Kyle Martin Regrets Finishing Top Of His Class And It Makes For The Best Valedictorian Speech
January 29, 2020
Kyle Martin gets brutally honest at his graduation ceremony in the best Valedictorian speech. He surprises the crowd by saying he actually regrets finishing at the top of his class. But when he explains why, it makes so much sense!
Kyle graduated high school with a 4.64 GPA. And those high marks won him the title of being class valedictorian. But he didn’t achieve that accomplishment without a lot of hard work and sacrifice.
RELATED: High School Forbids Student From Putting Jesus In Graduation Speech
When he did win that award, he said that it felt amazing…but only for about 15 seconds.
Kyle Martin's 'The 16th Second' Speech
In the viral video of the best valedictorian speech titled “The 16th Second”, Kyle shares the lesson he learned from sacrificing so much to get to the top of his class.
“At our senior awards ceremony, it felt so good,” he said about when he won the valedictorian title. “It’s so good, for about 15 seconds. Yeah, 15 seconds of my heart racing and my adrenaline pumping. 15 seconds of ‘Yeah I won!’. 15 seconds of being at the top of the pile of all my accomplishments and it felt euphoric. But there must come a 16th second. And on that 16th second, I sat down on my seat, I looked at my silver stole that says valedictorian, and I thought, ‘That’s it? What just happened? Why am I not feeling anything else?.”
Kyle Martin continues, “To be honest, I don’t even know what I was expecting. A parade of balloons to drop? Or maybe I was hoping that all of my problems would fade away in comparison to this amazing achievement. But none of that happened, not even in my heart. I felt nothing. I was shocked. This was a huge problem for me, and I needed to figure out why.”
Kyle then goes on in his Valedictorian speech to share about his thought process after this realization.
“Working hard is good. It is in fact biblical,” he shares. “But it should not be done for the sole purpose of a goal’s sake at the expense of relationship with others. Looking back on this year, I realized that the stress of this year, for this goal and a five-minute speech, was paid for with the lack of attending to relationships in my life. A lesson learned and self-reflection accomplished.”
Valedictorian Points Peers To Jesus
What a valuable lesson for this young man to share with his classmates. Kyle then goes on to tell the room to have no regrets in the sixteenth second. And why the relationships in our lives will always be the most important.
RELATED: Actor Michael Keaton Surprises Graduates with 2 Words
“Nothing is more important than your healthy relationships. Nothing. Not your goals, not your successes. And here is why: relationships are where we get to influence, impact, and change people’s lives. Your life cannot be meaningful without them,” Kyle says.
“We are put on this earth by our Creator and we all have a purpose: to advance God’s kingdom that all may be saved,” Kyle shares with the room. “As you live your life on this earth, there is no greater good you can do for a person than to love them so much, that you point them to Jesus Christ. But first, he should be your first relationship that you cannot neglect.”
After speaking about his regret of neglecting his relationships for the sake of the valedictorian title, to how we must prioritize the relationships in our life most, Kyle ends his speech with pointing to Jesus.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: College Student Sobs At Graduation Because His Parents Are A No-Show
He reminds the audience that this is the single most important relationship in our lives, and we must continue to prioritize it each day. What an inspiring speech from a mature and wise young man!
WATCH: Kyle Martin Is Brutally Honest In Best Valedictorian Speech
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Transforming Worry into Trust - Your Daily Prayer - October 24
Worrying does nothing to benefit our lives in any way; it only takes away. It takes away the present moments and present joy you could experience, not to mention it takes away from a peaceful life.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Transforming Worry into Trust - Your Daily Prayer - October 24
Worrying does nothing to benefit our lives in any way; it only takes away. It takes away the present moments and present joy you could experience, not to mention it takes away from a peaceful life.
Past Stories
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
- UPS Driver Jumps into Action As He Spots Elderly Woman on the Ground & Says It Was All God
- Rescuer Braces for the Worst After Spotting Kitten on the Side of the Road, Then Sees a Paw Move
- AJ Griffin Gives Up High-Paying Career with NBA to Follow God
- These Former Conjoined Twins Finally Go Home After Their First Birthday
- Teenager From Iowa Uses His Flying Skills to Help Hurricane Helene Victims
- Son Saves For 9 Months and Surprises Mom By Paying Off Her Mortgage
- Woman's Home is Surrounded By 100 Raccoons, and They Aren't Leaving Anytime Soon
- Dog Saves Her Owner's Life By Sitting in the Middle of the Road
- Widower Shares the Last Thing His Wife Told Their Son Before She Passed Away From Cancer
- A Nurse Saved Her Life 35 Years Ago, Now, She is Surprising Her With a Visit
- These Twin Sisters Have An Important Message To Share On Their 102nd Birthday
- This Brave 5-Year-Old Saved Her Mother's Life By Calling 911
- 79-Year-Old Broke Her Ankle After Scattering Her Mom's Ashes, Then Strangers Save the Day
- Dad Travels Through Mud and Debris to Walk His Daughter Down the Aisle
- Owner's Trip to the Vet with Unwell Dog Results in the Craziest X-Ray
- After Getting Lost in Yellowstone, This Precious Cat Made His Way Back Home To California
- Mom's Funny Response To Daughter's Dirty Sock On The Floor Goes Viral & Ends Up Doing Good
- A Kidnapped Boy Is Found After 70 Years and Reunited With His Family
- This Puppy Was Found With a Note That Read 'Help Me,' Now He's Looking For a New Home
- Excited Mom Couldn't Wait to See Son's Back to School Pictures, but Funny Results Make Her LOL
- When This Police Officer Pulled Her Over, He Changed Her Life Forever
- She Just Met Her Vietnam Veteran Father After 50 Years, Now He is Walking Her Down the Aisle
- Fearless Father Waits on Porch to Catch the Stranger Peeking in His Daughter's Window
- This 5th Grade Teacher Eats Lunch In the Cafeteria Every Day
- Amy Grant Has a New Perspective After Losing Her 'Superpower' in Bike Accident
- 'God Did It' Says 18-Year-Old After Waking Up From a Coma Following a Crash
- These Four Sisters Share a Birthday, Which is Quite the Miracle
- Dad Harmony Sings a Beautiful A Cappella Rendition of ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love'
- Couple's Outstanding Boogie Woogie Dance Performance
- Siblings’ Cover of Dolly Parton’s Classic ‘I Will Always Love You’ Is Incredible
- Pastor and Wife Were Killed in a Car Accident, But Their Kids Have a Message of Hope
- Outstanding 'Amazing Grace' Cover Music Video by Celtic Woman
- Carrie Underwood Helps With Leading Worship at Tennessee Church
- 8-Year-Old Kid's To-Do List Goes Viral As a Wholesome Reminder for Us All
- 'Holy Forever' Lyric Video by Chris Tomlin and CAIN
- Elementary Teacher Talks About the Power of Words and Kindness By Using Toothpaste
- Prayers Pour in for Loretta Lynn's Family After the Death of the Late Singer's First Grandchild
- Dennis Quaid Singing 'On My Way To Heaven" is an Inspiring Performance
- Charming Elderly Couple Share Sweet Dance to 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain?"
- Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick Adorably Sing a Sassy Duet to Celebrate 36 Years of Marriage
- Rory Feek Performs Beautiful Tune 'I Do' After Finding Love Again
- Driver Shows Up to Deliver Pizza to Elderly Man's House, Then Comes Back with His Lawnmower
- What Parents & Grandparents Don't Know About 'Easy' Recipe Trend Could Be Dangerous
- Nearly 1,500 Students Gather to Worship Jesus at Texas A&M Revival
- 96-Year-Old Shares the Secret to a Happy Life and His Words of Wisdom Are Truly Inspiring
- In God's Divine Timing, Wedding Ring Is Returned to Man's Widow After It's Lost for 60+ Years
Top Music Videos
CCM Magazine Steven Curtis Chapman Shares the Heartfelt Message that Helped While Grieving His Daughter
Crowder Crowder Moving Official 'Somebody Prayed' Music Video
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Mandisa Mandisa - Shackles (Praise You)
Anne Wilson Anne Wilson 'The Cross' Powerful Lyric Video
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.