In the midst of her pursuit of educational excellence, C.E. Ellison High School Valedictorian Lynnae Bentley often had to be reminded to slow down once in a while and appreciate the beauty of the process itself.
There was plenty to savor Saturday morning.
And nobody really stopped smiling.
“Growing up, my dad taught me that the journey is just as important as the result, and that could not be truer,” Bentley shared, staring down toward her classmates. “Now that I've learned the value of scaling mountainous goals while stopping to smell the flowers or bask in the sun, my message for you, the Class of 2025, is we must live passionately and work relentlessly to reach our dreams.”
The 440 seniors decked out in emerald green caps and gowns certainly completed that task –– dreams unlocked indeed.
They navigated through four years of various ups and downs –– a Wifi outage was among those downs, senior class president Hailey Lopez joked in her welcome address –– and celebrated reaching the pot of gold at the end during Ellison’s commencement ceremony inside Cadence Bank Center while honoring the hard work it took to clear each hurdle.
"Our achievement is shown through our caps and gowns and our passions are worn around our necks as cords and stoles, but we must remember to hold those achievements in our hearts from here on," Bentley said.
Like Bentley, Salutatorian Chanelle Cancel made special mention of those who helped carve a path through thick and thin, noting life-changing and long-lasting friendships, influential instructors and resilient parents and family members.
“I encourage my fellow graduates to look around right now at this full stadium and notice how supported you truly are,” Cancel said, raising her arms. “Look at your family, friends, and teachers who have guided and supported you at every step of the way. And if no one has already said this to you today, I will say it now. ‘I am so proud of you.’”
Continuing to embrace the moment throughout the ceremony, each graduate took time to glance into the seats above after walking the stage and acknowledge –– some with a wave or fist pump, and some held up both arms with their newly obtained diploma on full display –– those who were standing and shouting their congratulations.
As Bentley put it, each person navigated their own way to Saturday morning’s milestone, yet each basked in a common achievement.
“Individually, we each embarked on our own unique journeys to come together and graduate today. As the Class of 2025, we shared experiences that we will never forget,” Bentley said. “Today may be the end of high school, but it is also a beginning as we look over the horizon to our lives ahead of us.”
And what’s ahead of these Eagles is up to them now. Cancel believes her classmates are prepared to conquer the world.
“In this stadium right now there are future nurses, doctors, dentists, welders, teachers, lawyers, and pretty much anything you can think of,” she said. “What we do from today forward matters and will leave a legacy on this world, just like the one we have left on Ellison High School.”
More photos of Ellison's 2025 commencement ceremony can be view on the KISD Flickr page here.