This year’s Welcome Back Assembly speaker focused on the pressure of perfection put on students.

On Sept. 14, inspirational speaker Keith Hawkins spoke to Carlmont students and staff in hopes of motivating them to be themselves and to forget about the pressure put on them by others in the coming year.

“All this pressure takes our happiness away and stops us from being the people we want to be,” said Hawkins.

Every year, ASB organizes the Welcome Back Assembly and features a motivational speaker in hopes of inspiring students to seize the year and make it the best it can be.

On Monday, Hawkins focused his speech on the pressure students feel every year to live up to other people’s expectations.

“I feel pressured by other students, my parents, and my teachers,” said freshman Kaylie Moropoulos.  “Different people pressure you for different things; I feel like I need to maintain good grades in harder classes and stay in my social groups at the same time.”

At the assembly, students from all grades filled the Terry Stogner Gymnasium to listen to Hawkins’ speech.  Hawkins delivered his message that students should forget about what other people think and just be themselves. He also worked in humorous anecdotes and interacted with the audience.

Many students were encouraged to refocus their intentions not on pleasing others, but on affecting more permanent things such as memories and personal goals.

“Let people just be who they are, and you be who you are,” said Hawkins. “Come together to build something bigger than just one person.”