NORTHAMPTON — When the state’s Department of Agricultural Resources commissioner Ashley Randle took the podium at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School’s football stadium in front of a crowd of hundreds of parents and families Thursday evening, she said she almost mistook it for another New England sports arena.

“Driving up here tonight I was wondering if I was going to Gillette Stadium because there were so many people,” she remarked.

Randle, the first woman to serve as agriculture commissioner and who grew up on a dairy farm in South Deerfield, served as the keynote speaker for Smith Voc’s graduating Class of 2024, the first time the school has had a keynote address for its graduation. She recounted to 124 graduates how she had raised a Guernsey cow on her dairy farm growing up, named Pistachio Pie, that eventually was named a supreme champion at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.

“To me, it was a challenge and an opportunity,” she said. “I could have chosen another heifer on the farm, but instead I looked at Pie and knew that with a little extra tender loving care, she could grow and develop into her own.”

Randle told the class that like them, the skills she learned on the farm prepared her for the kinds of possibilities that could arise when they pursue their passions and meet career challenges head-on.

“The life skills that I developed on the farm, including time management, responsibility, dealing with the circle of life, and compassion, have translated into my education, career and into my role as an advocate for an industry that I care deeply about,” Randle said.

“Those same skills that you’ve developed in the classroom and through your interests, will carry you beyond the school’s walls, beyond the fields of Hampshire County and even farther than the state lines of Massachusetts.”

The graduation ceremony, held outdoors and packed with families celebrating, was a far cry from how the Class of 2024 had started, when students entered high school amid the COVID-19 pandemic, confined to their homes and only attending classes virtually.

“Trying to bond with your peers behind Chromebooks is not quite what would be considered an easy task,” said Aaron Fein, a culinary arts student from Florence and the class valedictorian, during the ceremony. “We have matured quite a bit since freshman year, however we are still lacking — we need to actively challenge ourselves in order to grow.”

Fein also told the class to reflect on their goals, despite any anxieties the future may hold.

“Even as I stand before you today, I am unsure as to what I want to do even tomorrow, let alone three months or three years from now,” he said. “Use your strengths and the skills that you have sharpened during your time here to overcome challenges that will inevitably come your way.”

Madison Gorrell, the school’s salutatorian, also reflected on the difficulties of starting the school year remotely. Gorrell, a criminal justice student from the Franklin County town of Buckland, noted how she was the only person from her town in that year’s graduating class, making it difficult to get to know her peers in that first year.

“Though everyone has faced setbacks, it was the support of those here today that have picked us up off the proverbial floor,” Gorrell said, referring to the teachers and staff members at the ceremony. “These early difficulties aside, people have formed friendships and bonds that will last for years to come.”

Gorrell ended her speech by also saying that the bonds students forged during their time together at Smith Vocational will help them face the future.

“Today marks the beginning of something new and unfamiliar, and for some, downright frightening,” she said. “But you can find comfort in knowing that you have people that will always be in your corner.”

Graduates

Owen Abrams, Myles Henry Albitz, Astrid Lillian Anderson, Loryn Elizabeth Anischik, Calvin Merrill Antes, Damien Alexander Baird, Megan Elizabeth Baldwin, Daniel Michael Banister, Alena Zavras Bentrewicz, Jonathan Fernando Bermeo, Caleb Angelli Boissonault, Tessa Ellis Boisvert, Jennifer Elizabeth Bouchard, Pyper Tova Boudreau, Caleb Matthew Bouffard, Zachary Michael Bramucci;

Giada Knicole Brooks, Peter Stephan Buchachiy, Tyler Jon Carlson, Zachary William Casterline, Katrina Lynn Chasse, Myles Hart Chinappa, Omri Rose Ciufo, Emma Cecile Clark, Grace Olivia Clendenin, Zachary Robert Cooper, Christopher Nicholas Corbett, Katherine Thelma Mae Costa, Megan Lorraine Courtney, Ryan McCoy Curns, Kaelyn Renee Cyr, Jayanna Liz Daniels, Jack Dawson, Megan Marie Doyle, Josilyn Reid Dubay;

Lucas Gaetano Falvo, Nathan William Farrington, Aaron Elimelch Fein, Caelan Richard Finnie, Frank Napoleon Fournier IV, Cierra Esther Frey, Shelby Jillian Frey, Lukas Antonio Gagliardi, Violet Armstrong Geoffrion, Seraphina Maye Gibson, Ariel Lev Ginsberg, Madison Marie Gorrell, Walden Clendening Francis, Courage Groundwater, Kaitlyn Louise Guerin, Christopher Edward Helin, Jack Allen Hennemann, Nicholas Christopher Henrichon, Tania Alexandra Hernandez Ayala;

Cheyenne Savannah Faith Huff, Rylan Edward Illingsworth, Annalise Mae Kaczenski, Reese Elisabeth Kiczakrieger, Paige Louise Krupa, Bradley Miles Kuehner, Thomas James Lachance, Chase Ronald Lashway, Evan Robert Latour, Jameson Russell Lavallee, Jayden Lavalley-Rogers, Cade James Leitl, Trevor Roger Lemoine, Tatiana Marie Le-Torres, Sarah Elyse Loomis, Cameron O’Neil Lorge, Charles Joseph Loring, William Ziter Loring, Hannah Suzanne Marcil, Alex Imke Martinez, Hayden Elizabeth Matrishon, Ariel Marie Maynard, Anthony Joseph McGrath, Philip John McKay III;

Brady Giacomo McNamara, Ayla Rosa Mechachonis, Zander Michael Melo, Angel Anthony Mora, Daelin Aloisi Murdock, Nikola Ndreu, Morgan Paige Norton, John Paul Olson, Keegan Dominic O’Malley, Eithan Emilio Ortiz Viera, Ethan Yulian Ortiz, Jayden Antonio Parker, Allen Michael Pensivy, Lily Grace Poudrier, Sean Garrett Quinto, Dane Robert Radwich, Daniela Patricia, Ramirez Rosales, Ethan Gerald Ramos, Leah Marie Routhier, Julia Faith Roy, Andrew Jason Royer Jr., Samuel Caleb Ryan, Oezalyna Mae Santiago, Luke Davis Saunders, Alexander Oscar Rene Shackelford, Jared Dale Small, Nicholas James Smith, Molly Pingxian Smith-Eilenberg, Alyssa Marie Stanek, Amanda Jean Stankowski, Emily Krystyna Stankowski, Hunter James Stockseth, Brandon Joseph Thang, Chase Walker Thayer, James Edward Tobin, Zachary Christopher Truong, Oliver Lee Weeks, Nicholas Lawrence West, William Albert West Jr., Jackson Robert Wheeler, Zackery Ivan Yakovlev, Melia Abigail Young, Genesis-Esprit Aerith-Esor Yule-Wixx, Harrison Yozef Zadworny, Sean Stephen Zadworny, Julia Katherine Zawalick, Brodie Michael Zimmerman, Nicholas Deloit Zimmerman.