Students from Indian Prairie School District 204 walked across the stage for one last time during the commencement ceremonies at Northern Illinois University on Sunday.
More than 2,000 seniors from Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley, and Waubonsie Valley high schools graduated in ceremonies held throughout the day at the university’s convocation center.
Superintendent celebrates the graduating class
District 204 Superintendent Dr. Adrian Talley offered words of encouragement to the students, celebrating their achievements.
“As you leave our schools, I want each one of you to remember to believe in yourselves as you enter a new, different phase in your life. It’s important that you have a strong faith in your abilities and understand that all of us on the stage and in the audience believe in you,” said Talley.
In the fall of 2021, the graduating class was the first group of freshmen to return to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
District 204 students bid farewell to classmates with heartfelt speeches
Neuqua Valley graduate Meiling Sun reflected on the unpredictable journey leading up to the big day.
“High school has not always been easy. It’s been challenging and confusing and terrifying and exhausting and heartbreaking. Yet our presence here today means that despite each mistake, failure, and rejection that we faced, we’ve kept going,” said Sun.
At the Waubonsie Valley High School graduation ceremony, Mannsha Assudani gave the farewell address, discussing the unity of her class.
“We are a class that is united by a common thread, one that has tugged us to the end of our high school journey. But as we embark on what lies ahead, all these experiences will be a foundation for who each one of us will become in the future,” said Assudani.
One Metea Valley graduate urged her peers to continue learning and striving for excellence.
“Use the knowledge you obtained and amaze yourself with how far you’ve come and how far you can go because the future for you is bright, but only if you feed that fire. So, feed it with your past knowledge and keep it alive with the learning yet to come,” said Vivian Webb, who delivered the senior academic address.
A joyful conclusion to a memorable day
One by one, the students walked to receive their diplomas, smiling from ear to ear as cheers filled the convocation center.
Finally, with a turn of the tassel, the class of 2025 marked the end of their high school careers, ready to embark on their next journey.
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