Class of 2020, It feels amazing to be able to address you all, even if it can't be in person. Even though our final moments of our senior year had an unexpected ending, I’m happy to say we made it through to achieve our goals. For this to be the last time I speak to you all as a whole is saddening, but to see where we’ve come from brings joy to my heart.

All of the experiences we’ve endured have led us to this moment and prepared us for life after high school. The journey to make it here may have had moments of restless nights, tears, stress and other uncontrollable emotions, but we made it. To lose my father during sophomore year really changed my life, but it taught me to never question God through his challenges. I have been able to lean on teachers, family, friends and coaches to lead me in the right direction. We all have people in our lives that have made sure we didn't become sidetracked, and we have stayed on the path to success. These people, whoever they may be for you, have made it possible to arrive to where you are today. We need to make sure that we thank these people.

For me, it is my mother and brother. And I think we can all thank our families along with many people that make up our NFA family. The great support staff in the Shattuck House: Mrs. Klaeson, Mrs. Daley, Mrs. Kalwara and Mrs. Nogiec. These ladies kept many of us out of trouble (with a hand from Mrs. Peckrul) and never lost faith in us. Many teachers over these four years made it possible for classes to be enjoyable and filled with lessons that will help for the rest of our lives.

Our Campus Safety team kept us on time, laughing with their endless jokes and friendliness. And, personally, I need to thank Mr. Bakoulis and Mr. Iovino, who have always believed in me.

Every moment we've experienced was worth the hard work behind it. We weathered the storm and accomplished our goals, and I wouldn’t want to share this moment with any other group of people. COVID-19 didn’t get in the way of reaching the final destination in our high school lives. The moments you have in high school with the people you’ve met is really an experience like no other. The relationships created over time can turn to lifelong friends, which you will cherish forever. NFA gave us the chance to meet new people, broaden horizons and step out of our comfort zone.

We’ll all miss the beautiful campus, but we’ll forever be Wildcats. This school is a part of our story, and the valuable lessons learned will never be forgotten. Our legacy as a class will be our ability to overcome adversity time and time again. Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.

(This speech was given during the annual Class Night Awards Ceremony. Gates is class president.)