The band plays, and parents hold steady their cellphone cameras as the dozens of students file down the aisle in their caps and gowns, tassels bouncing.

They have entered the venue as a senior in high school. They will leave a graduate — the first step toward their new future.

This day that seemed like it would never arrive is finally here. With it, every parent remembers his or her baby entering kindergarten. Within a blink of an eye, football games, formal dances, homecoming, marching band practice and countless friendships will become sealed memories in the chapter of high school. Another story is added and imprinted into our hearts. What is ahead will be a new beginning — a new chapter in a new story.

From day one of freshman year to the final day of senior year, this year’s graduates have shared a high school experience unlike many others who have gone before them. While most enjoyed a relatively normal senior year, with COVID-19 seemingly fading away, other years during their high school career, of course, were experienced only through the computer screen of their school-provided Chromebook, or when they returned to in-person learning, was spent masked up and socially distanced behind giant panels of plexiglass.

Indeed, we all hope we can continue on a path free of the pandemic and experiencing good health.

From our vantage point, however, we see young adults from Mahoning County and from all over our Mahoning Valley remaining undaunted by those trials they’ve experienced over the past few years, whether they stemmed from COVID-19 or any other challenges in school work, employment, with their families or with life in general.

They appear courageous and ready to face all the new challenges the world will bring them as they march from the stage and into the future knowing that they can and will make a difference.

On June 1, inside The Vindicator, readers will find a very special section listing names of hundreds of graduates from the schools in Mahoning County that responded to our requests for this information. The section also contains many photos of valedictorians, salutatorians and others of our area’s best and brightest. They’ve been making us proud throughout the past 12 years, and now they will start a new voyage into the world.

We have this message for each and every one of our graduates of the class of 2022:

Remain strong and true to your home and your family, but at the same time, never be afraid to take a chance at new opportunities, no matter where they may be. When a door opens, don’t hesitate.

Be gracious and thankful, never forgetting those who got you to this point — your parents, family, teachers, friends — and show gratitude to those who will support you in the days and years ahead.

Stay curious, and always ask “why?”

Capture the emotions of eagerness, enthusiasm and wonder that you feel today, and try to remember this feeling as you travel through life. Things will become hard and dull; it’s up to you to seek and find happiness.

Remember, success is a journey, not necessarily an end result. It can be achieved in large part by staying on the right path, following your heart and knowing you are doing the right thing for the right reasons.

Congratulations, class of 2022. Make us proud!

editorial@vindy.com