Grades and class rank pale in comparison to lessons learned and relationships forged in the honest struggle of growing up, the top Shoemaker High School Class of 2026 graduates expressed in their commencement addresses.
Family, friends and educators cheered their approval Friday as 489 Shoemaker graduates crossed the stage at the Cadence Bank Center to receive their diploma.
Welcoming the crowd to the arena, Shoemaker Student Council President Laila VanZandt spoke of broadening perspectives over the course of four years of high school and 12-plus years of schooling.
A frequent question over the years, she said was ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’
“But maybe the more important question was never what we wanted to be, but who we wanted to become,” she said. Treating others with kindness and tackling the obstacles of life are more important than academic achievement.
“The way we love, lead, encourage, and care for the people around us. Those are the things that last,” VanZandt said.
Valedictorian Maggie Ha also reflected on the kinds of memories and lessons that will last beyond the four years of high school.
“Years from now, I probably won’t remember what I got on a chemistry test or how many
hours I spent studying for an exam. But I will remember the people,” she said.
“I’ll remember the friendships that made hard days easier. The classmates who turned into family. The teachers who believed in us even when we didn’t believe in ourselves.”
Most important, the valedictorian said are personal connections she and her peers made through extending kindness to others.
“In a world that constantly pushes competition, achievement, and comparison, I hope we
remember the importance of kindness…nobody succeeds completely alone,” Ha said.
Salutatorian Lily Nguyen shared her own journey learning to accept her shyness and to overcome a fixation on performance on the way to gaining something more profound.
“I struggled so much these past four years, constantly stressed by grades…trying to fit in…figuring out who I am and who I want to be,” she said.
Over time, she learned that many of her peers experienced similar self-doubts and that “one of the biggest things these past four years have taught me that you never truly know what someone else is carrying.”
Letting go of her own perfection, Nguyen said, helped her see more clearly how life’s challenges were shaping her for what is to come.
“We’ve all had moments that tested us, changed us, or made us question things about ourselves and the direction we were headed. And yet, despite all of that, we’re here,” said Nguyen.
She went on to thank her mom, her siblings and two of her Junior ROTC instructors, as well as her close friends for encouraging and motivating her.
“As we leave this chapter of our lives behind,” she said, “I hope we remember that even during uncertainty, loneliness, or change, there is still beauty waiting for us in the future, even if we cannot see it yet.”
See KISD photo galleries of the high school graduation ceremonies at www.killeenisd.org/photos