Class of 2024 Commencement: What I Learn in the Parking Lot

The following is an excerpt of a speech by Gil Picciotto at the Class of 2024 Commencement. Read the additional speeches by students, faculty and staff.

By President Gil Picciotto

At graduation this year I had the privilege to welcome the parents, guardians and family members there to celebrate the Class of 2024. I talked about how that night was, in many ways, an extension of what I get to do each morning during the school year at the traffic circle where I welcome our students.

You see a lot of things in the parking lot. Some questionable driving from students and parents as well. …the apple it seems doesn’t fall to far from the tree. But you also get to see other things. You get to see students waiting for their friends to walk into school together. You see cool art projects being carried up the driveway. You see donations of clothing for the homeless or food for animal shelters being carried in. You also overhear conversations about late night studying and an upcoming test…you get to hear students tell each other they “got this” and they are ready for the exam. You get to see morning people and people who are not morning people.

But mostly what you see and hear is limitless potential in an amazing group of young people. You get to see those “To Be” statements lived out in front of your eyes. You also get to see every single drink made by Starbucks brought into school with the notable exception of coffee.

The traffic circle is a great way to start your day and I will miss seeing this class in the mornings.

That said, being there and being on stage at graduation I realized that the limitless potential I see in the mornings was not wasted. Our students have become the best versions of themselves, they are achieving amazing things, and this is just the start of their journey.

Our graduates are going to have an indelible impact on the world and at the colleges and universities they attend. They are going make the world a better place by bringing forth good news. They deserve much credit for their grit, their determination, their hard work…let’s not forget they started high school online, in the middle of a pandemic. But they didn’t do it alone. Like we say in our morning announcements after prayer each day, they remembered to take care of each other.

Our graduates also received amazing support from their families who made the investment in their education and formation, and who were there for them the whole time. For that we owe each of you as parents, grandparents, guardians and friends, a huge thank you.

Our graduates had the most amazing teachers, coaches, mentors and staff to support them, also equally invested in assisting them in their journey. For that we owe each one of them a huge thank you as well.

Graduation is a celebration and a time for thanks and reflection. Our students, teachers and families define the EC community that we are all so grateful for.

As our students walked across the commencement stage and embarked on new adventures, we want to remind them that they are always welcome on campus as alumni, as are all our alum parents. We hope to see you at a football game, homecoming or over college breaks.

Roll Cru and please do try to drive a little slower in the traffic circle…you don’t want to miss what you may see there.

If you have questions for Gil, you can contact him at gpicciotto@eastsidecatholic.org.