More than 80 students donned the MC Harris purple caps and gowns as they crossed the stage to receive their high school diploma.
“As a former elementary principal, we love getting to watch our students grow,” MC Harris Principal Dr. Karen Kaspar said. “We love watching you grow from kindergarten all the way to this senior year.”
Kaspar joked about the graduates’ procrastination, saying that in the month leading up to graduation, the number of students eligible to walk the stage more than doubled.
Of the 82 graduates, 41 have been accepted or plan to attend university, junior college or a trade school, and three will be enlisting in the military.
For a number of students, this is not just a personal milestone, but an accomplishment for their family as they become the first in their family to graduate from high school. Kaspar thanked those students for being a role model for other family members who will follow their example.
“When you come to MC Harris, we get to know your stories,” Kaspar said. “… We’ve listened to all of the obstacles that you had to overcome. Lots of you were working to support your own family and your extended family. You also are taking care of elderly grandparents and other relatives. Some have experienced loss, but somehow or another, you did whatever it took to be a graduate tonight. I want you to know how proud we are of all of you and all that you have accomplished. You are an extremely resilient group of young adults and have much to celebrate.”
Cheers from the audience at the Bryan ISD Performing Arts Center showed that the graduates’ families were just as proud of their students.
Commencement speaker Alijah Venters echoed Kaspar, saying each of his fellow graduates have experienced an obstacle or barrier, but they did not let it get the best of him. Through tears, he explained his first obstacle came when he was just 1 year old and lost his father to gun violence.
“Since that day, I have had to deal with the consequences of a stranger’s choice to take my first protector and my role model in this manner,” he said. He recognized the women in his life, along with his uncle, grandfather and godfather who raised him, calling his mother his “number one fan.”
In school, he worried a health concern would prevent him from graduating, but he did not let it stop him.
“The Mary Catherine Harris School of Choice made it possible for me to work at my own pace without the threat of being kicked out. And I knew I could depend on the administrators and staff to keep me going, even when I thought it wouldn’t be possible to finish,” Venters said. “I truly appreciate the care and support that you have shown me and my classmates.”
Life does not always happen in the order society wants or they expect, he said, but he believes the best is yet to come for the Class of 2023.
“This is the end of our high school journey, and yes it has been a bumpy road, but we did it. We stand here tonight ready for the next step, and I’m proud of each and every one of us,” Venters said.
More photos from the Bryan High School May 2023 Graduation can be found here! Watch the entire graduation here!