Not everyone gets this opportunity, said Jhoan Valdez, diploma in hand, as a crowd poured onto the field of Dartmouth Memorial Stadium to celebrate the newly graduated Class of 2025.

He and Asante Aurora were among the few who graduated from Dartmouth High School Sunday, June 1 as residents of New Bedford.

“A lot of kids in my community don’t make it to this day. Like my boy, JP, on my pin — may God rest his soul,” Valdez said, referring to the button pinned to his stole with his friend’s photo.

“So I think graduating is just a beautiful moment for all of us. It’s like a moment of unity. It’s probably the last time I’ll see a lot of these kids,” he said. 

For Valdez, he’ll always remember filming Friday night football and seeing the team put in all their hard work throughout the season.

“I felt like I was a part of the team at the same time,” he said.

Over 230 students graduated from Dartmouth High School Sunday morning — celebrating the culmination of 13 years of dedicated work, according to Principal Ryan Shea. 

Sharing his last piece of advice with the class, Shea admitted: “I am a terrible driver.”

But despite this, he says he’s a good person. 

He said although the class has proven itself unique in the level of acceptance and understanding they have for one another, sometimes the actions of others can be perceived as a front against them.

He said the best example of this he could think of is trying to keep cool behind the wheel in a frustrating situation, where a car may have made a bad move.

“We don’t know their story,” Shea said. “When we are hidden behind walls, we need to find the humanity behind them.”

As the Class of 2025 goes off into the real world, he challenges them to never lose their sense of understanding for others.

Class President Thomas Quinn noted the end of their senior year as not only a time for celebrations, but also personal reflection.

For him, a memory from when he was just two years old comes to mind. Visiting a family friend pool-side Quinn found himself jumping in not just once or twice, but three times without hesitation — despite not knowing how to swim.

“In a similar way, four years ago, we jumped into high school,” he said. “At first, there were challenges, obstacles and fears. But through different experiences, we learned how to swim.”

He said that learning has shown up in all sorts of ways as students shine in their respective areas — the many unique individuals who make up “One Dartmouth.”

And with each individual path, comes unique sacrifices. 

“Imagine this,” Steven Wei, the class valedictorian, told the stadium crowd. “It's 12:30 a.m., you're in the most uncomfortable chair, eyes glued to a bright computer screen.”

The scene is filled with flat energy drinks, overdue assignments and social media posts of friends having what appears to be the night of their lives, he said.

“You pause, look up at the ceiling, and ask the question, I guarantee everyone here has asked at least once, ‘Is this worth it?’ That moment, that exasperated sigh, that caffeinated kind of desperation, is sacrifice,” Wei said.

He says though sacrifice is necessary and has built the foundation for their lives, fueling many accomplishments, it can be easy to disappear and disconnect when giving up too much of oneself. 

“We've learned how to sacrifice, but we must also know where to draw the line,” Wei said.

Now that high school has ended, he encourages everyone to rebuild themselves and make more time for living.

Sierra Arruda and Tyler Ferreira were proud of themselves as they stood among family and friends in the field. 

“Sometimes I wish I could go back, but I don’t really regret anything, and I’m excited for what’s about to come,” Arruda said, adding she’s proud of herself and everyone else who put in the work even when they didn’t want to.

Ferreira said it’s a relief to have graduated but also bittersweet.

“I'm glad I just never settled,” he added. “I never said, ‘This is too much. I'm not doing this.’ 
I never said, ‘Oh, I really got to step back and take a chill pill.’ No, I stuck through, and I did it all, and it was amazing, man.”

[Editor’s Note: Captions will be updated in time.]