Thirty-six graduates celebrated their commencement on Sunday, May 22, 2022. As Everest’s largest class to date, the group had accumulated an impressive list of awards, accolades, achievements, and colleges of acceptance. Senior awards were given the Thursday prior to graduation at seniors honors night at Pine Knob Carriage House. Award recipients included:
- Fine Arts Award: Molly Burgess and John Morrison
- Leadership Award: Celeste James and Johnny Nedwick
- St. Agnes Award: Celine Legg
- St. Paul Award: Lucas Cross
- Salutatorian: Avery Herrgott and Sawyer Arbogast
- Valedictorian: Lucía De Nigris and Nathaniel Beggs
- Integer Award: Celine Legg and Diego Ramirez-Gomez
This year’s commencement speaker was Mrs. Martha Reichert. Mrs. Reichert is the president emeritus of Endow, an international Catholic apostolate whose mission it is to educate on the nature and dignity of women. She is also a member of Thomas Aquinas College Board of Governors. She spoke to the graduates and guests about happiness, specifically three keys to happiness: meaningful work, their vocation, and deep love of Jesus.
The valedictorians and Integer award recipients each had their opportunity to address their peers and guests, sharing their gratitude and lessons learned during their years at Everest. Their speeches highlighted many of the meaningful moments they had spent together during their years at Everest.
“Every day we are challenged at Everest. We are challenged to fight against mediocrity, go the extra mile, and strive always higher. Whether it’s persevering through a tough practice, making that paper flow just a little bit nicer, or giving up our time to participate in a service project, Everest pushes us towards excellence. We are provided with opportunities to go outside of our comfort zone and beak down the walls we naturally put up in order to flourish in every area of our formation.” -Celine Legg
Congratulations, Class of 2022! You are ready! Diego shared, “Today as we go out, we keep not only the fond memories we have created here, but the faith and education that have been given to us… As we part into our different paths, we are all connected through these walls. Remember where we came from and where we are going.”
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Class of 2022 prayed a final decade of the rosary together and released balloons, just as they did after kindergarten graduation in 2010.
