Socorro High School commencement speaker Joel Partridge addressed the graduating class of 2024 without notes, but when you’re speaking from the heart, you don’t need a cheat sheet.
The 2023 New Mexico High School Wrestling Coach of the Year is well known for his work in local junior and high school wrestling, as a business owner, and most recently as a newly elected member of the Socorro city council.
Partridge’s family circumstances required that he move to Las Vegas, Nevada before he could graduate from Socorro 23 years ago. This journey took him away from his hometown and let him “spread his wings” a little early, and it gave him a profound sense of the importance of being at home.
“I graduated in the class of 2001: no distinguished honors, no fancy ribbons, just a graduate and kid at a school. I left here a scared kid, not knowing what to do. I didn’t have a friend. I think that was the biggest growth ever for me,” Partridge said. I was forced to grow. I was forced to get out of my comfort zone. I was forced to try new things, meet new people, try different types of food, and learn things that were not familiar to me. Completely different culture and demographic than what I grew up with here in Socorro.”
The road to the success Partridge now enjoys didn’t come overnight.
“I graduated, I started my business out there. I failed tremendously. I failed and I lost everything and was upside down. Okay, start from scratch and move back home. Move back to Socorro. I didn’t want to move back to Socorro. I thought I was better off out there, but I learned really quick that home is home,” Partridge said.
Socorro may be home to the Class of 2024, but Partridge wasn’t saying graduates should stay here.
“Just find a target somewhere out there. Something that you want to do and aim for it. You might not hit it but get near it and just keep shooting for that target. It doesn’t matter that you’re going to hear people saying, ‘Oh, you can’t do this, or you can’t do that.’ You can’t be a YouTuber. I’ll give you some helpful advice. Find something you can pay your bills with that you like doing,” Partridge said. “Chase your dreams, but be realistic. Be realistic and chase your dreams, but be able to take care of yourself. Be able to look out for yourself and stand on your two feet.”
Partridge also opened up about how he goes about life.
“My main goal in life is to be a good person. Treat people with kindness and respect. Work hard. Don’t let anybody tell you that hard work doesn’t pay. Hard work pays. People see your effort. They know what hard work is. Hard work is important. A good daily routine is important. Get up, have a routine, work hard, smile, and be happy for what you have,” he said.
In closing, Partridge reminded graduates failure is part of succeeding.
“Go out and take risks. Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid of failure. Failure is going to come, and it’s inevitable. It’s going to happen. That’s part of success. Enjoy the process. Stop focusing on the end result. Enjoy the process. Goods, bads, ups, downs, enjoy all of that. It’s what builds your character as a human being, as a young man, as a young woman. That’s what builds your character. Focus on the process, not the result. The result will come, so just focus on the process. The last thing that I have to say is that this is the only quote that I had, and it says, Don’t compare yourself to others. That’s a good way to make yourself unhappy. Just compare yourself to yourself and try to be a better version of yourself every day,” Partridge said.
