‘We did it’

Princeton High School’s Class of 2026 now looks to the future after closing their high school chapters to begin new ones.

With a sunny day on the front lawn of PHS, graduating seniors from the Class of 2026 dawned in their blue caps and gowns each heard their names called, walked across the stage, and received their diplomas in PHS’s Commencement Ceremony on June 18.

Simryn Patel, 2026 Class President, in her welcome address shared how there is awe for everything the seniors have accomplished while at PHS, excitement for what lies ahead, and sadness for what they are leaving behind.

“But maybe that is the lesson the sublime offers us. Not that we should spend our lives chasing extraordinary experiences but that we should learn to recognize the extraordinary hidden within ordinary ones,” she said.

“To pause and appreciate the beauty of life simply unfolding around us even when we don’t know what is going to happen next. So, graduates as you walk across the stage today and venture into the world whether you are going to college, working, traveling, or simply figuring it out as you go never stop searching for the sublime.”

Patel urged her fellow seniors to pursue whatever brings them joy, notice the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary moments, and find the people and the places that make saying goodbye the absolute hardest.

Each year for graduation, there are seniors from the graduating class selected to deliver senior addresses on the concepts of achievement, community, spirit, and the future.

Senior Lillian Ludmer, who spoke on the concept of achievement, said her fellow graduating seniors are here to celebrate what is next, the journey we will take and the lessons we will bring with us.

“… if true achievement is the end I don’t ever want to reach it. So instead, I encourage you all to pick a goal,” she added.

“A goal that is so ambitious, so personal, so impossible that people would laugh if you told them what it would be and then do it anyway. Class of 2026, celebrate today it is certainly an achievement but don’t see it as the finish line instead see this as a first step in forever chasing our green lights.”

Senior Ellinton Hinds delivered his address on the concept of community. He noted how with community people do not have to be connected by blood to be connected by love, support, and shared experience.

“To me community is a place where we grow, a place we always know we can come back to, a place where memories good or bad shape who we become, and Princeton has been that place for me. This school, these halls, these classrooms, they have been my place of growth,” Hinds shared.

“A place where I met friends who became family, where I have laughed, struggled, learned and felt every struggle in between. We did not all walk the same path to get here. Some of us sprinted, some of us crawled, some of us took detours we did not expect but every one of us is part of this community.”

He urged his fellow seniors to remember they did not get here alone.

“We got here because of the people who stood beside us, pushed us, believed in us , and sometimes annoyed us but still loved us anyway. That is community. Thank you, Class of 2026 for being mine.”

Senior Nava Brito on the concept of spirit asked her fellow graduating seniors to raise their right hands if you are entering the next phase of your life with enthusiasm and eagerness to learn, curiosity, and a will to make the world a better place.

Her fellow senior all raised their hands.

“Seeing all the incredible things our graduating class has already done I have no doubt every person is raising their hand. Choose to raise your hand, choose to say yes, choose to take that risk, and choose to bring that same spirit that made PHS feel like home,” she said.

“Congratulations Class of 2026, we did it.”

On the concept of future, senior Sarah Chen in her speech talked about artificial intelligence (AI).

“You might have heard of this thing called AI (artificial intelligence). Some people say it is the greatest invention in human history but if your family dinner conversations were anything like mine you were probably not talking about how AI would cure most human diseases – no – you were more likely talking about whether you would be able to find a job after four years of college,” she said.

“In times of uncertainty the business of predicting the future always booms.”

Chen said there is a piece of advice that she once heard that has stuck with her.

“Treat criticism like bubblegum. Chew on it a bit then spit it out,” she added. “That is how I think we should treat all the utopian and doom and gloom AI predictions these days.”

Chen noted how she refuses to live in a world where the quality of her thinking is on which AI subscription she can afford.

“In that world the Sam Altman’s of the world will keep the best model to themselves. To defend ourselves as an independent thinking sovereign individual can feel like an uphill battle,” she said.

Chen left her fellow graduates with a final thought, which included the history highlight of the Continental Army’s battle victories in Trenton and Princeton during the American Revolution.

“This great moment in our history is a reminder that the odds can be long, the conditions unfavorable, and the outcome uncertain you can still win,” she said. “So, Class of 2026, I invite you to join me to declare our independence from technology.”

Cecilia Birge, principal of PHS, asked the Class of 2026 to carry love with them as they leave Princeton High School and step into the world.

“When life becomes uncertain hold close the memory of those who steady you. When you feel alone remember the hand on your shoulder and the people who believed in you before this day arrived and wherever life takes you next to dorm rooms, military services, jobs, and workplaces build places where others feel welcomed, valued, and at home,” she added.

“Keep showing up Class of 2026, keep asking hard questions, keep bringing your humor intelligence, creativity, and heart to this world.”