By Lauren Johnson

It was a bittersweet moment as Goshen’s class of 2019 received their high school diplomas. They say goodbye to high school and welcome in the next phase of their lives.

With a graduating class of about 80 students, many look forward to what their future holds after accomplishing this milestone. These students are well prepared to enter college or join the workforce, and many have already received an associate degree from different academies and dual enrollment courses.

Taylor King was honored as the valedictorian for this year’s class and Donald Vardaman III was honored as the salutatorian.

During their speeches, they each gave a big thanks to family, friends, and especially teachers and gave words of inspiration and encouragement to their fellow classmates.

“I hope that you look at the potential you have to work to achieve success throughout your life whether its college, the work force, or the military, work to be the best,” Vardaman stated. “We should always strive to do the best we can do and be the best we can be in everything.”

Vardaman also told his graduating class that this is not only a celebration of how far they’ve come, but also a celebration of how far they can go.

In closing, he challenged his classmates to, “aim high and to commit to being more than average. Never settle for anything less than the best you can be.”

King described the last six years as a roller coaster saying, “It’s been wonderful, terrible, sad, and hilarious all at the same time, and I know all of us will share this for the rest of our lives.”

For the future, he hopes each of his classmates will work towards their goal and find success in their own unique way, whether it’s by helping one person or a million.

With this chapter of their lives coming to a close, King encourages the Goshen class of 2019 by saying, “Graduation is not the end. It’s the beginning. There are no regrets in life, only lessons to learn from. Be bold, be courageous, be your best, because the mind is a terrible thing to waste.”