STACYVILLE, Maine — During Katahdin High School’s graduation ceremony on Saturday, what might have seemed like the smallest gesture to some was the most profound.
As each of the Class of 2025 graduates received their diplomas, one-by-one, they cradled bouquets of deep red roses in their arms before sharing the lush stems with the people they loved while others “oohed,” “awwwed” and clapped.
Members of the graduating class of 21 students said that everything they do will change the future.
The keynote speaker, Katahdin High School alumna Natalie Rickards, who is now a judicial law clerk for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, shared her experiences after leaving the Patten area and heading toward law school.
“I questioned what I had gotten myself into. I felt inferior. I was insecure about where I came from,” she said. “How would I, a girl from a town without a traffic light, be competitive in the job market.”
Rickards went on to share how she overcame those feelings and graduated from law school at the top of her class.
“There are tools from our common background as people from the middle of northern Maine,” she said. “Growing up in a rural community makes a person hardworking. You understand humility and do not expect something to be handed to you…when you are from Maine you know you must earn it.”
You already have the tools to make it, she said.
“It’s scary to move away from home,” Rickards said. “But apply for that program, job offer or promotion. Remember anything is possible. Just don’t doubt yourself because of where you came from, embrace it.”
Class Vice President Brendon Pocock delivered the class message, saying that he wanted to reflect on what they shared not only as classmates but as family.
“We share something special, the more I reflect on our journey… and while this moment is undeniably important it comes with a bittersweet truth, we will never again experience this time together. Some of us will stay in touch. Some of us will drift away and some of us may not see each other again until a random encounter at the grocery store or even a friend’s wedding and that’s when we will suddenly realize how much we have grown and that this is just the first step towards adulthood.”
Pocock then listed each graduate, their personal qualities and details they will all recall about each one.
“School isn’t just about projects, homework or tests,” he said. “It was where we laughed, struggled, learned and grew together. It’s where we became who we are.”
