‘May you live a proud life’: Clark Magnet wishes success for more than 230 graduates
More than 230 students graduated from Clark Magnet High School Thursday evening during a ceremony in which students said they could not have achieved academic success without the support of Clark’s educators, staff and parents.
“Our success is a testament to their diligence,” said student Areen Andreasian of Clark’s teachers during the ceremony.
Andreasian and fellow senior Bhavin Shah tied to be class valedictorian, with each student earning a 4.48 grade-point average, said Brian Landisi, assistant principal.
Jimmy Zaarour earned a 4.46 grade-point average and was named class salutatorian.
In her address to the class of 2017, Lena Kortoshian, the school’s principal, said she was prepared to “tackle any challenges” during her first year as principal of the science-and-technology magnet.
“It taught me that challenges will not define you – it’s how you respond to them,” Kortoshian said.
She encouraged students to set their goals and reevaluate them often.
“We hope you have learned the power of perseverance. It is a lot easier to give up than it is to persevere,” Kortoshian said. “The message I want to pass down to you is this — you do not learn from your success. You do not learn from your rewards. You do not learn from being popular. You only learn from the scars and mistakes and failures.”
She wished them all success in their endeavors.
“May you live a proud life,” she added.
Senior John Bandek reflected on the relationships students built with one another during their time at Clark.
“We first entered Clark as strangers,” he said. “Today, we leave as cherished friends.”
Fellow graduate Lina Petrossian said the class met each other for the first time at Clark about 1,390 days ago.
“Some of us made lifelong friends. Others even fell in love. Among us, we hold numerous pathways to success. Today, we are at the coordinate point AB. One day, we’ll meet again at XY,” she said. “Until then, we have a long road ahead of us filled with love, knowledge and even obstacles. But each and every one of us can accomplish our goals if we trust ourselves.”
Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
