On the warm, windy evening of May 21, Evans High School graduated over 400 students.
Before the ceremony began, Evans Towne Center was abuzz with soon-to-be graduates sharing moments with friends and classmates. One of these was Lillian Lee-Sin, who said that stepping into her future feels both nerve wracking and exciting.
“People keep asking us, ‘are you ready?’ And the honest answer to that is, I’m not sure yet,” she said. “But, I’m super grateful for everything that Evans High School has given me.”
Lee-Sin is headed to Duke University to major in public policy and minor in pre-law, with an interest in becoming a lawmaker.
Thomas Murillo-Bivins, a future University of North Georgia student, said before the ceremony that he hadn’t quite gotten used to the idea of being finished.
“The whole thing hasn’t hit me yet. I’m sure once I walk across the stage and get that diploma, it will hit me right in that moment.”
Murillo-Bilvins plans to study computer engineering and cybersecurity.
‘Drowning in opportunity’
For one student, the experience of attending Evans High fulfilled a childhood goal.
Valedictorian Rebeca Donadon’s family moved to Columbia County from Brazil in 2019.
“It had been my dream to attend an American high school since I was very little, and the movies don’t lie,” she said. “The cheerleaders were even cooler in person, and those pep rallies were even louder than I had envisioned. I felt privileged to walk those halls.”
Donadon addressed her classmates: “We are about to enter the most thrilling time of our lives…senior year was incredibly stressful. What college do I want to go to? What am I going to major in? But if you take a deep breath with me and zoom out, you’ll realize that this is a wonderful problem to be having, because we are drowning in opportunity.”
Alongside Donadon, Weston Evans was recognized as the class of 2025 salutatorian.
Future military service
During the ceremony, a number of students were recognized for choosing to join various branches of the military.
Graduates planning to serve in the U.S. Army include Janiya Armstrong, Joseph Bell, Brandt Buchanan, Gracelynn Debien, DeMoijah Flowers, Kenneth Griffin Jr., Serenity Hickman, Kassandra Hirsch-Rollins, Chrislyn Odom and Zaquarius Smith.
Graduates planning to serve in the U.S. Navy include KeNani Allen, Jovanni Alvarez, Ryan Burch, Walden Joy, Shawn Mathies Jr., Aaliyah Page and Roderick Taylor.
Graduates planning to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps include Joshua Bell, Jeremiah Brown, Amy Garces, Tyler Gilpin, Yvonne Hill, Tristan Jordan and Beaux Thornhill.
Graduates planning to serve in the U.S. Air Force include Jason Gaines, Giselle Green, Kail Hall, Jayden Jones, Ian Mitchell and Lanae Smith.
