Seniors addressing the Harker Heights High School Class of 2025 made much of their shared experiences, offering gratitude to supporters and recalling memories leading to a milestone.
A total of 480 Heights Knights stepped across the stage Friday during commencement at the Cadence Bank Center.
Class Vice President Rylee Bethune welcomed her peers, school and district leaders and the huge crowd of supporters.
“Your support, sacrifices and encouragement have helped bring us to this day,” she said. “You’ve been our cheerleaders, our shoulders to cry on and our biggest supporters from day one. Your pride is well-deserved, and we celebrate with you.”
Senior Class President Gabriella Servan reminded her classmates of the precious fragility of life, sharing that her father passed away earlier this year.
“My dad shaped who I am,” she said. “He was my biggest inspiration. Losing him reminded me to cherish the little things and to show love to everyone,” she said.
She thanked family, friends and school staff members for their support. “You brought purpose, joy and love into my life every single day.”
“Let’s move forward with open hears ready to love more, forgive quicker and life fully.”
Class Salutatorian Jolie Mounthongdy praised her classmates for supporting one another and for bringing a wealth of talent, love and humor to the school. She also thanked teachers for valuing their students and motivating them to greatness.
She urged her peers to choose a path of interest and to surround themselves with encouraging people. “I know you are all more than strong enough to make it through when life becomes too hard to bear,” she said.
Much of the salutatorian’s address was delivered as a prayer over the seniors. “Please give them hope and strength in their darkest moments to make it through and become even better than they were,” she prayed.
“It’s OK to dream, it’s OK to have hope and it’s OK to live how you want to live,” she said. “Please help these seniors find their place in the world, watch over them and keep them safe every step of the way.”
Valedictorian Matthew Rangel continued the theme of class togetherness. He began acknowledging that he might have used artificial intelligence to help write his speech, “but isn’t that kind of the point? You see, our journey has never exactly been alone.”
Teachers, friends, family, God and even pets and AI, he said, have provided support to lean on. The class top graduate listed specific family, friends and teachers.
He called on his classmates to avoid chasing empty goals and not to allow expectations from others to define them and their pursuits.
Instead of allowing past failure to pull you down or past success as an excuse to quit, he told them to use the past as fuel to push forward.
“The starting gun for our lives has just been fired. It doesn’t matter if you got off the blocks fast or slow, what matters is that you run your race…the past four years don’t define you, what you do next does.”
“As it says in Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Now, it’s our responsibility to act, to live with intention and to rise to the potential we’ve been given.”
HHHS graduation photo gallery:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720326360394