(Raquel Villatoro/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Bishop T.K. Gorman High School celebrated 44 students moving on to the next chapter of their lives during the 2024 graduation ceremony held in the school gymnasium. Family, friends and supporters filled the seats of the gym Friday night.

Before students walked the stage, they got ready in the cafeteria. While getting ready, they received a time capsule from faculty. Students talked and shared their time capsules as they continued getting ready.

Valedictorian Jade Alexis Martins, Student Body President Kaela Dean Young and students who received the Christus award spoke to their fellow graduates. In addition, faculty handed out department awards to various students.

“I’m greeting you all today by the phrase I feel most embodies our class, ‘Sup dogs,’” Martins said. “Thank you all for being here.”

Martins shared memories she cherished with her fellow graduates from an impromptu wedding in the seventh grade to their love of decorating hallways.

“We have so many people to think for how far we’ve gotten and how far we’ve gone,” Martins said. “One Direction puts it best in saying, ‘if you ever feel alone, don’t,’ it’s that simple. Our families, our friends, this class that has grown together for years will continue to be there and encourage us even further. Let’s not take that for granted. It may be difficult sometimes; not every day is going to be great. But everyday has the capacity to get better. So don’t sell yourself short. Always remember you have people who want to help.”

At the end students sang the school song, “We are the Crusaders,” closing out this chapter in their lives.— Villatoro, a Report for America Corps member reporting for the Tyler Morning Telegraph, can be contacted at rvillatoro@tylerpaper.com. To make a donation to support work like this, visit https://bit.ly/supportlocaljournalists. Your support helps to write the narrative that truth matters, that undercovered stories deserve to be told, and that on-the-ground journalism serves our communities in immeasurable ways. Your gift supports Report for America corps members’ salaries to cover key issues including health, justice, education and the environment.