'Let's get graduated.' Framingham High Class of '23 urged to face challenges head-on

FRAMINGHAM — High winds, but higher spirits.

After Friday's scattered thunderstorms pushed Framingham High School's graduation to a still-brisk and breezy Sunday afternoon, the Class of 2023 finally got to celebrate before family and friends.

These graduates faced unique challenges, as they're the last class to know high school before the pandemic. Yet state Rep. and School Committee Chair Priscila Sousa pointed to the class' latest obstacle, Friday's postponement, in her commencement address.

"Round two, let's get graduated today," she quipped.

"As you celebrate the completion of a significant milestone in your lives, your high school graduation marks the end of one journey filled with every possible challenge and the beginning of another that will also be filled with challenges as you step boldly into the unknown," Sousa said in her address, which was delivered in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

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Sousa urged graduates to face challenges head-on.

"Do not underestimate your potential, you have a lot of it, you have achieved so much already," she said. "You have earned this moment of celebration and deserve to be proud of all that you have accomplished. Let us look into the future with the confidence knowing that each step we take brings us closer to our goals."

'I felt like everyone was rooting for me'

Class President Joaquin Erasquin began his speech by saying, "Holy harpsichord, we made it." He then shared a story of when he decided to make a last-minute run for class president as a freshman. Erasquin recalled receiving the necessary number of signatures to be on the ballot by striking up conversations with people he did not know.

"I felt like everyone was rooting for me and wanted the best for me," he said. "I still feel this way about our school and its student body and its teachers. I've yet to find anyone in our school community who at heart doesn't want the best for us."

Classmate Linh Da Mai then delivered an address in which she explained her anthem of "Everything will be OK." She shared the personal struggles she endured after her father's death, and then COVID-19 when she was a freshman.

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"I hit rock bottom, so did the entire world," Da Mai said. She explained that throughout her high school career, which also included a near-fatal car accident her junior year, that she "experienced a lot of losses, but I (also) gained a lot of wins."

"Through the darkest times in my life, I continue to remind myself that everything will be OK," she said. "There were times when I wanted to give up, but that anthem truly encouraged me to stand back up and keep going."

'Leaders have integrity, selflessness and want others to do better'

The last graduate to deliver an address was Jessica Garcia, who began her speech by reminding the class of how assistant Vice Principal Jonathan Kanavich described the class as scholars, champions and leaders.

"As we leave here today, think about the impact we made at Framingham High School," Garcia said. "Leaders are not the king of the table or the ones with the titles, they are the ones who have integrity, selflessness and make others want to be better."

Garcia went on to say that no matter what graduates choose to do after graduation, she applauds it.

"Be the leader of your own life," she said. She continued by comparing the last quarter of high school as the final lap in Mario Kart.

"It's exciting and stressful and a little scary," Garcia said. "What matters are the moments that we remember."

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Principal Amy Gerade assured graduates that no matter what's next, where they are is exactly where they should be. Gerade received this advice from her mother, after a stretch of complicated life events during her time at Ohio University.

"That little nugget of wisdom my mom shared with me has stayed with me to this day," Gerade said. "Your journey has only just begun. There will be peaks and valleys along the way that will bump you on and off your path, but at the end of the day, you'll get where you're meant to go even if it takes longer than you or anyone else anticipated."

She concluded by telling seniors to enjoy the ride of being young, as sometimes "adulting is overrated," then repeated her mother's advice that where you are is exactly where you should be.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham High School Class of 2023 graduation ceremony Sunday