CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Sissonville High School class of 2023 were treated to a special guest speaker Friday evening at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito was in town to speak to graduates of Sissonville. She told the audience her speech would be brief and indeed it was, just 10 minutes long. She said she even got help from ChatGPT in creating a graduation ceremony speech, making a point about how advanced technology is nowadays.
“We have artifical intelligence that can write how we feel and what we think, but you know what, we’re not robots, we’re real people,” Capito said. “We’re living, breathing human beings who care about one another,”
That was a big takeaway for her and for the graduates. Capito said the support from the community of Sissonville will help the students cherish their past years and succeed in their days ahead.
“All of the experiences that you’ve had will be in your hearts forever because you’ve had such a great community around you,” she said.
In a time where there’s plenty of going and so much information can be obtained from phones, the Senator also made sure to remind the graduates to “look up” and keep their eyes open and ahead.
“You’re getting ready to embark on new adventures in your life, and your family members and friends, they wanna look in your eyes,” Capito said to the class of 2023. “So, look up.”
In some of her final remarks, Capito told the students to not forget to call their family members, be optimistic, and continue to build close relationships.
Senator Capito will also deliver a commencement address for BridgeValley Community and Technical College’s Class of 2023. That graduation ceremony is 11 a.m. Saturday at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.