The path to graduation began in elementary school, but the high school diploma is not the end of that journey.
“We’ve each grown so much over the past few years, facing setbacks, overcoming challenges and celebrating victories,” Valedictorian Gabriel Gomez said during Bryan High School’s graduation in Reed Arena May 27. “Yet, my fellow graduates, this is only the beginning. Our lives are only just now starting to take shape.”
Leaving high school is just as exciting as it is daunting, he continued. He encouraged his fellow graduates to never forget what they accomplished as the Bryan High School Class of 2023, to continue supporting each other, and to use the lessons they learned at the school to move forward in the world.
This is their time to shape their futures and make their mark on the world, he said.
“The future is what we make of it. We can choose to be passive and let life happen to us or we can choose to take an active role in shaping our own futures. I hope that each and every one of you chooses the latter and that we go out into the world with courage, conviction and an unparalleled desire to make an impact,” Gomez told the 475 graduates and their supporters in the crowd.
The top three graduates were announced to be attending California Polytechnic State University, the University of Texas, and Gomez will attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Senior Class Officer Maci Nash, along with Gomez and Salutatorian Lily Neideffer, took the students through their years in Bryan ISD, beginning with a roll call of the elementary schools and middle schools represented in the Class of 2023.
They remembered the field trips, school plays and dual language classes.
“Whether it was the friends made on the playground or the favorite teacher you loved so dearly, elementary school felt like a family every time we entered the doors,” she said. “It never felt like a place where we did not want to be. Those years were some of the best memories of our early education.”
Before Bryan ISD moved to include intermediate schools, the students were the last class to begin middle school in sixth grade. There they started in Advanced Academics programs, went to school dances and were recognized at awards ceremonies.
Then, Neideffer said, they began an interesting start to high school as their freshman year was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and further disrupting their sophomore year.
Rather than focusing on how things changed, she said, she wanted to focus on what did not change, such as campus monitor Lester Banks making sure they got to class and lunch on time. They experienced unpredictable Texas weather, attended more dances and watched or participated in the community in and out of the school, from fine arts to performing arts to sports.
As much change they have seen, she said one thing they all have in common with the person next to them is that they are members of the Bryan High School Class of 2023.
In addition to attaining their high school diploma, 23 of the graduates also earned a full International Baccalaureate diploma.
In a tradition of leaving a legacy at the school, Senior Class President Tori Chambers announced that the Class of 2023 would be leaving two gifts to their alma mater: a directory signage to help new students and guests navigate campus and a new Viking longboat mural – painted by IB art students – in the freshman hallway.
“We thank Bryan High School for the memories and knowledge we have gained,” she said. “We hope these gifts will encourage the next generation of memory making and learning.”
More photos from the Bryan High School May 2023 Graduation can be found here! Watch the entire graduation here!