Editor’s Note: Today, The Daily Leader continues publication of area high school valedictorian and salutatorian graduation speeches. The following address is from Mississippi School of the Arts Valedictorian Anna Watson.

Do you remember stumbling after the mailman with your last-minute application, entrusting your future to a stranger in uniform?

Do you remember the butterflies trapped inside you as you waited almost patiently outside the audition room?

Do you remember That hopeful, eager expectation as you broke the seal of your acceptance letter?

I do, I remember it well. At that moment, I hadn’t the faintest idea of the beautiful souls I’d meet, who’d become my family, who’d be refuge for two long, restless, worthy years – two years that flew right by us in a decadent flow of moments and memories, of old and new friends, of dorm room culinary arts, of late night rehearsals, tornado warnings in the hall way, and Happy Birthdays in the cafeteria.

Now, we’re here to celebrate our victory! But once we leave through those exit doors, return our robes, and frame our diplomas; we’re left with a daunting question: “What’s next?”

The honest answer is: “Whatever you want; whatever you’re willing to fight for with the full force of your being.”

When we were children, we were always told to follow our dreams. That ideal has faded further into childhood fancy as we’ve grown older. I think I know why no one really seems to take dreams seriously anymore.

Dreams imply fantasy and wild imaginings, a world of make-believe and impracticality, of candy trees and monsters that disappear once we “wake-up.” So I’ve found that we shouldn’t follow our dreams at all. Instead, we should follow our bliss.

Your bliss is that one thing-the idea that fills your spirit with fire, freedom, and eager expectation. It’s that one thing that you would do for free if you didn’t have mouths to feed and bills to pay. It’s the essence of all motivation and achievement, the essence of you.

It’s not a hope, a dream, neither is it a wish. It’s a resonant, pulsating desire that transcends everything! Most of all, it’s that what you must do to feel complete. I’ve discovered that my own is to leave a wake of warmth behind me, to swaddle hearts in the silken sanctuary of music, to create a transcendent, sacred space through sound waves that engenders healing, introspection, expression, and love.

That’s my essence, my heart, my primary contribution to the great mission of leaving the world a little brighter than I found it.

However, with grand prospect comes fear; but that’s as natural as breathing. Mountains are frightening – even when we’re confident in the treasure that lies beyond them.

Even still, it’s too easy to become fearful and doubt yourself, especially when it appears others doubt you. But count that as joy! If the scale your goals frightens you as well as leaves you in quivering anticipation, they’re big enough! The catch here is that we can’t let fear cripple us.

Over the past two years, I have wrestled with fear, fear of inadequacy, of being misunderstood and under-estimated, fear of simply not being good enough. And I’ve fought tooth and nail to defeat my fear and have gained a considerable amount of ground.

As of late, however, I realized that I handled it the wrong way; recently, fear and I have made up become good friends.

The problem is: all our lives we’ve been told that fear is something to overcome, that it keeps us from actualizing our potential, that we must defeat it to be completely ourselves. But fear doesn’t have to be a monolithic beast for us to scale and conquer, neither should it be but an obstacle. Fear is natural.

A wise man in my life explained this very well when he told me, “fear is an excellent watchman but a poor motivator.” I was wonder-struck by that truth. Fear’s doing its best to protect us; it cautions us against dangerous decisions that could injure or end us. However if we let fear overcome us, it can lead to procrastination, even inaction, because it compels us to avoid the seemingly dangerous or impossible. If we shouldn’t let fear overcome us, what good would it do to try and overcome fear?

I believe fear is to be understood, not overcome; accepted but not submitted to. Instead, hold hands with your fear, accept it as a natural response, and remind yourself that missing a deadline or a grade isn’t the end of the world, neither do those things define who you are; and what we call “mistakes” or “failures,” remember that they are merely intermediate steps toward success.

Try it, feel the butterflies settle down and watch the panic simmer away. Let your next step be flavored with confidence and self-assurance.

before I leave this podium, there are things I need you to remember:

We are victorious, each tasseled cap in this sea of red and black. I want you to understand the magnitude of that.

We chose to fly from our nest at an early age to pursue our passions. We survived rehearsals until late in the night, the rigor of Mississippi Scholars, a multitude of scholarship essays, late nights covered in paint and charcoal, the teachers pushing us past our self-imposed limits for the excellence they knew we would achieve.

We balanced all this and more on top of our personal struggles and visions, and we won!

Set your eyes to the east, my friends; there’s more to come because this isn’t the end-neither is this the height of our career. MSA’s but a launch pad from which we’ll rocket to the stars. We’ll give the sun a run for it’s money and doubtless outshine some of the golden giants still hanging in the evening sky.

But our path to greatness has been and will be a difficult one. To chase the truth, we’ll have to make difficult decisions and sacrifices we never thought were possible. People will doubt us, and we may even begin to doubt ourselves. But don’t be discouraged. People as strong and as bright as you can make it anywhere and do absolutely anything; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Because, I tell you, no one knows blood, sweat, and tears like MSA. If we weren’t willing to fight for our art, we wouldn’t be here today receiving our honor; If MSA foundation wasn’t willing to fight for our art, the school would have been closed years ago.

But it’s still here, and we are here – about to settle into a new season, to walk through those exit doors into the wide world that needs to hear our voices.

We have a trail to blaze. Let’s leave behind us a rolling wake of beauty, truth, and understanding. I’m ecstatic with thoughts of the future we’ll create.

In the words of Joseph Campbell, “When you follow your bliss, doors open where you thought there were only walls.” Chase your bliss and the world will be changed.”

All we’ve learned and become through MSA and what we will choose to do with it…those are the means by which we’ll imagine, create, and realize a better world for those who come after us.

It is my privilege and pleasure to be among you, whom I treasure with all my heart.

Congratulations, class of 2013; Now go and change the world.