BLPA Graduation 2025

Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy presented diplomas to 106 seniors on Wednesday, May 21, in front of a full house of family and friends during the graduation ceremony at COS City Hub. This is BLPA's fifth graduating class since the school was founded. 

 

Mina Headley spoke to her fellow graduates about being yourself despite the expectations of others. 

“Class of 2025, you do not need to wait until the tassel is flipped for your life to begin. It already has, and you are doing far better than you even realize. Take a deep breath, and take your next step with the most imperfect, unapologetic version of yourself facing forward,” she said. “You’re going to be just fine.”

Coach Gary Kurtz, selected by the seniors to speak, shared stories of resilience in the face of adversity.

“Guys, never take no for an answer, always work towards your goals, surround yourself with good people and cheer each other on, and never give up on yourself no matter how hard things get along the way,” Kurtz said, “If you can nurture the skill to view adversity as a privilege and find a way to make things work, you will win at life, and that is what I want to leave you guys with.”

Noelle Gillespie said, Now, we’re looking ahead, to college, work, the military, travel, or maybe a well-earned break to figure it all out. The truth is, the world we’re stepping into is full of uncertainty. But it's also full of opportunity. And if high school taught us anything, it’s that we’re more capable than we ever imagined. So, here’s my advice: Your life is what you make of it, so have fun! Hard times may come, bad things may happen, but we have to keep moving forward no matter what and we might as well make the best of it.”

Valedictorian Ryan Martinez (GPA of 4.473), despite battling an illness and high fever, spoke to his classmates. 

“Congrats to all graduates. I understand some of you may be nervous, some may be excited, or maybe indifferent about the future. Whatever it is, I want to give you this piece of knowledge, this skill I’ve learned that could help you in your future endeavors,” he said. “Hard work is the equalizer of the playing field.”

 

He spoke of the numerous injuries and disappointments he faced as a cross country runner.

“I will try again and try again and try again until the day I die. Now matter how miserable the setback or how devastating the failure, I will try again. Because that’s how I choose to live, and I hope that’s how you want to live. There’s hardship, but I believe the reward is worth it,” he said. “The question is, are you willing to work hard to see if it’s worth it?”

 

For more photos of the ceremony, see our Facebook Album.