‘Our time to inherit the world’: Amherst Regional High School celebrates 219 graduates at commencement

AMHERST — Moments into the the remarks by Amherst Regional High School’s 10 valedictorians, each of whom achieved perfect 4.0 GPAs, the group earned applause and laughter from the audience gathered for graduation by making a reference to artificial intelligence.

“I know we only had two days to write this, but we can do better than ChatGPT,” said senior Aliya Nazirova. “Despite being one of the first classes to have AI readily available, we recognize the importance of original thoughts, and actual human interactions.”

Speaking as part of Friday’s ceremony inside a packed Tillis Performance Hall at the Bromery Center of the Arts on the University of Massachusetts campus, the valedictorians reflected on breaking out of the digital bubbles they experienced in sixth and seventh grades, discussed the “human-generated moments” from the selections at the cafeteria to lighting up paper towels in the bathroom, as well as the continued changes to their daily class schedules.

“Everywhere you go little conversations and big smiles take place between fellow students and teachers walking past each other,” Willa Hudson said.

“Cheesy as it seems to reminisce over these moments, it’s somehow compelling,” added Arlyn Reiken, noting that person-to-person connections and deeper layers of stories can’t be fabricated, especially by AI.

And on a serious note, Snowden Blue, as part of the Youth Climate Council organized by Gov. Maura Healey, called on his peers to make a difference.

“Class of 2026, we have the power to change the world, and it’s up to us to get started,” Blue said.

The 219 graduates are part of a class that has already excelled at making change and doing well at extracurriculars such as sports and theater. “It is clear that the Class of 2026 showed up and showed out,” said Eden Polak, a member of the Senior Class Council.

Another member of that council, Zack Heim, offered what he said was a benediction.

“This is our time to inherit the world,” Heim said. And with drastic change coming, “it is necessary for us to hope in our futures because otherwise we have already given up.”

While the graduating seniors were celebrated, it was Talib Sadiq, the outgoing principal, whose speech may have lasting impact. Sadiq reflected on his own graduation nearly 38 years earlier, June 7, 1988, from the same auditorium.

While a long time ago, he said it’s important for this year’s graduating class, of which he considers himself a part, to hear about his trajectory.

In introducing them, Sadiq told the class, “You truly are an amaing group of young people, you should be really proud of yourselves.”

Each day, he would smile or fist bump them as they arrived, wanting them to be seen and welcomed, and gave advice to “find your people” wherever you go.

His life upon graduating took him to good places and bad, including to Saudia Arabia in the U.S. Army as part of the Desert Storm operation, and following that he spent three years and eight months in a state correctional facility.

“One of the most valuable lessons I learned during that time: don’t rob a bank,” Sadiq said.

Yet while that yielded cheers from the audience, Sadiq said his authentic advice is different: “Perspective is nine-tenths of the truth, regardless of the facts,” Sadiq said.

He then rebuilt his life with support of his mother, sister, friends and the late Barry Brooks, a longtime guidance counselor who mentored him after his incarceration.

“Trust me, your journeys are just begining,” Sadiq said. “Please embrace the journey.”

He said he is proud of the new graduates and will be cheering them on. “Class of 2026, your voices can change the world,” he said.

Sadiq concluded by reflecting on the time when future President Barack Obama went to Greenwood, South Carolina in 2007 and learned a call and response, “Fired Up! Ready to Go!” Sadiq then led the graduates in an identical chant.

During the ceremony, the Hurricane Singers and ARHS Chorale performed “Time After Time” and “The Road Home, while the school orchestra played “Cumberland Cross.”

And before diplomas were handed out Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman presented a plaque to Sadiq for his service, leadership and dedication to all students. Herman said Sadiq next school year will be a guidance counselor in the elementary schools.

“While his title may change, his commitment to students remains the same,” Herman said.

Prior to the ceremony, graduates lined up inside a hallway adjacent to the main auditorium, waiting to file in and take the stage in their maroon caps and gowns.

“It’s been exciting, it’s been fun, it’s been challenging,” said Hattie Holabird, who will be heading to Skidmore College to study dance and English.

“I will miss the people here,” Holabird said.

Raquel Mazur transferred to the school three years ago.

“I’ve made some of the deepest connections here, teachers who have shaped who I”ve become,” Mazur said.

Off to the University of Pennsylvania to pursue a degree in environmental studies, Mazur said there will be a lot she will take to Philadelphia from her time in Amherst.

“I’ll also miss the people, and the small-town energy,” Mazur said.

2026 graduates

Zafer Abu Risheh

Adam Benjkamin Acker

Alessandra Marthe Agnero

Rowan Cait Albertson

Taylor Stevenm Alfaro Leiva

Adrianna Jean-Marie Alicia-Machuca

Mia Catherine Aleles-Borge

Mayeli Noemi Alvarado

CeeJay Alijah Aprile

Parmida Arghavani

Grahm Patrick Arguin

Natalie Amara Auerbach

Yairelis Bachand

Anthony Josue Ballinas Ayala

Jasper Kneeland Barrett

Olivia Sophia Winifred Barton

Maya Nandini Bean

Corey Isaiah Benoit

Francisco Jandiel Berrios De Jesus

Tsukiko Tome Bhowmik

Snowden Anatloe Helf Blue

Geisel Dayan Bousel

Gale Lemar Buford

Willow Mei Burton

Christopher William Camara

Ava Grace Carey

Mitchell Alan Carey Jr.

Caroline Mary Carolla

Joshua Miller Carr

Holden Mitchell Castenson

Vanessa Beatriz Cazho Garcia

Finnley Grace Chambers

Simen Anthony Chamoun

Jesse Munyaka Chege

Delan y Louisine Cheng

Any Jiyoung Choi

Alexander Cianciulli-Morton

Mason Charles Cianfrani-Shin

Moss Rain Conant

Cael Allerton Danylchuk

Sofia Maria DaSilva-Askew

Eljah Wade Davis

Disaya Davis Noguera

Keila Emely De Carvalho Gomes

Teagen Sicks Demers

Olivia Nathalie DiDonna

Lucia Caroline Dingo-Early

Evangeline Claire Donta

Namdol Tenzin Dorjee

Zeynep Ada Durmaz

Salvador Orlando Eaton Sharon

Edson Evora Medina

Janaki Ewoton

Joshua Garcia Feldman

Adrian Nicolas Fernandez Torres

Rubianny Fernandez Valerio

Geoffrey Oliver Corson Fitz-Gibbon

Meshach Promise Sincere Fluitt

Lindsay Jane Franz

Isabel Anne French-Luce

Conall Tai Packard Gahan

Benna Campbell Galman

Moe Callaway Garland-Frank

Abigail Allen Garland-Frank

Ezra Birsch Ginsberg

Colin Russell Glennon

Lena Pearl Goldman

Joenvan Alonson Jernigan Gomez

Rio Grant-Giraud

Gianna Leigh Grillo

Lily Elise Hohreiter Gubrium

Marit Erika Hohreiter Gibrium

Daniel Joaquin Guzman

Alyciana Lynn Hackett

Rex Hanneke

Finn Thomas Hannigan

Meghan Sylvia Haugsjaahabink

Aria Lovejoy Haupt

Joseph Markovitz Hazlip

Chasey Amelia Heaps-Merrell

Zack Dillian Heim

Meibell Judith Hidalgo Vanegas

Margaret Ella Hinderliter

Hattie Julianna Holabird

Nina Pirscilla Holden

Sydney Elyssa Holmes

Charlotte Thayer Hope

Evelyn Judith Hope

Owen Robert Howard

Rowan Nova Heywood Howe

Craig Daniel Butterworth Hrones

Willa Bee Hudson

Leon Inoue

Travis Michael Isabelle

Elizaveta Ivanova

Helen Elizabeth Jayne

Kyrief Le-var Dwayne Johnson

Leah Sapphira Kalman

Tenzin Kalsang

Elias Constantin Katsaros

Claire Ann Kennedy

Aliyah Beth Kenney

Konstantin Elijah Kenney

Jaosn Jung-Heon Kim

Allyson Deilidh Klement

Evan Klooster

Loran Krauss Pizzorno

John Lee Kydd

Sophia Lau

Emma Kathleen Learned-Miller 

Mars Lee Leonard

Violet Maureen Lewis-Horlitz

Nicolas Arroyo Lisle

Claire Margaret Lloyd

Noah Joseph Magnus

Ethan Veasna Mak

Shane Vesodth Mang

Caesar Raymond Marcus

Alexander Janos Marlin

Luis Enrique Martell Platero 

Charles Ernesto Martinez Barahona

Rory Mascis

Raquel Noa Mazur

Cheyenne Renee McKethan

Leah Stephanie Mendelsohn

Sophie Madeline Michel

Alycia Rochel Middleton

Madleine Rose Misra

Zaheer Ahamed Mohamed

David Fernando Molina

Maya Emilia Burgos Morris

Bella Maria Moschella

Jopseh Giovanni Moschella

Cassie Kain Murkette

Aliya Nazirova

Hazel Ruth Neuberger

Hao Quy Nguyen

Tri Carlos Nguyen

Jacoby Chan Nhong

Daniel Enrique Nunez Saravia

Favour Ngozichinyere Ononibaku

Meolody Chienne Ononibaku

Sofia Helena Osborne

Gabriel Anthony Padilla

Aura Wu Pan

Frank Partida

Myla Grace Peltier

Noah Johan Peralta

Eli Charney Perkins

Tessa Mae Pierce

Mie Ann Piner

Quinton Matthew Pizii

Owen Wallace Platt

Eden Ruth Polak

Lillian Sylvie Pope

Ghulam Mujtaba Rahimi

Eva Jenis Ramsey

Saara Bharat Rathod

Antonia Rau

Rowan Gregory Reichard

Dillon Ruaigh Reid

Arlyn Vivian Miranda Reiken

Benjamin Laurencelle Remensnyder

Scott Robert Rhodes

Steven Alejandro Rivas-Paredes

Alexandra Caledonia Alton Porter Robb

Emily Yamileht Rodriguez Duran

Maria Louise Roof

Ji Hwan Ryu

Adam Mohammed Saie

Daniel Jamill Sanchez

George Wright Scanlan-Emigh

Henry Carpenter Scanlan-Emigh

Zachary Zafian Schmidt 

Indigo Bogart Schwenk

Bennett David Scott

Willow Katharine Scott

Phoenix River Scully

Alina Rose Seeger

Niccolo Guthrie Selman

Morgan Sunmee Seo

Caleb Owen Sexton

Ajmain Sharar

Diya Sharma

Daniel Tshering Sherpa

Brian Roiberto Sibrian Cruz

Alaya Ruby-Daigh Smith

Borrah Chad Som

Henry Brackett Speiser

Margaret Serena Speiser

Audrey Jordan Spiridopoulos

Melina Staples

Sebastian Orion Stinson

Emma Grace Stinson

Malcolm Jason Sullivan-Flynn

Brennan James Summers

David Almeida Teixeira

Jude Oliver Francis Thompson

Maxwell David Nicolaj Thomson

Cynthia Yu Tian

Anisa Turku

Coralys Enid Vazquez Ayala

Ivy Jane Vicensio-Rasku

Dietrich Jerome Vogel

Lilian Na’ima Wambura

Leyeti Mayazola Ward

Luna Padme Weiss

Frances Feitya White

Caylee Brieanna Williams

James Achille Wilson

Malekhi Ronald Woodard-Som

Samuel Moyer Woodruff

Liam Russell Worgess

Arturo Jose Yanes Guerra

Finn Belka Zaklanovic

Eliza Marriott Zimmermann

Sophie May Ziomek

Uli Zottoli