'Part of an elite': Framingham High graduates celebrate life milestone

FRAMINGHAM — When she quoted singer Shawn Mendes during her middle school graduation speech, Sarah Jane Evangelista said it was as a “dumb, celebrity crush shout-out.”

But four years later, and part of Framingham High School’s graduating class, she returned to those same words: “Sometimes I feel like giving up, but I just can’t. It’s in my blood.”

“This time, I think I really believe it. If you never give up, all the straggled pieces of our complicated lives come together in the most beautiful way,” said Evangelista in her senior address.

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On Friday evening, Framingham High handed out about 540 diplomas to its graduating class during a ceremony on Bowditch Field.

When she scrolls through social media and sees graduates’ future plans filling her news feed, Evangelista said she feels an “overwhelming sense of pride for the class of 2022.”

“There are so many future doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists and engineers here with us today… each and every one of us went through probably the worst period of our lives and I applaud every single one of you for your resilience,” said Evangelista.

Class officer Nicholas Jobin said it’s OK to not have a picture-perfect answer ready for the question, “What are you doing next year?”

“There’s no need for us — at such a young age — to have our whole lives already planned out,” said Jobin. “Instead, if we pay attention to what we pay attention to, the things that interest and excite us, the things we think and talk about, I believe our paths in life will slowly become clear.”

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Graduate Esther Celoy reminded the class how far away this moment felt at the start of the pandemic.

“The last couple of years, we were at the bottom feeling like we would never be able to wear the cap and gown," she said. "But we had each other, even through isolation, Zoom calls and many nights dreaming of coming back to school."

In a multilingual speech, School Committee Chairwoman Priscila Sousa told graduates they are “part of an elite crew,” saying the journey “was not for the weak.”

“You have been tested and tried by the pandemic, a world that gets a little more challenging every day and an insane weather pattern that happened on the day of graduation, which is very on-brand,” said Sousa.

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Having graduated high school about 15 years earlier, she offered advice from her “generation of side parts and skinny jeans.”

“Life will turn your goals into a moving target. It’s OK to take a breath, and refocus and take aim again and again and again,” said Sousa.

Principal Carolyn Banach stressed the importance of relationships, urging graduates to “surround yourself with people who lift you up” and that those people will, in turn, “be your greatest resources for learning.”

“When the school of life throws you a curveball, they will help you pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and get on with it,” said Banach.

Zane Razzaq writes about education. Reach her at 508-626-3919 or zrazzaq@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham High graduates wouldn't let pandemic get them down