We've all heard about teens asking their favorite celebrities to prom, but the seniors at one New York high school had their eye on a famous graduation speaker instead. In March, Stuyvesant High School's graduating class of 2012 created a video montage urging NBA star player and cultural icon Jeremy Lin to speak at their graduation. And on Friday, Lin took to YouTube with a response for the soon-to-be graduates.
Lin seemed touched by the Stuyvesant students' emotional plea for him to speak at graduation. As one of the students in the video -- which has now received over 75,000 views on YouTube -- gushed, "Hey Jeremy, you're one of the best athletes in New York, so you should come speak at one of the best schools in New York because you're awesome!"
Although Lin had the decline their request to come speak at the school, he did the next best thing, posting a personal video to YouTube dedicated to his fans at Stuyvesant. The popular Knicks player raps, offers words of encouragement based on his own experiences, speaks Chinese and gives a shout-out to the Christian club in the inspirational video.
Lin's message was simple but strong: "As you go on from high school, I just want to encourage you guys to make sure that you really have a lot of fun, that you enjoy what you're doing, and that you pursue your passions."
Lin told the students to remember that the journey is just as important as the end goal, and to "never let anyone tell you what you can't do." And, just as importantly, Lin urged the students to have fun in college and make the most of the "best four years of your life."
Were you inspired by Jeremy Lin's words of wisdom? Who's your dream graduation speaker? Tell us in the comments below or tweet @HuffPostTeen!
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Posted: 04/30/2012 11:04 am Updated: 04/30/2012 12:22 pm