Cherry Hill High School West celebrated graduation for the class of 2025 on June 20 at Temple University’s Liacouras Center in Philadelphia.
The late-afternoon ceremony began with the processional, as students in their purple graduation robes made their way up the sides of the stadium, shaking hands and exchanging final words with their teachers and school administrators as they headed to their seats.
Graduates from Cherry Hill High School West enter the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia greeting teachers and administrators.
Nate Goldwasser gave the opening remarks, a task he would never have taken on as an underclassman because of insecurities about his voice. But he noted how he began to see things differently when he came upon an old Instagram post from his mom, who died when he was 8. Goldwasser was surprised to realize her voice was very similar in intonation and inflection to his.
“The voice was me, or maybe I was her,” he recounted. “At that moment, my voice became something different. It wasn’t a flaw, it was a connection, a living memory. Her voice still lives within mine, and she’s not the only one I’ve heard,” added Goldwasser, reflecting on other loved ones whose voices he can sometimes hear when using his own.
He then asked fellow graduates and audience members to be true to themselves and use their real voices as they go on in life.
“Your voice is not a flaw,” Goldwasser advised. “Your voice is your gift. Speak not just to be heard, but to lift, to laugh, to share, to love, to think, to change and to remember.”
After the pledge of allegiance, the combined bands, orchestra and choir performed the national anthem, and West’s Junior ROTC presented the flag. Dr. John Burns, the school’s principal, then offered his remarks to the class.
“This is a moment that we have all worked towards for four years,” he said. “It is through the commitment of family, students and staff members that gets us to this day.”
Burns also took a moment to honor faculty and staff, especially those who are retiring this year.
Ava Ergood then had the honor of delivering the class of 2025 address. She took the opportunity to reflect on how she spent a lot of her time in high school trying to be as involved as possible, so she didn’t always appreciate living in the moment.
“We’re always anticipating the next big thing, rather than appreciating what is right in front of us …” Ergood explained, “but if we spend too much time anticipating what’s to come or harping over the past, we will never experience the joy that comes from living in the moment.”
Meana Mousa, president of National Honor Society’s Robert E. Hansen chapter, gave the society speech for the class. He focused on how the organization is built on the four pillars of scholarship, service, leadership and character, and which he thinks is most important: character.
“The spotlight may celebrate your success,” Mousa remarked, “but your character is revealed in your solitude … Real character doesn’t begin with awards or speeches like this. It begins in private, in daily decisions, in the quiet battles we fight when no one is watching, and those are the moments that will shape who we become, not just what we achieve.”
Rebekah Bruesehoff‘s address was on behalf of multiple valedictorians and centered on how the class of 2025’s high-school experience wasn’t perfect, but was still meaningful for graduates.
“If there’s one thing our class has mastered, it’s doing things wrong and finding something real in the process …” she offered. “Our experience was messy. It was contradictory. It was loud and quiet and complicated and beautiful, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Speaker Ioannis Kyriakou represented the Student Government Organization. He asked his peers to remember who they were in their high-school years, no matter what the future may hold.
“We grew stronger and closer as a community,” he noted. “It was about finding ourselves, deciding who we are. In my experience, I would say the main purpose of high school is whatever you choose to make of it.”
Burns then took the commencement stage once more.
“You’ve learned academics, but more importantly, you’ve learned resilience, creativity and how to keep going when things get tough,” he pointed out. Burns then took a moment to honor graduates who have chosen to join the military.
School Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton then certified the class and board of education President Gina Winters accepted the graduates.
After receiving diplomas, the class of 2025 led a West graduation tradition: Faculty and all students stood and gave thumbs up with their right hands.
Drew Pullano’s farewell speech focused on the community efforts that go into developing a young person. He then asked the audience to picture a garden.
“A garden doesn’t grow overnight,” he emphasized. “It begins with seeds and fertile soil. It is a hope, a dream, an intention. Planting those seeds comes with a degree of uncertainty. We don’t actually know how things will turn out, but the fact is, when you do something with all of your heart and all of your effort, you are destined to receive some success.”
