Hull-Daisetta grads mark the start of new chapter

May 30, 2023

0523HD graduation 1 — Hull-Daisetta High School Valedictorian Bianca Aguilar leads the 2023 graduating class to the field for commencement exercises on Friday.

A small class of 28 Hull-Daisetta High School graduates were celebrated Friday at commencement exercises held at the high school stadium. Before their family members and friends, the graduates accepted their diplomas, marking the end of their high school years and the start of the next chapter in their lives – college, entering vocational fields and adulthood.

Valedictorian Bianca Aguilar started her speech with the usual thank-yous to parents, teachers and school staff. Then she referenced passages from the Harry Potter book and movie series that explained the symbolism behind the Dementors, how they represent depression or darkness, and why it is important for the graduates to be a light in the world.

“In the third installment of Harry Potter, the Prisoner of Azkaban, if you didn’t know, both in the book and movie, there are soulless creatures called Dementors that are to act as guards around the school. The dementors are symbols for depression, as they feed on and deprive people of happiness,” Aguilar said. “Now, while the books are always in greater detail than the movie, there is a quote that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore says in the film that has always stuck with me, and has found a way to influence my everyday. He says, ‘Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the light.'”

Hull-Daisetta High School graduates gather together for one last time before starting the next chapter of their lives in adulthood.

Hull-Daisetta High School graduates throw their caps into the air at the conclusion of commencement exercises on Friday.

She used the quote to encourage her fellow graduates as they embark on a new journey in their lives. She urged them to find a way to turn on the light, no matter where they go or what their surroundings may be. She emphasized the idea that happiness and sadness are two sides of the same coin. Without darkness, light cannot exist, and without happiness, there can be no sadness.

“My fellow graduates, I encourage you all to find a way to turn on the light, no matter where you are, because yin cannot exist without yang, the same way that the darkness we will face cannot take form without the light that will shine along the way,” Aguilar said.