Montgomery High School (MHS) Class of 2024 celebrated the closing of a life chapter when they walked across the gym stage to receive their high school diplomas.
The Class of 2024 did not have a conventional beginning to their high school chapters as they navigated the challenges of a global pandemic, but those challenges did not stop them from graduating inside the MHS’s main gym during their commencement ceremony on June 19.
“Against all the odds we’ve made it,” said Mathi Veerachamy, president of the Class of 2024. “Our 12 years of schooling have led us to this very moment.
“You have the brains, you have the ability to set your goals, you can work hard, and now most importantly you have a Montgomery High School diploma to take on the world. They say a journey of 10,000 miles begins with a single step, so tonight let’s take our first step into the future that awaits us and enjoy the life we have ahead.”
Valedictorian Arjun Sharma noted that as a class they have been through so much.
“We have lived, laughed and struggled side by side and there are so many lessons we have learned together,” he said. But today I do not have to tell that when I look into the crowd. I see the next generation of diplomats that [will] further world peace, scientists that will develop revolutionary technologies and individuals who will give it their all to put a smile on someone else’s face.
“I don’t have to tell you that you should strive to embody the concept of resilience or embrace failure or take risks. We dream big and work as hard as we can to make those big dreams a reality that is the Cougar spirit.”
He shared that graduation represents the crossroads of the past, present, and future.
“So, the grand message I want to tell you about today is not about the future it is about cherishing the present and the past, to live by and through our special moments in life,” Sharma added.
Nicholas Kang, salutatorian, said the Class of 2024 has “trekked through thick and thin and now has finally reached the end of our journey together.”
“We are shaped by the named and nameless challenges we’ve faced and how we chose to conquer them,” he said. “What meaning would graduation have if it were not for all the blood, sweat, and tears.
“All the homework we’ve done, the tests we studied for, the tests we didn’t study for and the knowledge that we will never have to go through that again for about two months at least.”
Kang made the point that the things they do on an ordinary basis may not be as memorable as say riding down Everest [Expedition] in Animal Kingdom, but they truly are just as important.
“I urge you to treat them as such because before you know it the little things we take for granted are going to disappear,” he said.
The commencement ceremony marks the end of an era, said MHS Principal Heather Pino-Beattie.
“Take a look around one more time and soak it in for one moment longer,” she said. “This tonight is the last time you will sit together as one group. You have all left your mark on Montgomery forever holding a place in its history.
“As I stand and look out at you for one last time, I do so knowing that you will all change our world for the better. Life is unpredictable and often challenging, but I am confident you will all navigate it with grace, resilience and at sometimes even some ease.”
Montgomery High School Class of 2024 throw their graduation caps in the air on June 19.
MHS Class of 2024.
