapter, it’s imperative that we reflect, together, not just on where you have come from, but on where you can go as you help to take Lee County into a new age.
Your journey here has been uniquely shaped by your surroundings, your experiences, and, even your challenges.
You see, Lee County, like many places, has faced its share of trials. We’ve all heard the whispers, seen the headlines, and felt the weight of statistics labeling us as a “poor, Appalachian, uneducated, addicted population.” But today, I stand before you with a positive challenge: I encourage you to expand the narrative about our home as you design its future.
Yes, we must acknowledge the struggles, the hurdles, and the setbacks. It is an honest starting point. But let’s look at the whole picture. In every negative situation, the world over, we can see beyond the trouble and woe and daylight the chapters of resilience, determination, and triumph. For Lee Countians, it is time to shift our focus from the articles and books that paint a narrow picture of our community to the success stories that define us. Because when we stop to consider our long history, it is a major American success story — from our role in the founding of our nation to now serving as the point where the Commonwealth begins.
Look around you. See the faces of your classmates, your friends, your neighbors. Each one of us is a testament to the talent, strength and spirit of Lee County. We are not defined by negative circumstances, but by our ability to rise above them. It is history. It is legacy. And it is our turn.
In this room, we have future doctors, teachers, engineers, artists, entrepreneurs, and leaders of tomorrow. Just as our forebears, it is our moment to, yet again, change the trajectory and shape today’s narrative: Lee County is a launchpad for talent and contribution. We are defining our future. We are inspiring one another to take charge of our destiny.
So, Lee High graduates, as you embark on this next chapter of your lives, bring with you the stories of resilience, the lessons of perseverance, and the conviction that no challenge is too great to overcome. Believe in one another. Work together.
Be the generation that defies the odds that others have defined. Be the generation that shatters stereotypes that were formed with incomplete information. Be the latest Lee County generation to leave a legacy of hope and possibility for those who will come after you.
