Source: Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools

Families, friends, and faculty filled the Tillis Performance Hall at UMass on the evening of June 6 to send off the 190 graduates in the Class of 2025 from Amherst Regional High School (ARHS).

“We are here tonight to celebrate the mighty, the resilient, and the often late-to-class because they stopped at Dunkin on the way, yes, the amazing Class of 2025,” said Principal Talib Sadiq, setting a tone of warmth and humor.

A Class That Grew Together, and Apart 
Each of the six valedictorians (Cameron Baird, Isla Cusick, Noah Ferris, Felicity Goeckel, Yoh Morita, and Daniella Sherman) reflected on their four years at ARHS in ways both comedic and touching, from the chaos of TikTok trends and flaming paper towel dispensers to college applications and hallway pranks, to classmates not with them on the stage, and summaries of post-pandemic life at ARHS. 

Their messages reminded the audience and their classmates that growth is rarely linear and often full of interruptions, a point that was echoed throughout the ceremony. 

“We’ve accomplished so much and should be proud of the lessons, friendships, and memories that have defined the past four years,” one of the valedictorians said for the group. The valedictorians reflected on not only what they have accomplished so far, but also what they hope to accomplish in their futures. “Graduation marks the end of one journey and the beginning of limitless futures.”

Messages That Mattered 
Throughout the evening, words of encouragement poured in from all corners of the community. Superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman, known as Dr. Xi,  spoke about identity and authenticity. 

“You do not have to shrink to belong, nor do you need to blend in to be valid,” she said. “Carry your full and true selves into every room, every campus, every job, every dream.” Dr. Xi’s message emphasized that Amherst Regional’s diversity is its strength and its legacy. ”

“Transitions are not easy,” she said. “They push us, stretch us, and sometimes shake our confidence. But what you are experiencing becomes experience, and experience becomes wisdom.”  

Student Body President Kyle Uysal, echoing remarks of those before him, said that in a post-pandemic high school life, it was the hallway greetings, shared stress, and Wordle marathons that were the glue responsible for holding their class together. “There was something incredibly comforting about walking through the halls and seeing familiar faces, faces I’ve grown up with,” he said. “As we move forward beyond ARHS, keep pushing to do what you truly want to do in life; no one knows you better than yourself.”

A Surprise Degree and an Unexpected Lesson
The night’s most unexpected moment came courtesy of keynote speaker Eli Luberoff, founder of the widely-used math platform Desmos and a proud ARHS alumnus. Despite his accolades, including being named one of Bloomberg Businessweek’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs under 25, Luberoff had never technically received his high school diploma. “I was just complaining about how I never got a degree,” he said, laughing as the audience erupted in applause. 

In his remarks, Luberoff urged students to be kind, patient, and true to themselves; he emphasized the role that caring about one’s work plays in a person’s success.“The people you find inspiring aren’t the self-promoters, they’re the ones quietly working on something they care about as part of a team,” he said. 

A Community Woven Together
In his keynote speech, Luberoff said: “We’ve succeeded because of the ways we’re unusual, not in spite of them.”

He noted that students organized walkouts, fundraisers, and dress code reforms. They won state championships in Nordic skiing, track and field, and ultimate frisbee. They showcased art at Hampshire College and advocated at the State House. They filed patents on life-saving garments and pitched new, affordable versions of technology to the school committees. And on Friday, June 6, they stood, diplomas in hand, not as kids trying to survive high school, but as young adults ready to shape the world.

This was more than a graduation, he said. It was a collective exhale for a class that navigated high school in the aftermath of a pandemic, against the backdrop of budget constraints and social change.

A Final Selfie and a Standing Ovation
Just before the handing out of diplomas, Sarahbess Kenney, Chair of the Regional School Committee, summed up the sentiments of the evening: “Find the people and the places where you can be your most favorite version of yourself, the self that laughs the loudest, dreams the biggest, and feels like home.” 

Principal Sadiq reminded the class of 2025 and the audience: “Once a Hurricane, always a Hurricane.”

Read More: One voyage ends, another begins for Amherst Regional High School’s 190 Graduates. Daily Hampshire Gazette

Watch the ceremony on YouTube

ARHS 2025 Graduates

Almila Simay Abban, Lujain Mohammed Alaa Aldin Abu Risheh, Shahd Ahmed Abadallah Ahmed, Rymas Majdi Aladmawy, Logan Andre Marcel Alfandari, Jose Baltazar Alfaro Rivas, Noor Fareed Jalal Al-Husseinawi, Luis Alicea, Cleidine Odmira Marques Almeida, Alfredo Geovany Alvarado Rosales, Lillian Marie Alvarez, Everett Curwen Armstrong, Ruby Branch Austin, Jayden Andrade Baessa, Cameron Patrick Baird, Tylahn Benjamin-Nasim Beckett, Violet Evelyn Berube, Laura Biff, Logan Elianna Leilani Blount, Finley Clarke Boerman, Marisol Pierce Bonifaz, Zuleica Evelyn Booth, Timothy Earl Bowman, Freya Esther Brody, Abdi Selam Byl-Brann, Zoey Marie Candito, Anna Judith Carlson-Belanger, Samuel Marley Castro McCauley, Samuel Owen Cavanagh, Eric Herui Chen, Gabriel Alexander Chester, Neena Lee Chinappa, Bill Tan-Vang Chu, Eva Lindsay Ciccarelli, Miles Jamison Corley, Kiara Soares Correia, Owen Thomas Cunniffe, Isla Sidonie Cusick, Gregory Owen Davidson, Kaylee Marie Lumbis DeJesus, William Ernest Desbien, Kelvianys Crystal Diaz Alicea, George Anderson Dole, Sabir Alexander Clarence Douglas, Henry Jacob Doyle, Jonah Frank Eggemeier, Insaf Elyjah Fazal, Noah Alexander Ferris, Olivia Hansen Fisher, Tyler David Flory, Entric Devon Xzavier Fluitt, Rhaelyn Sarah Foote, Skylar Marie Fox, Phia Addison Friedrick, Caroline Ross Garman, Eamon Beckett Giles-McCreary, Valeria Virginia Godoy Ramirez, Felicity Gwendolyn Goeckel, Anthony Elias Gomez, Lola Katherine Guidera, Keanajoy Gutierrez, Choesam Tsering Gyatso, Indigo Mae Halasz, James Clifford Hall, Allaijah T Hatfield, Shayna Belle Hayashi, Elizabeth Grace Hayes, Silas Joseph Hazen, Angel Gabriel Hernandez Castro, Ronald Geovanny Hernandez Duran, Ella Nicole Hinkel, Madeline Emma Hockman, Maeve Margaret Saoirse Hogan-Schrunf, Liam Ethan Hornick, Morgan Lynn Hughes, Alexis Jordan Isabelle, Eve Dowling Jacoby, Quentin Russell James, Miles Ellison Jeffries, Sanaa Veneah Johnson, Jordan Jones Debold, Dashaun Uriel Lee Joyner-Wells, Sara Elena Keene, Conner Donato Kellogg, Kai Kelly, Summyr Judith Kerin, Eli Joel Kern, Aubin Kevrekidis, Isabella Rose Kochan, Vaishali Rachel Rege Konowitz, Ivan Olegovich Kovalenko, Moniha William Krouch, Alexander James Lagrant, Ava Sinead Lau, Cai Virginia Lawler, Henry Phillip Lepak, Hongqin Liang, Amelia Cole Lingo, Iris Zi-Qi Liu, Jack Leland Long, Emilia Autumn Luetjen, Moriah Rose Luetjen, William Patrick MacDougall, Elizabeth Maria MacLeod, Addelaide Tremblay Mager, Carlos Gregory Marks Jr., Morgan Asher Martel-Santiago, Jack Gordon Kinney Marvin, Ella Kailee McDermott, Spencer Bleyler McDonald, Armani McGrigg, Bonifacio Abraham Mendoza, Marianna Mia Mendoza Torres, Saul Stephen Merino, Nisaya Krystal Moczo, Jeremy David Moffett-Smith, Nikiah Gloria Montgomery, Zoey Rita Mordecai, Yoh Morita, Cole Edward Morton, Devine Khalil Lateef Moyston, Jose Andres Muñoz Gomez, Andalucia Antonia Myles-Davis, Brooke Ann Nedeau, Victor Manuel Nuñez Saravia, Lily Yumi Oldford, Nathanael James Oliver, Aliya J Osman, Daniela Maria Osorio-Castillo, Ada Beatrice Paessel, Shaili Suresh Patel, Antonio Alejandro Perez, Adriel Jose Perez Torres, Andrey Alekseevich Peshkov, Quinn Michael Chiguichon Phakos, Thu Rachel Pham, Alden Jeremiah Pope, Junior Devante Ramsey, Josephine Martha Rasche, Myles Kane Redington, Liam Ruaigh Reid, Stephen Lee Rich, Daniela Valeria Rivadeneyra Vega, Raeesha Fathima Rizwan, Nolan David Sky Ross, Ana Catherine Ruiz, Elena Sofia Ruiz, Maiya Azzadine Salacuse, Luis Angel Santos, Janelys Carmen Santos Despiau, Cristian Diego Saravia Ayala, Alioun Sarr, Elizabeth Rose Sawicki, Pavan Opaso Seiha, Emmett Michael Semler, Mihir Prashant Shenoy, Daniella Eve Sherman, Bette Lynn Sherr-Garcia, Tyler Marcus Sproehnle, Shaniah Cheri Stockdale, Quinn Ryan Strehorn, Dalia Elodie Rafaela Strohmeidav, Naimah Osvaldini Tavares, Alana Marie Texidor Melendez, Jonas Cole Theis, Aidan James Thompson, Maya Tkachenko Coggeshall-Burr, Benjami R Torres-Hatch, Hayden Jarrah Triozzi, Kouta Ueki, Kyle Kayra Uysal, Ivanilse Rutiene Varela Vaz, Jaiden Pisey Vazquez, William Nefrititi Vennell, Raghad Abdella Wahhas, Matthew Wang, Willa Marguerite Warwick, Connor Leo Welch, Brian Ji-Seok Weston, Liam Pelle Whitcomb, Eve Star White, Evie Amanda Williams, River Nova Wolaver, Caelan Woodard-McNiff, Samuel Lee Woods, Tobias Paul Harold York, Daniel Joonyoung Yu, Sage Brook Zephyr, Sienna Jade Zephyr and Nathaniel Austin Ziomek