A Point of View: Celebrating community pride with pomp and circumstance

I was recently invited to interview a number of our high school graduating seniors in one of our local high schools, along with a few other individuals. This great opportunity was very well organized.

These one-on-one interviews were highly-positive, dynamic conversations. We were privileged to interview this impressive group of high school seniors. I couldn’t help but be amazed by the students’ individual talents and treasure troves of potential. I am sure this report holds true in other Western New York high schools, as well.

I am confident that our future as a society and as a nation is, and will continue to be, in the best of hands.



Every interviewee exuded positive energy and creative aspiration. It was impressive to see these young men and women eager to enter the work force in a variety of fields or move into higher education with majors in an array of impressive career options. Still others expressed plans to enter a branch of the U.S. military or other non-combatant fields of service.

A number of other students said they were interested in home-centered fields. These seniors had strong work ethics and were moved by a spirit of initiative, service and commitment. We are surrounded with an array of entrepreneurial talent.

The students and their parents, teachers, guidance departments, administrative personnel and other staff members from the elementary level on up, deserve to be commended. Their stories, written for the annals of time, can assure us that we are a society moving forward.

This is a special time of year; graduation is just around the corner for our schools in Western New York.

My congratulations go out to all our honored graduates. You have made us proud! I also extend recognition to the parents, relatives and school personnel who contributed in so many ways to these students’ accomplishments. As the graduates march down the aisle to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance,” we can be reassured that the splendor of the American dream is part of the “circumstance” reflected through this celebration!