Between the grandstands of bleachers filled with cheering friends and family, more than 250 Live Oak High School students were awarded a long-awaited honor June 6: graduation.
Preceded by the traditional tones of “Pomp and Circumstance” played by the Live Oak Emerald Regime and a rendition of the national anthem delivered by Jayda Lamar, the ceremony included a multi-lingual address in English, Spanish and French delivered by students—followed by words of encouragement and farewell from the faculty as they prepared to release their charges to the next great phase of their lives.
“Today we gather to celebrate a milestone, the conclusion of one of the most formative chapters in the story of your life. Until now, many of the previous chapters in your story have been written or at least heavily influenced by others,” said Veronica Diaz, Live Oak Principal, in her address to the graduating class. “You are about to begin a brand new chapter. And the most thrilling part: what happens next is entirely up to you.”
Keerthi Menakahi Sriram, Live Oak High School Class of 2025 Valedictorian, addressed her fellow graduates during the ceremony, imploring them to savor this moment of accomplishment.
“As we all sit here with a weird mixture of fear and nostalgia, I ask you to not turn away from that feeling, but engage in it,” she said. “Though it might feel like everything we’ve accomplished, felt, or experienced in high school will eventually amount to a tiny moment in our lives, these very moments are the ones that build us.”
Sriram also acknowledged that the Class of 2025 had among the most college acceptances to prestigious universities in the school’s history, while at the same time, its talented athletes garnered multiple distinguishing victories in sports championships.
“I could not be more proud to be part of a class that embodies the characteristic of multipotentiality,” she said.
