Valley Stream Central High School graduates look back, ahead

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More than 300 Central High School seniors took time out of their graduation ceremony on June 26 to reflect on the four years they had spent roaming the school.

Salutatorian Nader Ahmed asked his fellow students to remember the time they have spent at Central. “Recall your favorite memories with your friends and teachers and hold onto them dearly,” he said. “If looking at Snapchat stories from ninth-grade is emotional for you now, imagine how crazy it will be to look at them 30 years from now.”

Valedictorian Sophia Steele also said their graduation proves that the past three years were worth it, even “the five days a week spent waking up every morning before seven,” and “those all-nighters spent writing English essays mainly because we waited until the last minute.”

But, she urged her fellow graduates to be present in the moment. “Let’s not spend this moment worrying about how we’re going to change the world someday,” Steele said, “because at present we are here.”

“I know we are eager to move onto the next stage of our lives,” she added. “However, in the words of Iron Man, I urge you to never miss a moment to say to your loved ones, ‘I love you 3,000.’”