THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUnE 2, 2023 Page 7 Saugus High Class of 2023 Student leaders cite classmates’ resilience in coping with COViD-19, transitioning to a new building and four years of challenges By Mark E. Vogler W hen Valedictorian Jay Patel takes the stage tonight to deliver his commencement address to nearly 180 classmates who will be graduating from Saugus High School, his main message will be to “persevere and fi nd your own path,” he said. “I would say our resilience to face the changes and challenges that we had – like COVID-19 and changing buildings – defi ne us as a class,” said Patel, 18, who achieved a 4.8 grade point average to fi nish as the top scholastically ranked student in his class. “We spent our freshman year in the old building. And the second year, we had COVID and the last two years in the new building. It’s been a bumpy ride,” Patel said. “But my class is very individualistic. They have their own goals and career paths and worked hard to achieve those dreams. I’m obviously proud of my class. And I feel like we’re very resilient,” he said. Patel said he plans to study Computer Science at Boston University in the fall, with aspirations of starting his own company. Commencement exercises are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in Christie Serino Jr. Memorial Stadium. Class President Joshua Farmer said he agrees with Patel that the Saugus High Class of 2023 “should be remembered as a very resilient group of students.” Farmer, 18, plans to attend McGill University in Montreal, Save money and stay cool! Receive $40 rebate from Sponsors of Mass Save when purchasing an ENERGY STAR certifi ed room air conditioner As the temperature rises, air-conditioning becomes a priority for both you and your pets to stay cool and comfortable. The Sponsors of Mass Save are here to help you avoid energy waste and save some money while you try to beat the heat. By using an ENERGY STAR® Pictured from left to right: Valedictorian Jay Patel, Salutatorian Afnan Tuff aha and Class President Joshua Farmer enjoyed Field Day with their classmates earlier this week. Tonight, they will deliver speeches at graduation ceremonies set for 6 p.m. at Christie Serino Jr. Memorial Stadium. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Canada, where he will study Political Science. “In our four years together, we went through COVID, remote learning, hybrid learning and mask mandates and we still continued to keep our spirits high,” Farmer said. “The biggest accomplishment of this class was making it here to graduation happier, smarter and stronger than our freshman year. We’re fi nishing together.” Farmer is thinking about a career in politics or going to law school after getting his college degree. “I think it’s interesting how much the diversity has grown at Saugus High,” he said, noting that the Class of 2018 was about 70 percent white. “Now, it’s down to about 60 percent this year, and the whole school is about 55 percent,” he said. “We have people graduating from many different countries – Brazil, Hatti and Albania,” he said. Everett Aluminum 10 Everett Ave., Everett 617-389-3839 “Same name, phone number & address for over half a century. We must be doing something right!” •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Decks •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Free Estimates •Fully Licensed •Roofing • Fully Insured • Replacement Windows www.everettaluminum.com •Free Estimates •Fully Licensed Now’s the time to schedule those home improvement projects you’ve been dreaming about all winter! Salutatorian Afnan Tuff aha, the second highest scholastically ranked student in the Class of 2023 with a 4.78 grade point average, celebrated her 18th birthday yesterday (Thursday, June 1). Today, she plans to further her education at Northeastern University, where she will study computer science. “I want to work as a software engineer in some big company – Amazon, Microsoft or Apple,” Tuff aha said. “We had our freshman year cut short. We had to do remote learning. This would actually be our fi rst normal year,” Tuff aha said. “What’s been great about us is that we’ve been able to adapt to all of these changes swiftly and we’ve been very open to them,” she said. “My favorite moment during High School was Color Day. And that has always been a great time for students to come together and do something together,” she said. certifi ed room air conditioner, you can use 10% less energy than a non-certifi ed model. 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