Most of the 897 members of the Waukegan High School Class of 2025 walked across the stage to receive their diplomas as they embark on the next step in their journey, be it at an elite college, in the military or the start of a career.
Class valedictorian Brandon Aguilar started working as a sales associate at a home improvement store at age 14. He said he gave it the same energy as he put into his studies, which gave him the highest grade-point average among his classmates.
Wanting to remain close to his family, Aguilar said he will attend Northwestern University in Evanston in the fall. He plans to study mechanical engineering so he can learn how to make things and make them work better.
“I want to make the world a better place,” he said after the event. “Engineers are the ones who make things work. They change the world.”
Aguilar and his classmates received their diplomas at the 152nd-annual Waukegan High School graduation Friday at Weiss Field, with thousands in the stands as graduates step into the world of adulthood.
Just as many of the students had their successes and rough spots during their four years of high school, the afternoon and early evening presented its own challenges. It was windy and sunny when the students marched onto the field. Some put their hands on their caps to keep them in place.
Before the ceremony was over, there was light rain, three intermittent downpours and more sunshine. There was pleasant weather again as they left the stadium. Scores stood for pictures as family and friends memorialized the occasion. Waukegan missed the dust storm that engulfed other parts of Lake County on Friday.
Senior class President Lamero Ceaser will attend Augustana College — a school just over half the size of Waukegan High School — in Rock Island in the fall. Planning to wrestle, he said he wants an environment with a tight community.
“I like knowing everybody around me,” he said. “I like having a community where everyone can be included.”
“I’ll be back here in Waukegan,” he added, referring to his goal of eventually practicing law in his hometown.
Speaking to the crowd, Ceaser said graduation is a time to say hello and goodbye all at once. Whether his classmates are continuing their education or embarking on a career, the situation is the same.
“As freshmen, we came in full of unknowns,” he said. “We will leave here today with that same feeling, only geared at a much bigger world beyond the walls in which we have spent our last four years.”
During his valedictory address, Aguilar first read a paragraph in English and then repeated it in Spanish — the native tongue of his parents. He talked about how his entire family contributed to his success.
Singling out his father, he said he is, “the man who taught me to be hard-working, the man who taught me to never throw in the towel, and the man who dedicated his whole life for his family to succeed.”
Aguilar said experience taught the graduates the most valuable lessons. Admitting to making mistakes, learning from them creates strength, he said.
“Experience teaches us something that no textbook could teach us — life will take turns on us, and we won’t always have all the answers, but slipping is only part of this journey,” he said. “We’ve all made mistakes. Mistakes don’t define a person, but rather how you learn from them.”
Frida Arenas sat among her classmates wearing three medals and seven rows of ribbons on her purple gown. She said they were for her efforts and leadership with the school’s JROTC program. She plans to go to the College of Lake County to study nursing.
“I want to make a difference,” Arenas said. “There aren’t a lot of nurses from the Hispanic community. I want to help my community.”
Marilyn Alvir had a scarf draped around her with multicolored lines across the material, a cross and words in Spanish. It also had the words “Class of 2025.” Several senior women were wearing them.
“This is for my Hispanic culture,” said Alvir, who plans to study political science at CLC. “I am proud of my parents and everything they’ve done to help me get to this stage.”
Danai Serna-Jimenez offered her senior classmates some advice as the featured speaker. She said they should not fear what may lie ahead. Embracing the present will help transport them into the reality of the future.
“We’re always adjusting, whether we realize it or not,” Serna-Jimenez said. “To live is to adapt, and it is okay to be afraid because that is what makes us human. The ability to hold both joy and sorrow is something we learn — and take with us wherever we go.”
