As 492 graduating seniors from Canyon High School walked down the steps and onto the field at College of the Canyons on Thursday, they looked around to not only recognize their loved ones, but also to cherish the progress they have made in the past four years.
With the processional led by the Canyon High School band, Juliana Martinez, graduating senior class president, passed the senior key to Rowan Roberts, incoming senior class president, and senior members of the Canyon choir sang Phil Collins’ song, “You’ll Be in My Heart.”
Canyon Principal Shellie Holcombe took the stage to welcome parents, faculty and the graduating class to the ceremony, before giving herself a quick pep talk to give the welcome address.
“Tonight, we celebrate the turning point of an educational journey that has been anything but ordinary. Behind every student seated here this evening is a story of early mornings, late nights, quiet doubts, loud triumphs and lessons that have stretched far beyond the walls of any classroom you’ve persevered through tests, deadlines and the weight of expectations,” Holcombe said to the graduating seniors. “These years have demanded your efforts, your courage, your patience. We’ve asked you to show up on your worst day and still give us your best. And in doing that, you’ve become more than graduates. You’ve become an important and significant part of our future.”
Holcombe stated that greatness is not the destination, but the little moments that the Cowboys persevered in and will continue to do so in their trajectories to come.
“Class of 2025 greatness is not a destination. It’s not a title or a paycheck or a spotlight. Greatness is found in how you treat others when no one is watching. It’s in the moments you choose integrity over comfort or convenience. So yes, dream big, work hard, be ambitious, and as you go forward, I leave you with this: May you be bold in your pursuits, generous in your actions, and unwavering in your humanity, and always, always be so good.”
While Holcombe addressed the future, valedictorian Reese Shaughnessy and graduating senior Sofia Lopez, who gave the senior speech, discussed the past.
“Almost 10 years ago to the day, I sat in this stadium and watched my oldest sister graduate. As the valedictorian of her year concluded her speech and stepped off the stage, I turned to my mom and I told her, ‘Mine will be better.’ So here it is,” Shaughnessy said. “One of the many truths I believe about our lives as human beings, is that we are the culmination of all we have experienced and every person we have met. All of us here today have embarked on our own personal journeys of self-exploration, which have taken each of us along our own unique paths, but also we have all been united by fate to go on these journeys together.”
While Shaughnessy celebrated bonding with her peers over experiences such as school dances and football games, she gave credit to her family and close friends for helping establish the foundation in her formative years.
“I know that as teenagers, we seem to be evolutionarily predispositioned to believe that we are capable of doing everything ourselves, but we also have a responsibility to appreciate this foundation … I would like to thank all those that see me as worthy of their love, support and appreciation,” Shaughnessy said. “I am fully aware that I don’t know much about this world, but I do truly believe in all that I’m about to say to my peers: It’s going to be OK. Life can feel impressively crazy at times [but] have faith in your ability to rise above adversity, and always make the effort to come out the end of every situation stronger.”
Lopez counted the days since the seniors first stepped foot onto the Canyon campus, signifying a greater step in their educational paths.
“It has been 1,382 days since we stepped onto the Canyon campus as students for the very first time. I know it’s hard to believe that some of the most formative years of our lives are over with the turn of the tassel, but that’s the thing, they were only some of our most formative years. There’s so much ahead of us, though I know the thing that makes the change scary is the aspect of not knowing what’s next,” Lopez said.
Lopez asked for the graduating class to close their eyes and to envision a younger version of themselves wearing a green gown.
“Find absolute comfort in the fact that [your younger selves] could not be more proud of you. You are the person you are today because you trusted in the wisdom that they gave you,” Lopez said. “We don’t know where we’ll be 1,382 days from now, but what we do know is that we will always have the determined version of us … Regardless of where we end up, we have the comfort of the lessons we learned from the people we’ve been and that is enough to face any challenge.”
