SUCHES – All eyes were on Mia Roberts during Woody Gap School’s graduation exercises on Saturday, May 24.
The sole member of Woody Gap Class of 2025, Roberts received her diploma from Union County Superintendent John Hill during a ceremony held at the school auditorium.
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Roberts’ Valedictory Address drew inspiration from President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 address, “Citizenship in a Republic,” which is more commonly known today as “The Man in the Arena.”
“A famous passage from the speech captures the essence of what it means to always try our best and to take action, despite failures, fears and criticism,” she said before going on to quote Roosevelt.
“‘It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
“‘Who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;
“‘Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.’”
In light of this message, Roberts urged her captive audience not to shy away from failure, emphasizing that true fulfillment comes from the journey of rising after setbacks and believing in something greater than oneself.
As a member of Woody Gap’s basketball, cross country and tennis teams, Roberts stepped into her own arena, where rather than letting her losses define her, she learned to showcase the spirit of resilience and determination.
“Although we didn’t dominate in any sports, we can still take great pride in knowing we did our best and always strived for improvement,” she said. “But when we did win, the triumph was even sweeter.”
Turning her focus to the underclassmen at Woody Gap, she encouraged them to cherish every moment and to overcome challenges, sharing her own experiences from dual-enrollment college courses and personal struggles.
“Even though I was at my wits end with some of those courses, I managed to get through them with the support of friends, family and none other than my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” she said. “The past four years have been some of the hardest of my life.
“I’ve been through heartache, pain, sadness, joyfulness and so much more. There are few things I regret, but it’s the realization that I can’t change any of them that make me even more grateful for the lessons I’ve learned and the things I did right.
“As a result, I’ve learned to cherish every little moment I get in life, knowing that at any given moment, everything can change.”
The event featured a commencement speech by Harmony Grove Baptist Pastor Scotty Jarrard, whose echoed Roberts by stating that it’s not the moments of uncertainty that define a person but how we respond to those moments – positively or negatively.
Jarrard also referenced the coinciding occasion of Memorial Day Weekend and the sacrifices made by countless members of the U.S. military.
“It wasn’t a moment they chose; it wasn’t a moment they asked for; it wasn’t a moment they wanted to live in; but they chose to live in it through love,” he said. “They proved their love to us in the only way they knew how, and that is by sacrifice. And sacrifice sums up what love is.
“These men and women chose to love our freedom. They chose to love humanity. They chose to love our country. So, in every moment of your life, you have to respond, and in that response, I challenge you to choose love.”
Jarrard closed his address by asking Roberts to seek motivation from historic figures such as Thomas Edison and King Solomon. He pointed out how Edison learned from his mistakes while developing the lightbulb, and he referenced Solomon’s candid acknowledgment of his own failures in the Book of Ecclesiastes.
At Woody Gap, Roberts achieved numerous accomplishments, including being named Valedictorian, earning the Shining Star Award, participating in Dual Enrollment, making the Honor Roll, serving on the Student Council, acting as President of the SADD Club, and contributing to the Future Farmers of America and Yearbook staff.
Roberts has received more than $11,200 in local scholarships, in addition to the HOPE Scholarship, federal grants, and other local awards. Moving forward, she will be pursuing a psychology degree at the University of North Georgia.
