As the graduates of Soldotna High School on Wednesday took their first steps into their lives after high school, they were told to chase futures that will make them happy.<\/p>\n
Valedictorian Scott Powell and Salutatorian James Innes, delivering a joint address before around 140 of their classmates and a football field packed with supporters, called for the graduating Stars to find careers and experiences they’re passionate about.<\/p>\n
“I hope we each can achieve our own definitions of success,” Powell said. “Not success defined by money, a career or social status, but by the relationships we cultivate and the love we share.”<\/p>\n
The pair called for the Class of 2025 to find and do something they love.<\/p>\n
“Let’s walk into our futures, fellas,” Innes said. “We’ve got a long way to go.”<\/p>\n
Sarge Truesdell, the recently retired SoHi principal, delivered the commencement address. A high school education, he said, is multifaceted. It includes laughter, breakups, tears, late-night cramming, some memorable sports and performances and also sometimes tragedy.<\/p>\n
SoHi’s class this year knows tragedy, Truesdell said, because it recently lost one of its members, Tucker Challans, who died in March. A somber moment punctuated the ceremony when Challans parents were the first to walk across the stage — receiving an honorary diploma for their son.<\/p>\n
Grief changes people, Truesdell said. For some, Challans may be the first time they’ve lost someone their age from their lives. He will not be the last loss Soldotna’s young people experience. “That’s part of life,” Truesdell said. Graduation, too, is part of life — a major turning point.<\/p>\n
“Right now, after you toss your hat in the air, you’re on the clock — the world says ‘welcome to adulthood’,” Truesdell said. “I hope you paid attention.”<\/p>\n
Whether they experience victories or challenges, Truesdell encouraged each of SoHi’s graduates to “allow people into your story.” There are friends, parents, siblings, teachers and strangers who are eager to help them with their continuing paths. “None of us get through this life without help from others.”<\/p>\n
While so much of life is out of any person’s control, he told the students that they are in control of their own experiences — “the attitude and resilience and energy that you bring.”<\/p>\n
“It’s not about what happens to you, but how you rise and move forward,” he said. “Go do cool stuff. Then come back to Soldotna and raise a family.”<\/p>\n
Soldotna High School 2025 graduates<\/strong><\/p>\n Leonty Anahonak<\/p>\n Jackson Anding<\/p>\n Dalton Armstrong<\/p>\n Ronin Azevedo<\/p>\n Callie Babitt<\/p>\n Angel Bannach<\/p>\n Braden Barrett<\/p>\n Autumn Bass<\/p>\n Landon Bauer<\/p>\n Aidan Bon<\/p>\n Elias Bouschor<\/p>\n Zachary Bouschor<\/p>\n Hunter Bras<\/p>\n Reagan Briggs<\/p>\n Evelyn Brown<\/p>\n Ryan Buchanan<\/p>\n Mazzy Bundy<\/p>\n Annie Burns<\/p>\n Hannah Burton<\/p>\n Bella Byrd<\/p>\n Ely Campbell<\/p>\n Ariana Cannava<\/p>\n Noble Cassidy<\/p>\n Alexa Chavez<\/p>\n Tatum Cooper<\/p>\n Veronica Crane<\/p>\n Kathleen Curtis<\/p>\n Marshall DeRaeve<\/p>\n Evan Derzab<\/p>\n Kiona Dexter<\/p>\n Daniela Dimitrovski<\/p>\n Iycalayd Douglas<\/p>\n Wyatt Earl<\/p>\n Hayden Eck<\/p>\n Mason Elliott<\/p>\n Kayden Estremera<\/p>\n Alexander Fain<\/p>\n Kaitlyn Farmer<\/p>\n Blake Ferreira<\/p>\n Mya Fielden<\/p>\n Hallie Fischer<\/p>\n Ella Frasher<\/p>\n Ethan French<\/p>\n Destiny Friedersdorff<\/p>\n Isabella Friend<\/p>\n Wyatt Gagnon<\/p>\n Isabella Gares<\/p>\n Miriah Gassler<\/p>\n Jerica Germany<\/p>\n Andrew Gist<\/p>\n Ann Marie Gist<\/p>\n Christopher Glaves<\/p>\n Tiara Goolsby<\/p>\n Leanne Gordon<\/p>\n Cody Grimes<\/p>\n Marcus Hagedorn<\/p>\n Daisy Lyn Hannevold<\/p>\n Kellyn Hansen<\/p>\n Draek’Adam Harris<\/p>\n Easton Hawkins<\/p>\n Nathan Hawkins<\/p>\n Jesse Haynes<\/p>\n Daniel Heath<\/p>\n Marcus Heitstuman<\/p>\n Aaliyah Helgeson<\/p>\n Athena Henry<\/p>\n Hope Hillyer<\/p>\n Lydia Hopper<\/p>\n Haedyn Horstman<\/p>\n Benjamin Inman<\/p>\n James Innes<\/p>\n Josias Iraheta Sorto<\/p>\n Chloe Jacko<\/p>\n Anika Jedlicka<\/p>\n Gunner Jelliff<\/p>\n Jaykob Kemp<\/p>\n Samuel Klein<\/p>\n Isabella Kroto<\/p>\n Sadie Lane<\/p>\n Kiernan Lapp<\/p>\n Brooklyn Larsen<\/p>\n Jessica LeClair<\/p>\n Kenai Lepule<\/p>\n Austin Lewis<\/p>\n Hudson Link<\/p>\n Colby Lund-Strength<\/p>\n Zedekiah McComsey<\/p>\n Alyssa McDonald<\/p>\n Jazzalynn McDonald<\/p>\n Ryan McVey<\/p>\n Blaze Michael<\/p>\n Trevor Michael<\/p>\n Luke Miller<\/p>\n Nora Moloney<\/p>\n Aidan Moore<\/p>\n Sean Norris<\/p>\n Trenton Ohnemus<\/p>\n Owen Pattock<\/p>\n Fisher Plant<\/p>\n Vann Poage<\/p>\n Scott Powell<\/p>\n Charlene Pyatt<\/p>\n Kamryn Query<\/p>\n Valentino Rigutto<\/p>\n Kendra Rose<\/p>\n Madelyn Ross<\/p>\n Harold Rudstrom<\/p>\n Taylor Ruffner<\/p>\n Anaulie Sedivy<\/p>\n Chloe See<\/p>\n Abygale Shaeffer<\/p>\n Delaney Smith<\/p>\n Lillian Smith<\/p>\n Raven Smith<\/p>\n Hailey Stonecipher<\/p>\n Jacob Strausbaugh<\/p>\n Colby Sturman<\/p>\n Keely Sundberg<\/p>\n Benjamin Thomas<\/p>\n Paycience Ulrich<\/p>\n Ella Veihdeffer<\/p>\n Vera Vitryachenko<\/p>\n Joey VonHeeder<\/p>\n Avery Walden<\/p>\n Trent Waller<\/p>\n Brooke Walters<\/p>\n Alyssa Watson<\/p>\n Ryatt Weed<\/p>\n Alexis Wells<\/p>\n Ariel Wheeler<\/p>\n Johnathan White<\/p>\n Benjamin Whitney<\/p>\n Simon Willets<\/p>\n Laylani Williams<\/p>\n Isaak Winslow<\/p>\n Caleb Wohlers<\/p>\n Kaitlyn Wolfe<\/p>\n Lokeni Wong<\/p>\n Julene Yager<\/p>\n Katelynn Yoder<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Soldotna High School graduates told to chase futures that will make them happy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":493,"featured_media":88745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,811],"tags":[56,183,85,600],"class_list":["post-88744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-top-news","tag-local-news","tag-schools","tag-soldotna","tag-soldotna-high-school"],"yoast_head":"\n