HARLINGEN — Look the world straight in the eyes, and let everyone know you stand for something — and someone.
That seemed to be the message Alec McManus was extending to his classmates last night as they graduated from Harlingen High School.
McManus gave a conversational yet moving valedictorian speech before 620 students graduating at Boggus Stadium. Families and friends filled bleachers with shiny balloons bearing messages of congratulations.
“It is hard to believe that after tonight we will no longer be high school students but instead we will be considered ‘adults,’” McManus said. “There will be no more high school proms or football games. We will be starting the next chapter of our lives in various directions.”
Before the graduates in their red gowns took their seats on the field, parents spoke excitedly about their children’s’ successes.
“I am very proud of her,” said Rick Moreno, speaking of his daughter Sonja Jean.
“She’s had a difficult time but she’s come through,” said Moreno, grasping a handful of balloons. She’s planning to study the medical field at Texas State Technical University.
The graduates waited anxiously in a long hallway before entering the football field.
Ludivina Mendiola, 17, wasn’t sure yet what profession she planned to study. She was just looking forward to finishing high school and getting her basics at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
“I am pretty excited and nervous to start my life out in the adult world and pay bills,” she said.
For some it was a rather nostalgic moment. Nick Peters, who died of cancer earlier this year, would have graduated last night. His parents, brother and two sisters sat in a special section reserved for them.
“I think Nick is here in spirit,” said his father Jeff Peters. “He would have been the life of the party.”
