BY SUSAN WARE

When U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton spoke to Central High School graduates on Thursday, June 14, she was the first presidential candidate in the 155-year history of the school to deliver a commencement address.

Wearing a white robe like the female members of the class, the Democratic presidential candidate urged graduates take risks and “dare to compete.”

“You have the chance to chart your own future,” she said. “ Now dare to compete to be the best you can be. Life has no guarantees. But it can be, whatever you give to it and take from it, a great adventure and a blessing.”

Clinton reminded the 470 graduates that they have had the privilege of living in New Hampshire, a state with strong community and family values.

She also said she was nervous about addressing graduates because funny man Adam Sandler, Class of 1984, had spoken at two previous graduation ceremonies. She joked with John Rist, principal of Central High School, saying that she knew his wife well, and that the Rists had a mixed marriage – “You know the type; one is a Boston fan, the other is Yankees.”

During her address, Clinton discussed her decision to run for U.S. Senate in 1999 as one of the biggest risks she has ever taken.

“Some days, I thought it was a great idea. Others, I thought it was a terrible idea. But I decided to take the risk, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she said.

Clinton also encouraged graduates of this school with more than 60 nationalities speaking dozens of languages, to focus less on the things that divide us, but rather that we are all the same.

“Here at Central, you’ve had the chance to learn the most important lesson there is: that your differences aren’t a weakness, they’re your greatest strength. That everybody matters,” said Clinton.