Valedictorians: Archbishop O’Leary’s Marcus Kleefman

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Marcus spends his free time working at Highlands Golf Course in the back shop. He is an accomplished academic achieving both Honours standing and the Rutherford scholarship during the last three years of high school. He was also part of the Archbishop O’Leary Catholic High School Student Union and the main news anchor on O’Leary’s Spartan News broadcast. Marcus was also part of Edmonton Catholic Schools’ Student Voice and competed in regionals and various school tournaments for the Ethics Bowl. In addition, Marcus was a part of O’Leary’s mental health group and competed on behalf of the school’s golf team.

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Commencement Excerpt:

Build your boat around who you are. Design it. Build it. Perfect it. For yourself, no one else. As scary as it may seem, this is your mission. It is your life and your choices. Take advantage and appreciate the options given to you and choose the one that will shape your future into one you know you will be proud of. Do not listen to what others say about the direction you set sail in. Go with what you know is best. Show the world why they should not doubt you.

Find a crew for your ship. Find a group of people that you can rely on and people who you can trust. People who love you at your very worst and lowest moments. People who love you unconditionally. People that you trust so much, that when the wind knocks you off into the open sea and you feel like you are drowning, they are right there to help pull you back onto your feet. Enjoy your journey.

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Savour every piece of life when you are navigating through the crashing waves of our world. And when you finally reach your destination, when you finally dock your boat on your destined shoreline: don’t feel afraid to sail back out again. In Isaiah 43:2, God shows us how he is with us. God tells us, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.”

It is more important now than ever to create your own destiny. It is more important now than ever to see all the amazing possibilities and destinations that await you. Do not be afraid if you have no idea where you are going, let the winds catch your sails and flow with what the world gives you. Watch the sunrise as the previously daunting thunderclouds pass over you, and enjoy the freeing feeling of beauty, mystery, and excitement. So go out into the open sea. Forge a life that best suits you. Set sail with no regrets.

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Valedictorian Q & A

How do you think the pandemic changed your high school experience?

The pandemic has changed my high school experience in many good and bad ways. I feel like the pandemic has forced a disconnect between students. A disconnect that has been felt since we were sent home for the first time in March 2020. Yet nonetheless, I realized recently that if it were not for the pandemic, I would not have been able to find the strength within myself to become valedictorian. The pandemic drove me to try and create change in my school for the betterment of all students and staff members.

What is the one takeaway you feel should come out of the upheaval of the last two years?

Over the last two years, there have been many instances of false information, unsolved mysteries, and anxieties. It is because of these feelings and instances that I felt like I did not deserve to be who I truly wanted to be. I thought that in order to overcome my challenges I had to be someone that the world wanted me to be. Yet standing up on stage in front of 5,000 people caused me to realize that this is not the case. Becoming class valedictorian of 2022 has made me realize that being myself is the one true way to lead me to happiness. The goals of what I accomplished this year were goals that I, for the first time ever, set for myself. Accomplishing those goals and enjoying the journey to my destination has been the best part of these last two years. So, if I had to give one takeaway from the last two years, it would be to be yourself.

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What is your favourite thing about Edmonton?

My favourite thing about Edmonton is the people that live here. It is because of the amazing people in Edmonton that I have the fortune of meeting every day, that makes me happy that I live here. From my school environment to the golf course I work at, I am never surprised by all the caring and hardworking people that our city holds.

Who is your hero?

My hero is not just one person. It is a group of people. My hero is the graduating class of 2022 at Archbishop O’Leary Catholic High School. When I look into the faces of my peers, I see people who are struggling. People who have gone through pain. People that had to wake up every morning during online schooling, not knowing whether finals would be cancelled or not. The class of 2022 inspires me because I see people who have faced adversity and hardships yet preserved through it all and managed to graduate.

What is your favourite quote or expression?

“Man in the full knowledge of himself is a superb and supreme creature of creation. When man becomes possessor of the knowledge of himself, he becomes master of his environment, the captain of his own ship, the director of his own destiny, the accomplisher of his own ends.” — Marcus Garvey