For many young people in our community, today and this weekend marks the end of one major life chapter and the start of another – it is graduation weekend! 

With the ushering in of their new lives comes the sound of shuffling feet across the stage, the applause of the crowd and the snap of a photo. All the pomp, circumstance and cheer for a job well done and we can’t wait to see the shining smiles of all our accomplished students with their diplomas in hand.

It truly is something special when you line up all the hard-working seniors shoulder-to-shoulder and witness them in their proudest moment. Any alumni of any academic institution could recall their very own moments on that stage in those shoes. It is a rush of excitement for friends and family, and uncertainty for the future. It is the present being molded into the future in real time.

Before you go and make the world all your own, be sure to take the time to thank those who helped you get to where you are today. Teachers, parents, siblings, extended family, classmates, janitors, cafeteria staff, administrative faculty and so, so many more offered their every day, and often unnoticed assitance, to you and we are sure they would appreciate the nod. No matter where you end up, kindness will get you into more places than you think it would.

Remember, dear 2025 graduates, take in these next few days and do your best to keep the memory of them close to your chest. In these deciding days yet to come after the heat of the summer simmers down once again, you will be given a new task with a new name and a new perspective. But for now, this weekend, you are members of the accomplished. You hold company with the completionists; and you deserve your adulation.

Well done, and take on the world with all you have got! You will need it in this world of challenges and trials – but knowing our student population, we know all of those tribulations will amount to nothing if you keep your head up high and never give up!