Hoover High Class of 2022 showed resilience, determination, principal says

Hoover High School ushered 616 seniors in the Class of 2022 into the world with a walk across a graduation stage at UAB’s Bartow Arena Friday night.

It was a return to normalcy of sorts after two years of holding outdoor ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic – at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in 2020 and the on-campus Buccaneer Stadium last year.

Students, family members and friends were shoulder to shoulder in Bartow Arena Friday night to watch the Class of 2022 take their diplomas in their hands and walk into a world of opportunities.

Hoover High’s Class of 2022 was accepted to 248 colleges and universities across the country, from Howard University in Washington, D.C., to the University of Hawaii, Vanderbilt University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Virginia.

Two were admitted to prestigious military academies, and others have enlisted in the military or are going straight into the workforce.

Almost half of the 616 graduating seniors were offered scholarships totaling almost $42 million, Principal John Montgomery said. And the Hoover seniors accepted $14.8 million of those scholarships, college and career counselor Cindy Bond said.

This senior class had 133 students who ended their high school careers with a GPA of 4.0 or greater, and 34 of them were given the title of valedictorian. The class had 11 National Merit Semifinalists, 10 National Merit Finalists and one National African American Recognition Scholar.

Ninety-eight members of the Hoover High Class of 2022 also documented more than 11,000 hours of combined community service in a time, Montgomery said.

Graduating with this class has taken more resilience and determination than ever before, the principal said, referencing the challenges they faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual instruction, staggered schedules mixed between school and home, quarantines and vaccines.

“You have been put in stressful situations with unknown outcomes and emerged stronger and more self-aware,” Montgomery said. “You have developed the ability to adapt to a changing environment plagued with variants and vaccines, yet still you formed your own ideas and your identities. Your diploma from Hoover High School proves you are prepared to continue your education or training at the highest level. It proves you are ready to take on the challenges posed to young adults by the ever-changing world.”

'WILD JOURNEY'

Senior Class President Andrew Childs said the last four years at Hoover High have been a wild journey.

They started as freshmen rushing to catch buses to get back and forth between the main campus and the nearby Hoover Hall building, and then just as things started to get more comfortable their sophomore year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Childs said.

At first, they were excited because their spring break got extended and became an early summer. But “little did we know this virus was going to change Hoover High School for the next two years,” he said.

Their junior year was full of staggered schedules, mask mandates and virtual learning, and their senior year allowed them to get back together.

The whole experience has taught them the importance of being face to face with other people and never taking anything for granted, Childs said.

As they head their separate ways, Childs challenged his classmates to never forget from where they came, never give up on themselves, believe in who they are and the purpose for which they were created, and remember what defines success.

“True success should be defined not in what you have, but in what you give; not in a title, but how you serve; not in who you influence, but how you influence them,” Childs said.

Ameya Guttikonda, one of four valedictorians who spoke Friday night, recounted many of the memories this class has lived through over the past 13+ years of school, from the “Snowmageddon” many of them experienced in elementary school in 2014 to field days, color runs, “Polar Express” days and middle and high school football games.

While high school became challenging with COVID-19, she said she was thankful their senior year was “fairly smooth sailing” as they were able to return to school full-time, reconnect with all their classmates, enjoy sporting events and school dances and see smiling faces (instead of masks) in the hallways again.

'ROLLER COASTER'

Navya Gullapalli, another valedictorian, said the past four years have been nothing short of a roller coaster with unexpected twists and turns.

“We proved that we can overcome unanticipated obstacles by staying optimistic and seeking opportunities even during challenging times,” Gullapalli said.

She encouraged her fellow graduates think about what failure and resilience mean to them.

“Personally, I see failure as taking one step closer to success because without it, we would never learn from our mistakes,” she said.

She urged her classmates to think of one of their greatest weaknesses and challenged them to turn it into a strength within the next four years.

“Every opportunity we obtain for personal growth can indefinitely help us achieve our greatest endeavors,” she said. “No matter how many obstacles we face, we should never forget to remain resilient. Giving up can be a very easy and tempting decision, but this would only hurt ourselves in the long term. If we believe in ourselves and motivate each other, we can make the impossible possible.”

Valedictorian Rotimi Kukoyi said when he and his classmates entered kindergarten 13 years ago, they were bombarded with the idea of growing up and were encouraged to do so. He couldn’t wait to grow up so he could do things like set his own bedtime, he said. He asked Friday night when someone has fully grown up — when they decide to eat broccoli or mow the lawn or enjoy getting socks for Christmas?

“You never really stop growing up,” Kukoyi said. “Growing up is a piece-by-piece process, not some final destination.”

Valedictorian Samuel Temple said the huge size of Hoover High School can be daunting, but its size is a source of its best traits.

“We are fortunate to be a part of such a strong community, diverse in background, ethnicity and interests,” Temple said.

Their time at Hoover High has helped them develop empathy, he said.

“Empathy, the ability to see the world through the eyes of others, is a vital skill perhaps now more than ever,” Temple said. “In order to work towards a truly equitable society, we must commit ourselves to an awareness and understanding of even those issues which you have never personally faced, and through that commitment, we may pay homage to the many different voices that made our experience at Hoover something to cherish.”