A warm and sunny afternoon greeted the class of 2023 as they marched into the Warrior Football Stadium for the final time as students.
Following acknowledgements from Lake Ridge New Tech High School Principal Chris Bajmakovich, students were challenged to succeed beyond high school with words of encouragement from School Board President Kim Osteen. She urged students to remain true to themselves as they go through life.
Superintendent Dr. Sharon Johnson-Shirley used her turn at the podium to implore students to be good citizens and to strive to make responsible choices for the good of all humankind. She assured the class of 2023 that they are prepared for life because of where they graduated from.
“I believe in you,” she said. “I believe that the education you have received from your teachers, counselors, and administrators here in the Lake Ridge School District has made you a better person, a better citizen. I believe that wherever there is a problem that we struggle with in this country, one of you will be there to help solve it.”
The superintendent asked the graduates to take one last look around at their fellow classmates, to remember the moment, and to cherish the feeling for the rest of their lives.
Students then heard from keynote speaker Humberto Torres, a 2002 Calumet High School graduate. Following his graduation from Calumet, Torres went on to graduate from Purdue West Lafayette, where he majored in business and finance with a minor in economics. Post graduation, Torres launched a successful career in the healthcare industry.
A self-proclaimed “kid from Black Oak,” the son of “hard working Mexican immigrants” reflected on his time at Calumet and how growing up in the region prepared him for his career and the ups-and-downs of life.
A world traveler, Torres’s career has taken the married father of three all over the country as a healthcare executive. He started his career at Humana and is now working for California-based Carbon Health, a startup that is working on how patients and communities access urgent and primary healthcare.
“I was like you,” he told the class. “I grew up around the corner in Black Oak. I have carried what I experienced here with me throughout my life. I have used it to push myself to work hard and succeed. I did it, and so can you.”
Salutatorian Juan Villanueva, who recently received the prestigious $200,000 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship from the Legacy Foundation, thanked his father for the love and support he has shown him throughout his life. The future Valparaiso University nursing student wished his classmates well on their life’s journey and urged them to remember the time they spent together.
Valedictorian Christian Bridegroom acknowledged some of the memorable experiences he shared with his classmates and the bonds it created between them. The future Valparaiso University nursing student reminded his classmates that they will forever be Lake Ridge New Tech Warriors.
One of the most touching moments of graduation occurred when one student’s name was called. As freshmen, the class of 2023 experienced the devastating passing of a beloved classmate, Curtis Walton Jr., who drowned in the high school pool following a football practice in September 2019. Walton was an outstanding student, athlete, and class leader. Principal Bajmakovich told the audience Walton was an official graduate of the class of 2023 and presented his diploma to his family.
Dr. Sharon Johnson-Shirley leads administrators, teachers, and students onto the Warrior Football Stadium field for the commencement ceremony.
The Color Guard begins the ceremony.
School Board President Kim Osteen shares words of wisdom with graduates.
Superintendent Dr. Sharon Johnson-Shirley gives students their final address.
Keynote speaker Humberto Torres, a 2002 Calumet graduate, shared his life experiences with the class of 2023.
2023 Valedictorian Chris Bridegroom addresses his classmates.
Salutatorian Juan Villanueva is all smiles after giving his speech.
The Class of 2023:
