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Maybe being uncertain is a good thing. In fact, maybe the best journeys start with a bit of uncertainty. So don’t be afraid to take a step forward, even if you don’t know where the path will lead. That was the message multiple speakers wanted to get across to their classmates Saturday at the Buckingham High graduation. 

“(Uncertainty) means we’re alive to possibility,” said Buckingham Senior Class President Madelyn Motley. “We don’t need to have it all figured out today. We just need to have the courage to take one step at a time.”

Saturday wasn’t just about turning tassels or receiving diplomas, Motley told her audience. 

“It’s about reflecting on how far we’ve come and imagining where we’re going next,” she said. “Our journey hasn’t always been easy, but through it all, we’ve learned that growing up isn’t just about hitting milestones. It’s about discovering who we are, what drives us and stepping into the world as the people we’re meant to be.”

Maybe that means going off to college. Maybe it’s finding a job in the workforce, joining the military or maybe you’re still figuring out what the next step means. Regardless, Motley told her classmates, focus on yourselves. She brought up the poem “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver to emphasize her point. 

“You do not have to be good,” the poem starts off. “You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles in the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” 

Wherever you go, remember Buckingham 

And yet, wherever you find yourself in life, remember where you came from, Buckingham graduates were told. Remember that there are family and friends back home if you ever need them. 

“No matter what happens in your future, there will be people back in Buckingham that will always support and love you,” said Kayne Wooten. Kayne is this year’s salutatorian, finishing with a grade point average of 4.57. In each class, the student with the highest average is the valedictorian and the second highest is the salutatorian. Kayne said his experiences over the last four years have highlighted the community that exists in Buckingham and how there are people here who will be cheering you on, even if it’s from afar. He also offered some encouragement from scripture, saying that no matter your circumstances, support comes from above. 

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God,” the verse says. “I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” 

Don’t be afraid to venture out and don’t be afraid of failure, Wooten, who is heading to Hampden-Sydney College in the fall, said. 

“Muhammed Ali once said success is not achieved by winning all the time. Real success comes when we rise after we fall,” Kayne said. “Some mountains are higher than others, some roads steeper than the next, there are hardships and setbacks, but you cannot let them stop you. Even on the steepest road, you must not turn back.” 

A call to be good 

Don’t be afraid to step out into the world. Don’t forget you have friends and family at home who support you. Don’t be afraid of failing. But there was one more challenge handed down to the graduating class at Buckingham Saturday.

The day’s final speaker was the Class of ‘25’s valedictorian, Elly Abruzzo. Elly, who finished with a 4.62 grade point average, tops in her class, said that graduation in some ways feels a bit anti-climatic. Maybe, she said, that’s because we’ve all seen too many movies. Maybe we need everything to be a song and dance number for it to seem important. But the important things show up every day in different ways, she said, arguing that the most important things are the ones that seem so “boringly, blatantly normal” that they can be easy to miss. 

“The world is changing,” Elly said. “And each of our experiences shapes how we will interact with the changing world and what we will do in it.” 

With that in mind, she encouraged her classmates that they don’t have to aim for perfection. 

“You do not have to be perfect, a genius, awe-inspiring,” Elly said. “You just have to be tolerant of others, you have to be respectful and you have to be good. Because there is so little of that.” 

She challenged her classmates to change the world in ways that may not show up on CNN or be heard about in Washington D.C., but will make The Herald’s pages and be meaningful to Buckingham residents. She wants to read or hear from family and friends in 10 or 20 years about things this class has done to help their community.