COLDWATER, MI. — Surrounded by friends and family, 141 seniors at Coldwater High School graduated Sunday afternoon, May 31 on the turf of Cardinal Field.
During the 90-minute ceremony, students heard from leaders and top scholars. Academic competition at Coldwater is so strong that 119 graduates earned GPAs of 3.0 or above, achieving cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude honors.
Co-Salutatorian Sebastian Ocampo celebrated the student body’s diversity and Coldwater’s welcoming spirit. His family immigrated from Colombia to Coldwater in search of a better life.
Ocampo grew up alongside classmates from around the world—including Haiti, Latin America, the Middle East, and beyond.
“That was never a big deal to us. We are unique people with unique stories and unique experiences, but at the same time, we’ve grown up together. We built our lives together. This has been our collective story,” Ocampo said.
Valedictorian Afnan Munassar, who will attend the University of Michigan, advised, don’t plan your life too far ahead.
“I do think there is something valuable to staying awake and open to new possibilities, open to change, to uncertainty, to evolving, and to becoming people you cannot yet imagine,” Munassar said.
Superintendent Paul Flynn echoed this sentiment in his address. “Someone else may seem to have life perfectly figured out. The truth is, nobody has it all figured out.”
Flynn urged students to explore their future. “Life’s not a race, it’s a journey of growth, mistakes, learning, and discovery. You don’t need to become someone else to become successful.”
Last week, Coldwater students were honored at Scholarship Night on Wednesday, May 27.
Sixty-five Coldwater High School seniors, 15 Early Middle College students, and 20 CHS alumni received nearly $413,000 in scholarships to support their educational goals.
Contact Don Reid, dReid@USATodayCo.Com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater High graduates 141 in the Class of 2026 Sunday
Reporting by Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter / Coldwater Daily Reporter
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