METUCHEN – Schools Superintendent Vincent Caputo offered some sound advice as the 199 seniors of the Metuchen High School Class of 2022 gathered as “Bulldogs” one last time on the high school football field.
“Chase growth, not perfection, be better today than yesterday and tomorrow, be even better than that,” he said, adding for the students to think about “democracy, science and truth” and stay true to their core values.
“Graduates, go out from this place and light up and enlighten the world around you.”
Caputo joined Principal Ed Porowski, Board of Education President Brian Glassberg and members of the BOE during the ceremony on June 24.
Before the class received their diplomas, Valedictorian Jaimie Hong and Salutatorian Kaitlin Iong provided inspiration for their class through their speeches.
Iong, who is heading to Syracuse University, N.Y., in the fall, shared one of her dad’s “cheesy cliches” that she will carry beyond graduation.
“He said, ‘You cannot change the past, you can only change the future’,” she said.
Iong learned her dad’s advice could be applied beyond the academic world and can relate to all aspects of life including relationships.
“By identifying what you need to let go of, I am confident that you will live a more fulfilling productive life,” she said. “We must not dwell on past events. We must look forward because ultimately, we can only change the future.”
Hong, who is heading to Northwestern University, Ill., in the fall, said her greatest hope is for her class to “spend the rest of their post high school life learning and pursuing what is genuinely meaningful to them and [what] brings them satisfaction.
“You are deserving of one of your own choosing and you are more than capable of making your hopes a reality. We still have so much of our lives ahead of us, it is vital we spend this precious time curious about the world and what it has to offer to us, not what we have to offer to the world.
“Experience new things and do not allow something as trivial as opinions of others scare you,” Hong said.