HARLINGEN — Once again, the weather cleared in time for another group of seniors to graduate at Boggus Stadium.
The bright red gowns of the Harlingen High School senior class seemed to light up the field last night at Boggus Stadium even as the light faded to darkness.
This was by far the largest of the three graduating classes in the Harlingen school district this year. Friday night, Harlingen High School South graduated 450, leaving plenty of parking spaces around Boggus Stadium at 198 N. 13th St.
Last night’s class from Harlingen High School was noticeably bigger. People had to hunt for parking spaces, even resorting to grassy lots muddy from the recent rain.
There were exactly 620 reasons why people had to park in muddy lots, and certainly no one was complaining about any of them.
“I’ve watched him go from a teenager to a man,” said Omar Martinez, speaking fondly of his son Sal who played varsity football.
“They grow every day, whatever they do in high school,” he said.
His son has impressed him with his plans for the future. He’s making a commitment to study for six years to become an architect.
Kennedy Daniel, this year’s salutatorian, shared some powerful words of wisdom during her speech.
“The pressures that society puts on a young adult are tremendous,” Kennedy said. “At the beginning of this new chapter in your life, you will likely feel pressured, as I have, to strive to become successful within the limited parameters that society has set for us.”
Such words of insight about identity and finding one’s own way through life had a strong bearing on the futures of the young graduates. She continued.
“I have observed that there is a stigma with having dreams and goals that do not fit into society’s expectations,” Kennedy read from her speech. “If you feel entrapped by the expectations placed on you, remember that you are capable of defining your own success.”
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