Rodriguez, Santos Jr. leads 42 graduates of Tinian High School Class of 2024

Forty-two high school seniors of the only public high school here, Tinian High School, were conferred their high school diplomas on Monday afternoon, with Clarize Paraiso Rodriguez named the class valedictorian and Joseph Romaldo Hofschneider Santos Jr. the salutatorian.

The 42 Tinian High School seniors belong to the Class of 2024, which were conferred graduates in a ceremony held at the main pavillion, Jones Beach. Principal Liz Perzinski presented the graduates to the top education leaders before a packed venue.

Acting Board of Education chair Maisie B. Tenorio, BOE members Antonio L. Borja and Andrew L. Orsini, and Education Commissioner Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho attended the event, among other key Public School System officials, along with Tinian and Aguiguan municipal officials.

Valedictorian Rodriguez is also the recipient of the highest education award, the CNMI Board of Education Academic Excellence Award presented by Tenorio, Borja, and Orsini.

Santos Jr., the salutatorian, was presented with the second-highest award, the Commissioner of Education Academic Excellence Award, by Camacho, who was joined by associate commissioner for Administrative Services Eric Magofna, Special Education state director Donna M. Flores, Federal Programs officer Jacqueline Che, Instructional Technology and Distance Education director Lorraine Catienza, and senior director for Instructional Services Jackie Quitugua.

Joining the two top graduates in the Class of 2024 top ten are: (3) Sophia Li Ying; (4) Tano-Donald San Nicolas King II; (5) Morshedur Rahman Khan Anan; (6) Mary Grace Genez Calacsan; (7) Elani Mae Esmedilla; (8) Tony Brandi Sanchez Cabarles; (9) Miyako Kalissa Cruz San Nicolas, and (10) Jaedon Clyde Fabreag Lenteja.

‘Own the future’

Perzinski, in quoting parts of the Class of 2024 theme, “…own the future,” said it is a strong message for the graduates to succeed in life.

Of the 42 graduates, 19 of them have already been accepted by the Northern Marianas College, one—class valedictorian—Rodriguez is a recipient of the Quest Bridge Fullbright Scholarship, and five have been accepted by the United States military: Jaedon Lenteja to West Point Academy; salutatorian Santos, Jr. to U.S. Air Force Preparatory School, Air Force Academy, Edgar Acollador to the Navy Academy, Mary Grace Calacsan, to the U.S. Air Force, and Jesus Manglona to the U.S. Navy.

“Move forward…but do not be afraid to look back, reflect, and learn the lesson, and make those mistakes your steppingstones to become a wiser person,” Perzinski said.

Tenorio, speaking on behalf of BOE chair Herman Atalig and colleagues, said “I have been to about 50 graduation ceremonies throughout my term as a BOE member, and there is always a question: why do I attend graduations? My answer is the same: I do it for our students. It is an honor for me to join you and your families to celebrate—and an honor that I will always be grateful for.”

She added, “It reminds me that there’s good in the world. You are the good in the world. At this moment, you bask in the goodness of the world. We salute you; we celebrate you.”

Camacho echoed the theme of the Class of 2024, “Walk the Stage, Own the Future,” and speaks of the future of Tinian.

“The future of Tinian is bright because, again, we have wonderful ladies and gentlemen, who have achieved one of the most daring things in life and that is to get educated, to learn,” Camacho said.

He also praised parents and the community for contributing to the success of the students.

“I want to thank the families for the contributions to the future success that we see now right in front of us. They are the emerging future of Tinian, of our islands here.”

‘Incredibly fortunate’

In his valedictorian address, Rodriguez said she is honored and incredibly fortunate to be graduating together with a group of students whom she had spent and shared memories with throughout her high school years.

“I’ve watched several graduation speeches for inspiration, and each one made me realize how incredibly fortunate I am. In some schools with hundreds of students, graduates often start their speeches with, ‘If you don’t know me, my name is,’ because they have not met everyone. Some students even see each other for the first time at graduation, despite being in the same school for four years. In fact, I vividly remember one of the graduating seniors that I met in the states last month saying, “Yeah, I am graduating with a bunch of random people.” But here I am. Here, I am fortunate enough to say that you all aren’t just some random people in my life. You are my classmates. Here, I can say I know your first and last names. And here, we can look at each other and know that we had the privilege of interacting with each other, sharing laughter, tears, and making memories at one point during middle school or high school,” Rodriguez said.

Despite the “various seasons” in their high school life, Rodriguez said “we grew taller and stronger” with each passing year. “Although we did not have many experiences together in our first year of high school due to quarantine, it made us resilient. Our first year was literally through online classes, and we all adapted to that… We endured, even though, for some of us, it is difficult to learn without the teacher physically there. Then, as soon as things were back to normal, we branched out, joined different sports and clubs, and became the leaders of today. Some of us excelled in sports, some in academics, some in the arts, and some as fantastic fishers or farmers. We discover our strengths and passions, find our own unique ways to contribute within our family, school, or community.”

She dedicated her success, among others, to her parents.

‘Triumph’

Salutatorian Santos Jr., in his address, said their success as high school senior graduates leaves him heavy-hearted.

“I proudly stand here with a heavy heart, weighed not just by the triumph of us all reaching the peak of our academic efforts and perseverance, but in admiration of the journey we’ve had through pitfalls and heights to get here. After graduation, some of you will be heading out to explore the ocean of life beyond our little rock; somewhere on the mainland, overseas, and even on our sister island. As you receive your diplomas and begin to plan out your course for life, recognize that things will be overwhelmingly difficult from here, and some battles you will have to face alone. Nevertheless, stand tall and carry along with you the experiences and memories that have shaped each of you into the resilient and adaptable individuals you are now.”

He reminded his fellow Class of 2024 of their high school journey.

“(Our experiences) shaped us to sail smoothly through the rest of our high school years when our class courageously plunged further into the depths of life. In these years, we nearly won back-to-back pep rallies, competed strongly against other schools in sports, took on leadership positions, attended our first prom, and some of us even became part of the first Tinian armed drill team to go to Golden Bear in Cali. Yet, it seemed like our class could never escape trouble as we faced another pandemic this year: senioritis. Trust me, it’s real. And it even started to affect us outside of assignments and schoolwork. Still, our class remained steadfast and successful because despite us doing things at the last minute, we were still able to pull through with the events we planned out.

He praised both of his parents. “Being your son is the greatest gift imaginable. You would say how it takes a village to raise a child, but the sacrifices that parents make, even when it involves their own wellbeing and happiness, raise a child to be successful.” (PR)