On the evening of June 6, 2025, the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Bromery Center for the Arts became home to memories, music, and milestones. Families, friends, and faculty filled the Tillis Performance Hall, all to send off the Class of 2025 from Amherst Regional High School (ARHS). Similar to our class of 2025 graduates, the event was filled with equal parts humor, wisdom, and community.
The event unfolded like a living yearbook, with every chapter of high school honored, remembered, and, at times, laughed at. “We are here tonight to celebrate the mighty, the resilient, and the often late-to-class because they stopped at Dunkin on the way, yes, the amazing Class of 2025,” said Principal Talib Sadiq, setting a tone of warmth and humor.
From that moment, it was clear this ceremony would be one for the books.
A Class That Grew Together, and Apart
Each of the six valedictorians (Cameron Baird, Isla Cusick, Noah Ferris, Felicity Goeckel, Yoh Morita, and Daniella Sherman) took turns narrating a comedic and touching reflection of their four years at ARHS. From the chaos of TikTok trends and flaming paper towel dispensers to college applications and hallway pranks, to touching moments of classmates not with them on the stage, their summary of the post-pandemic life at ARHS brought a sense of humble humor to the crowd.
Their message reminded the audience and their classmates that growth is rarely linear and often full of interruptions, a point that was echoed throughout the ceremony. “We’ve accomplished so much and should be proud of the lessons, friendships, and memories that have defined the past four years,” One of the valedictorians said for the group; the valedictorians reflected on not only what they have accomplished so far, but also what they will accomplish in their futures. “Graduation marks the end of one journey and the beginning of limitless futures.”
Messages That Mattered
Throughout the evening, words of encouragement poured in from all corners of the community. Superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman, affectionately known as Dr. Xi, offered powerful reflections on identity and authenticity.
“You do not have to shrink to belong, nor do you need to blend in to be valid,” she said. “Carry your full and true selves into every room, every campus, every job, every dream”. Dr. Xi’s message emphasized that Amherst Regional’s diversity is its strength and its legacy. ”Transitions are not easy. They push us, stretch us, and sometimes shake our confidence. But what you are experiencing becomes experience, and experience becomes wisdom.” Pushing the message that all of the graduates, despite where they end up, whether it be for the next four years or the rest of their lives, will hold the wisdom they gained from their time at ARHS.
Nothing captured this message more than the remarks of Student Body President Kyle Uysal. In his address to the crowd, he echoed the remarks of those before him: that in a post-pandemic high school life, it was the hallway greetings, shared stress, and Wordle marathons that were the glue responsible for holding their class together. “There was something incredibly comforting about walking through the halls and seeing familiar faces, faces I’ve grown up with,” he said. As he continued, his reflections turned more inspirational: “As we move forward beyond ARHS, keep pushing to do what you truly want to do in life; no one knows you better than yourself,” showcasing the point made by Dr. Xi.
A Surprise Degree and an Unexpected Lesson
The night’s most unexpected moment came courtesy of keynote speaker Eli Luberoff, founder of the widely used math platform Desmos and a proud ARHS alumnus. Despite his accolades, including being named one of Bloomberg Businessweek’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs under 25, Eli had never technically received his high school diploma. “I was just complaining about how I never got a degree,” he said, laughing as the audience erupted in applause.
In his remarks, Luberoff urged students to be kind, patient, and true to themselves; he emphasized the role caring about one’s work plays in a person’s success.“The people you find inspiring aren’t the self-promoters, they’re the ones quietly working on something they care about as part of a team,” he said. Inspiring the class of 2025, and even some in the audience, Eli’s speech emphasized not oly the theme of the night, but a theme of Dr. Xi’s superintendency; it does not matter what a graduate from ARHS goes on to do following their graduation, provided they are prepared to do what it is that makes them happy.
A Community Woven Together
In the keynote speech, Eli Luberoff said: “We’ve succeeded because of the ways we’re unusual, not in spite of them.” This sentiment adds to an already powerful message, highlighting the unique position the ARHS, and other schools in the ARPS districts, sit in. We are a district made up of future academics, inventors, and so much more. Students in ARHS have the opportunity to not only learn but to apply what they learned in their time within the ARPS districts in real-world applications, something that most modern American public education programs do not offer. It is because of this “unusual” tapestry of student life and academic rigor that ARPS Schools, including ARHS, stand out.
Students in ARPS Regional schools organized walkouts, fundraisers, and dress code reforms. They won state championships in Nordic skiing, cross country, and ultimate frisbee. They showcased art at Hampshire College and advocated at the State House. They filed patents on life-saving garments and pitched new, affordable versions of technology to the school committees. And on Friday, June 6, they stood, diplomas in hand, not as kids trying to survive high school, but as young adults ready to shape the world.
This was more than a graduation; it was a collective exhale for a class that navigated high school in the aftermath of a pandemic, against the backdrop of budget constraints and social change.
A Final Selfie and a Standing Ovation
Just before the handing out of diplomas, Chair of the School Committee Sarahbess Kenney perhaps summed it up best: “Find the people and the places where you can be your most favorite version of yourself, the self that laughs the loudest, dreams the biggest, and feels like home.” The class of 2025 not only found their people, but they found a forever home in ARHS. They will move on from the ARPS districts not only as high school graduates, but as future leaders, shakers, and movers. As Principal Sadiq reminded the class of 2025, the audience in attendance, and anyone watching the ceremony online: “Once a Hurricane, always a Hurricane.”
Congratulations, Class of 2025. The world is waiting for your next chapter.