THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, JunE 12, 2026 Page 13 Kenton Tran, Class of 2026 Salutatorian Don’t Be Afraid D istinguished guests, administrators, unforgettable teachers, proud parents, and most importantly, the entire class of 2026. My Name is Kenton Tran and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to speak with you all today– even as I’m battling a bad case of stage fright right now. Now that you know that, I do want to make a[nother] confession [about a time when I was scared]. On the first day of freshman year, when we were all young and clueless as to what high school had to offer, I remember looking for my English classroom 5 thousand something– and simply walking everywhere and not finding it. I literally examined every hallway. Maybe even twice. I could NOT find it. Which, looking back, is easy to see why. I wasn’t even on the fifth floor. Eventually, someone pointed me in the right direction (Up!) and I walked into (Mrs. Fallon-who was my English teacher) thirty minutes late, feeling as embarrassed as ever. To be honest, I was just praying that nobody would be staring at me, judging me, thinking to themselves: “Man I’m glad I’m not that guy.” I also remember this exact feeling of anxiety when it came to taking harder classes. “What if I can’t do it? What if it’s too hard, or the workload too much? What if I fail?” Speaking to my friends who are seated somewhere on this field, I know that I wasn’t the only one. Or maybe for you it was the fear of trying out for a team, or a role in the play, or just walking into the cafeteria not knowing any of the 500 kids around you. So the question I have is: Why were we all so scared? I mean, sure, it didn’t feel great getting 50s and 60s on a test. But the more 60s and 50s that I got, the more I began to see what EHS education really offered. EHS teaches grit and resilience through ways in which I should have picked up sooner. I’m sure that some of you recognized this long before I did but I eventually stopped seeing grades as the only measure of success. Instead, I saw them as a step toward improvement. I remember sending hundreds of EHS Class of 2026 Valedictorian Lucas Martins G ood Evening, Everett and Good Evening to the Graduates of 2026! I’d like to begin tonight by thanking the students, families, and faculty of the Everett Public Schools. Thank you to Superintendent Hart and your entire administration. Thank you to Mayor Robert Van Campen, the School Committee, and all of you in attendance. This is a special night that required all of your love and guidance to be made possible. I’d also like to thank my Kenton Tran Class of 2026 Salutatorian emails to Ms. Brogna or Dr. Seiders asking about math questions, staying after with Mr. Simpson anytime I was having a hard time in physics, and badgering Mr. Fineran and Mr. Mcdonough for essay writing tips. I stopped being afraid to admit I wasn’t always the best. I started realizing the value in showing up and remaining consistent. Whether you want to be a barber, or a plumber, a physician or a musician–or even being the best Overwatch player–success comes down to showing up and giving it your all. Obviously, there will be risks, but why be afraid to take them? I’d bet that 10 years from now, you’ll look back on high school and be glad you gave it your all, or you’ll wish you had. Although there are failures or setbacks–like failing a test that I literally studied all night for– there is no need to be afraid. Failing means seeing that there is room for improvement. We are here today having completed our journey through high school. We have earned the title as the class of 2026. Everyone here has proven that they can achieve something when their mind is set to complete one goal, like getting that diploma. And now that we’ve done that, don’t be afraid to do even more: dream bigger, work harder, earn even more. I can’t wait to see what you can do. Congratulations class of 2026, WE did it!!! parents for their daily hard work to support me and my brother. On behalf of the class of 2026, I want to thank every parent, all the aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends, and mentors who have supported all of us—you share in our achievements, and we appreciate you more than we can say. I’d also like to give special thanks to the STEM teachers who have greatly supported me throughout my high school journey, including Mr. Munoz, Dr. Backlund, and Dr. Seiders. Thank you also Mr. Cheever for teaching me how to approach challenging math problems, and Ms. Dunn for teaching me how to plan ahead to achieve goals in life. Thank you also to every other teacher who helped me or another student in their education. Tonight I can’t help but to simultaneously look forward to our futures and back to what got us here. When you think about it, this is the last time we will all be together. Do you remember everything you went through—the good, the bad, the exciting, the boring, the totally embarrassing—to get here? Think about it. I remember how I got to where I am right now. It was in my sophomore year. Kenton Tran had the auLucas Martins Class of 2026 Valedictorian dacity to start the Robotics Club at Everett High School as long as Mr. Paradise would agree to help. With Mr. Kvietkausas’ and Dr. Kraemer’s guidance, the club continued. Kenton brought together a group of people that would later become my close friends, and I’ll always have fond memories of this club for that reason. He recruited me, Ali Raza, Ritchy Samedy, Elvis Nguyen, and Gabriel Flores (JOKE: STOP… Look at the crowd. Is Gabriel here right now? Is he absent again? Can someone please give Gabe a call…) How many of you found some of your best friends at the activities at Everett High School? When I look back at the group Kenton pulled together, I realize that what we were doing for fun and the chance to hang out together, was really just the beginning of us realizing our futures. Ali is going to Boston College in the fall to study Topology where he’ll calculate the symmetry of toruses, otherwise known as donuts. Hilarious that he needs B.C. to do that when all of Everett can figure that out for 2 dollars at the Dunkins next to Walgreens. When I look at Ritchy Samedy, I’m glad I became friends with him when I did because after 4 years at UPenn, he’ll probably only speak to people who manage hedge funds and reminisce about the time they made their “first million.” And then there’s Gaetano Foster. If you only judged him by the way he tosses turkeys, you’d be way off. This is a man that’s capable of standing on tables in computer science class screaming about reprogramming “Five Nights at Freddy’s” to “Five Nights at Silver’s”! Shout out to Mr. Silver. Way to go Gaetano. By the way, before you leave tonight, you need to pay for all of the chairs you smashed! Its like that, too because it was the Robotics Club that sparked my curiosity for understanding the hardware that makes programming possible. This led me down an interesting path towards electrical engineering, which is what I’ll study next year in college. So Kenton, thank you. You started something real that actually impacted others, and more importantly, it brought friends together. Each one of you has a story like this. Each story is unique, but all of them led to this moment here, right now. This is a time to celebrate. Congratulations to all my classmates—you have worked hard, had amazing experiences, and learned from your teachers, families, and friends. Now it’s time to chase the future that interests YOU! This is your time and your opportunity to create the future you want. Thank you and good luck to the class says a lot about Kenton Tran that he could pull together a robotics team on 3 hours of sleep. I think he knew he was M.I.T.-bound back then, and I’m glad he was of 2026!
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