Victoria Lopez could not contain her smile as she said, “I bet right now a lot of you are thinking: ‘Wow. I can’t believe this is really happening. I can’t believe we’re finally here.’”

The Skidmore-Tynan valedictorian, during Saturday’s graduation ceremony at the Bee County Expo Center, admitted that her class wasn’t perfect.

“...I would say our class is a little rough around the edges; we’re notorious for sleeping in — for the entire day on many occasions. We like to drive our teachers up the wall and we have our own way of doing things which normally involves a lot of ruckus and a lot of laughter.”

She reminded her classmates – 64 of whom would walk the stage that evening – that while it was their hard work that got them to the ceremony, others had a hand.

“Right now, I give a million infinite thanks to our parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends, teachers and administrators who supported us every step of the way,” she said. “Without you I don’t think that there would be a single graduate sitting over here.”

With limited time to write her speech, Victoria said she decided to offer one piece of advice to her classmates.

“Life is tough,” she said. “I don’t think that there is another class that understands that better than ours.

“The loss of parents, friends who go their separate ways, watching friends endure hardships before our eyes, struggles with home and work; we have experienced them all.

“But listen to me when I say that ‘tough’ doesn’t mean impossible, it doesn’t mean failure. What I’m trying to say is don’t be afraid to come back and ask for help.

“I guarantee there’s at least one person sitting over there or in the back who would gladly catch us if we stumble or fall along the way when the trail gets a little rough.”

Devon Wilder, salutatorian, said that when she transferred to Skidmore-Tynan she wasn’t sure what to think.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I first walked into the halls and met everyone,” she told the students. “When they told me that we had two and a half hallways I was like ‘Half?’ How do you have a ‘half hallway?’”

She learned that the “half a hallway” was nothing but the shortest hallway in the school.

That wasn’t the only thing she learned about the school.

“Skidmore-Tynan is the place for anyone,” she said. “The atmosphere is so friendly and it’s just so easy to get along with everyone... In Skidmore- Tynan, everyone is there for everyone else.”

Like Victoria, she thanked her parents and teachers.

“Finally, now to my fellow classmates. I don’t even know where to start,” she said. “Thank you all for making my high school years memorable.”

She too offered a few words of wisdom.

“Even though we are ending our career of high school, we are entering a bigger, better life ahead. There is so much in store for us. We still have so much that lies in front of us. Never limit yourself. Always try to achieve more.”

Read the entire speech by valedictorian Victoria Lopez here.

Read the entire speech by salutitorian Devon Wilder here.