Success Isn't Something that is Chased!

Success is Something We Create for Ourselves!

 

As she gazed across a sea of blue and gold sparkling beneath the lights of graduation night, Clare Richards, one of two class-selected speakers, stood center stage at the crossroads of memory and possibility. Before more than 280 fellow graduates of the Class of 2026 and a packed SunDome crowd of family, teachers, and friends, Richards posed a question both familiar and profound, inviting her classmates to consider: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" After all, she said, this is a moment when it feels like we should finally have an answer. 

But as she continued, Richards challenged the assumption that adulthood requires a neatly packaged response, urging her classmates instead to consider how they would define success in the years ahead. Success, she suggested, is shaped less by accomplishments than by the goals we choose to pursue and the reasons we pursue them.  The better question, then, is not what we want to be, but what matters to us and why it matters. If we can answer that question, Richards said, "Success isn't something that is chased. Success is something we create for ourselves." 

Before Richards' address, fellow class-selected speaker Maury Falcon took the stage and reflected on the moment before them—graduates standing at the edge of what comes next. In her remarks, she highlighted the many forms of success already achieved by the Class of 2026 and encouraged her classmates to carry that momentum forward. Falcon urged graduates to take their first steps into the future with intention, recognizing the lasting impact their class can make.

In his message to seniors, Principal Colton Monti praised the Class of 2026 as a group of students with diverse and engaging personalities—outgoing, confident, and easy to connect with. He reflected on their journey from being freshmen who were hesitant and unsure to a graduating class that has grown into leaders and young adults willing to find their voice and show up for others.  Monti also challenged students to embrace an evolving world, offering advice that those who will thrive in the future are those who remain adaptable, continue learning, demonstrate resilience, and are willing to grow with change. He encouraged graduates to carry those lessons beyond the SunDome walls, recognizing that the growth they have shown throughout high school will continue to shape the paths they choose next. 

"I believe in who you are becoming," Monti said. "Don't forget the power you have to positively impact others." 

For the Class of 2026, there is more to success than tangible accomplishments. Fueled with confidence, they are poised to become a generation of leaders who look beyond outcomes and instead ask what truly matters and why it matters. Though no one knows what the future holds, this class understands success is not something to be chased, but something each person creates.