The Bryan Collegiate High School Class of 2023 celebrated another victory on May 26 when they became graduates in a ceremony at Texas A&M's Rudder Auditorium.
“You should all be proud to be here tonight, celebrating one of the many victories in your life,” Senior Class Council President Brisa Arredondo said. “After all of the years of stress, we can finally say we made it.”
The graduation marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
“I have watched all of you grow and mature into young adults,” BCHS Principal Tommy Roberts said, “and I’m so incredibly proud of all that you have accomplished. Tonight is the representation of those accomplishments.”
As a class, the 90 graduates completed just shy of 4,500 college hours with an average of 52 college credit hours each, and 26 went above and beyond the requirement to earn their associate’s degree from Blinn College.
Collectively, the group earned more than 250 college acceptances and performed more than 13,000 community service hours locally.
As they move into the next chapter, some students are establishing a new standard for their families as they become the first in their family to attend college or to graduate high school.
Valedictorian Astrid Lopez reminded the graduates that their future is determined by what they do, not by anyone else. And when they fail, to remember it is not permanent but something to overcome.
“Whatever your dreams, goals and aspirations are, go after them, and make sure they’re yours,” she said. “In your life, you must pursue happiness because it is not luck. It is the fruit of your actions.”
She said she is excited to see where each of their paths lead.
“Above all, I hope that you remember that you are valuable, and you will accomplish whatever you prioritize,” she said.
Kaitlin Labus, BCHS teacher and commencement speaker, said when she was crafting her speech, she kept coming back to the phrase “find your people.”
As someone who prided herself on being independent and not asking for help, she said, she found herself struggling in college because she did not know who she was yet and was trying to handle everything by herself. Then, she began making friends outside of her classes and could lean on them for help.
“By the time I graduated college, I had a group of friends that I never knew I needed,” she said. “I had found my people. But what does it mean to find your people? How do you find your people? When looking for your people, I believe it’s all about a feeling.”
Sometimes these relationships are built on common interests, but sometimes it is just about how the other person shows up for you. It is all these people they surround themselves with who help shape them into who they are and can become.
“It’s ok to be independent. It’s ok to be alone. But the more you open yourself up to others, the more you will grow,” she said.
When writing her speech, Labus asked a couple friends and former BCHS colleagues for words of advice to include.
Carlee Latham wanted to remind the students that they have shown that they can do hard things and have already proved it.
“You have taken college classes as freshmen. You have navigated the war zone that is high school interpersonal relationships. You have gotten through days where you were tired or angry or overwhelmed by things that are completely out of your control,” Labus read. “... You are incredibly resilient humans that are going to change the world. Notice that I said we can do hard things, not life will be easy. Life isn’t easy, but you have your people to help you through it.”
Aubany Moon advised the graduates to remember that they do not need to do everything to live an “exemplary life.” Graduation day is one they likely will remember forever, but most other days are “entirely forgettable.”
On those forgettable days, she suggested the graduates ask themselves if they did something healthy for their mind and their body and if they showed love to someone else.
“If you can answer yes to each of those three questions, you had a successful day, no matter how forgettable it was,” Labus read.
Labus said some of the students may have already found their people. Others might still be looking.
“Throughout the different stages of your life, the important thing is finding the right people to be by your side,” she said.
More photos from the Bryan Collegiate High School May 2023 Graduation can be found here! Watch the entire graduation here!