001[music] >> Good evening, Mustang Nation. I know you all can do better than that. This is a celebration. Good evening, Mustang Nation. I would like to welcome each and every one of you to the 2026 commencement ceremony for a phenomenal group of young people. They were my first group coming into the principalship, and we have definitely had some highs and lows. But they have helped me to grow as an individual, as an administrator, and I'm so very proud of each and every one of them. I hope you all see the group of distinguished guests that are here for you today. We've got the mayor. We have the regional superintendent, our board chair. We have directors, chiefs, all for you because each and every one of you are special. I hope that you all enjoy tonight's
002ceremony as we celebrate each of the members of the class of 2026. So, enjoy. Let's celebrate this evening and have a phenomenal time. >> [applause and cheering] >> We are going to begin our ceremony this evening with our senior class address from our senior class president. You all might know her as May, but I'm going to call her Miss Andrea. If you could come on up, Miss Jones, and give your senior class their bit of goodbye. >> [cheering] >> Hello friends, family, special guests, and most of all the Memphis East class of 2026. Welcome to graduation. My name is Andrea May Jones, and I have had the honor of being the class president for the seniors this year. First off, I want to address the guests. Whatever your role is, you're here because of your
003relationships with one of the students I've had the honor of going to school with for the past few years. I want to thank you for the support you provided. Maybe that was in the form of sitting and helping through homework, giving rides to school or practice or any new extracurricular, being a shoulder to cry on, or your senior's biggest fan. We could not be where we are today without some form of support system to get us through it. So, for that, thank you. This day is meaningful to the guests in a different way than it is to us students. This is the day you will see your child, cousin, teammate, best friend, or whoever walk the stage and get their diploma, literally and figuratively crossing that milestone and stepping into a new chapter of life.
004A graduation can mean so much in so many different ways. So, whatever makes today special for you and your senior, hold on to it and remember it. This day is the consummation of y'all's support and will be revered in such a special light. So, cheer as loud as you can and take all the pictures. This is graduation. Now, for the guests of honor, the seniors and soon-to-be graduates. Our lives as we know it have been defined by high school. For better or worse, the 8:15 to 3:15 bells have rung clear and true every day of all of our lives for the past 12 years. Maybe today is the mark of the last day of schooling you'll ever do, or maybe it's the first diploma you receive of many. Whatever your future holds, this day will
005be a notable memory for the rest of your life, like a core memory from the movie Inside Out. This day will be preserved in a little golden orb in all of our minds. It's okay to cry or laugh or do whatever feels right throughout these next few hours. This is your graduation and your special day. Walk the stage with pride Remember all the effort that went into getting to this point. You worked so hard to get here and I am so so proud of all of us. We've had so many experiences through East. This year with prom, the lock-in, and all of our senior events, and then all the memories over the years. Maybe you're graduating with your drone's license or hours accumulated in Mr. Brown's shop, or you spent your time in art or
006the kitchen. Maybe you racked up AP credits suffering through chemistry, calculus, or any of the other anxiety-inducing subjects. Or you devoted yourself to the gym or the field or the track. Whatever your takeaway is, you've ended up here sitting next to someone who probably has completely different memories from their time at East. Whatever your personal perspective is, we're all here together. We're all here as part of the Memphis East class of 2026. We all have so many aspirations we're constantly striving towards, but for tonight I want everyone to forget about those and just take a step back. I'm not saying to lower your standards or lose sight of your goals, but just acknowledge the achievement you're fulfilling right now. Graduation is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. High school might only be 4 years of your life. They're
007years that form and shape you, and they're over now. Tonight is the culmination of all your achievements from the past 12 years. So breathe and take it in. Acknowledge what you have done and be proud of yourself. For the next couple hours just sit and appreciate your accomplishments. We did it, guys. >> [cheering] [applause] >> At this time we will have our salutatorian address. If I could get Miss Amara Reed to come on up. >> [cheering] [applause] >> Good evening, family, friends, teachers, and class of 2026. My name is Amara Reed and I'm so honored to be delivering this speech as a 2026 salutatorian. I'm so happy to to be able to finally say we made it. No one's journey has been the exact same. I mean, I know I for one didn't leave high
008school with the same people I came in with, except for my amazing, intelligent, talented, beautiful best friends Deja and Jewel, who I'm so thankful for. This class is filled with so many remarkable students and gifted students. I'd even argue that we're one of the best classes that Memphis East has ever had. Despite the challenges that we faced this year as a senior class, we still managed to make the most of it and have fun along the way. Before I entered 12th grade, I had heard from many people years before that 12th grade is the hardest. After going through the challenges that I experienced in 11th grade, I just didn't believe them. However, what I quickly learned was that although 11th grade was academically hard, where I spent so many late nights studying for AP Chem,
009writing essay after essay for AP Lang, and completing readings for AP African-American studies, none of it compared to the daunting decisions we had to make in senior year as 17- and 18-year-olds that would affect us for the rest of our lives. These past 4 years have been an experience I'm glad I only have to go through once. I never want to go through AP testing again. I never want to take eight classes in a day again. And to be honest, I never want to ask to go to the bathroom again. But all those small inconveniences can't compare to the things that I will miss. I'll miss that last week of junior year where I had the most fun with my class, but ended with a bittersweet goodbye to my favorite teacher, Ms. Forten. I'll miss
010when we had the Memphis East hype man and our very own 6'7 boys at our pep rallies. But what these experiences But this is what these experiences are all about. Getting to look back on the tragic and cherishable moments that help us shape what we want the rest of our lives to be like. Like Cady Heron from Mean Girls wisely said, the limit does not exist." Out of context, I think this quote pretty much sums up the power that we have over the rest of our lives. It's so freeing to know that we're able to choose the next decision, the next moment, and the next memory. This is truly only the beginning. So, what I would say to you, class of 2026, is don't hold anything back. Life is short, and for now, for the
011most part, now that we're adults, the only thing holding us back is ourselves. Be proud of yourself for making it this far, and don't ever give up. With that being said, I'd now like to introduce the class of 2026 valedictorian, Noah Parker. >> [cheering] [applause] [applause and cheering] >> Yeah, thanks, Grayson. Yeah. Um hi, everybody. I'm Noah Parker. I know you all have really busy schedules, so I'm glad you're all able to make it out tonight to help celebrate the class of 2026. So, can we get a round of applause for that? >> [applause] >> All right. So, um before I get started, there are a few people that I want to thank first. So, of course, I'm going to thank my parents. Um my mom has spent the last 18 years of my life
012being the most caring, involved, and supportive woman imaginable. She was always there when I needed help with a project or came down with some sickness. She always knew about the school's events and activities, sometimes before I did, and she just pushed me to stay involved and keep myself active. My dad has also been very important, not just my entire life, but the last 4 years especially. He's one of the most driven, determined, disciplined people I know, and I can only hope that these qualities were passed down to me. Watching the last 4 years has inspired me to be better than I thought I could be. He's the standard by which I judge my success, and I don't think I'd be where I am without him. I also want to thank all of my amazing teachers
013I've had here at East. Um Ms. Forton, Dr. Dancy, Ms. Walters, Coach AC, Mr. Kimler, Mr. Madison, Mr. Emptage, and many more were all great teachers to me whether it was how they taught, what they taught, or just who they were as people. They all stand out as what made the school special. I remember Ms. Forton would spend hours after school in tutoring with me even if I was the only one there. Dr. Dancy would always push me in class know what I more than what I did the day before. And Ms. Walters created an environment in her classroom where I could use my special skill of talking too much to contribute to her discussions. I believe that learning is only half the battle. To excel, people need great people willing to teach as well.
014And I'm thankful that I had that here. Finally, I want to thank some of my peers that I feel deserve a special shout out. So, Kate Ashby, Ammar Reed, May Jones, Deja Brandon, and Sam Leibowitz, I want to thank you specifically. These are the people that I would message at 11:00 at night asking if we had homework for a certain class, or when I needed help remembering a certain formula, or couldn't figure out how to work a certain problem. And no matter how late it was, they still responded. Sometimes like 20 30 minutes late, but you know, they responded. So, they helped me when I often needed it most, and so I want to thank them for that. Now, while I'm thankful for the experiences, opportunities, and people here at East, they only make what
015we're doing here tonight harder. Because tonight isn't just a celebration, tonight is a transition. Tonight is the last step of one very long journey and the first step of one that's just beginning. When we leave here tonight, we aren't just leaving this building, we're leaving our friends, our routines, our comfortable consistent lives that we spent years creating all to venture out to new frontiers. After today, real life sets in and it will push us all every which way. Some of our paths may intersect, others may never meet again. And although no one knows all the places you'll go, no matter where you end up, I want to offer you all some advice. The first piece of advice I want to give you is to cherish the people that's around you. We spent 4 years, that's
0161,460 days together, all in the same city, most of which were spent all in the same building, and in that time, many of us have grown close to each other. Some of us were strangers until this school year, and some of us are strangers to each other even now. While I won't claim to have a personal connection with each and every one of you, I can say that I appreciate each of you for the contributions you made to our class. Your laughs, your jokes, your compliments, your smiles, you all brought something valuable, and it's my hope that as you move on and find yourself in new, unfamiliar environments, you will learn to appreciate these things, too. My second piece of advice is to keep an open mind. I know that this is a big accomplishment,
017and it's easy to let it go to your head and feel like you're done with everything, but we still have so much to learn. There are things you don't know you don't know. So, as you continue on your journey, stay open to being taught a thing or two. My final piece of advice for you, class of 2026, is to find your passion. I know that that's a big cliché, but it really is one of the most important things that you can do with your life. I'm fortunate enough to have found my passion in flying here at East. And I hope that as we take the torch of adulthood, you will find a passion that challenges you to go beyond the great expectations placed on you, that you will take these passions, and not just make
018them your own, but use them to inspire those behind you to pursue their own dreams. I'm a firm believer in the idea that once your dreams come true, it's your turn to offer them to others. So, wherever you go, you should impress. Whoever you meet, you should inspire, and in whatever you do, your goal should be to amaze, amaze, amaze. Thank you very much. >> [applause] >> Good evening, graduates, families, faculty, staff, and honored guests. Tonight, we celebrate the class of 2026. A class that may be small in number, but a truly mighty, mighty talented, and very high in leadership and achievement. This class has given us so much to be proud of. Among them are 18 members of the 30 plus club, one student with a perfect ACT score, one national merit scholar, four
019Seal of Biliteracy recipients, and one Seal of Multiliteracy recipient. >> [applause] >> They have also represented us with excellence beyond the classroom, including an AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game participant, a Tennessee All-Star Girls Soccer team player, >> [cheering] >> I know. >> [applause] >> And a top 10 athlete in the district. >> [cheering and applause] >> And together, the class of 2026 has earned an outstanding scholarship total of $9,226,336. >> [applause] >> Graduates, these accomplishments are a reflection of your hard work, your determination, your family support, and the dedication of the educators who have poured into you along the way. Class of 2026, we are incredibly proud of each of you. As you move forward, continue to lead with purpose, work with excellence, and remember that your size never determines your impact. You
020have already proven that you are small but mighty. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> At this time, it is my pleasure to introduce our graduation speaker, the honorable Paul Young, mayor of the city of Memphis. >> [applause] >> Mayor Young is not only the leader of our city, but he is also a proud Memphian, a husband, a father, and an alumnus of East High School. >> [applause] >> So, today, he's not just speaking to our graduates as the mayor, but as someone who once walked these same halls and understands what this moment means. He was sworn in as mayor on January 1st, 2024, with a vision to help make Memphis stronger, safer, and better for every person who calls this city home. Long before becoming mayor, he was already doing the work of serving Memphis. Through his
021leadership with the Downtown Memphis Commission and the City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development, he worked to strengthen neighborhoods, support families, and create spaces where people could live, grow, and thrive. Mayor Young's journey shows our graduates what's possible when education, purpose, and service come together. He earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee, along with degrees in urban and regional planning and business administration from the University of Memphis. Today, he continues to lead with the belief that the future of Memphis depends on investing in our people, our students, and graduates. That most certainly includes you. So, at this time, please join me in giving a warm Memphis East welcome to one of our very own Mustangs and the mayor of Memphis, Paul Young. >> [applause] >> Thank you. Thank you
022for that amazing introduction and I'm just so honored to be here in this moment. I was sitting there taking it all in as I was hearing about the scholarships and hearing the class representative speak and it's just so amazing to be here and see you all in this moment and yeah, man. All right. So, I have a lot of prepared remarks, but often times when I get in front of groups, I just like to go where the spirit takes me. So, I'm going to I'm going to mix it all up if that's all right with y'all. All right. Yeah, y'all can loosen up. This is a celebration for all Y'all Can y'all give it up for these young people? This is graduation night. So, we going to loosen up a little bit. There we go.
023Uh to the faculty and staff of East High, thank you all for uh pouring into our young people and what you do every single day. Uh to the families Young people, can we give it up for our families right now? You all made it, families. Your sacrifice, your prayers, your presence, it's all up on this stage tonight. So, take this moment. This is for you. And to the East High Class of 2026, welcome to the rest of your life. You are ready for what comes next and we are ready to welcome you to the work of creating a better Memphis. Um I want to start off by just telling you a little bit about me uh in my journey. Uh I sat exactly where you are right now. I walked the exact same halls as
024you at these high school many years ago. I won't say I'll say I'll tell you it was class of '97, class of 1997. All right, there goes somebody. All right, all right, there we go. '97 in the building. And two of my classmates are actually here. One of them text me that if you saw me on my phone, it was because she text me and that was Sheila Green Williamson and then Lassandra Johnson whose daughter is graduating, Carrington Johnson. Shout out to Carrington. So Carrington, me and your mom went to school together. Uh and and what I will tell you is this school made me everything that I am. Uh it was here that I decided that I wanted to be an engineer. Uh that took me to the University of Tennessee Knoxville and eventually
025it took me into urban planning because I realized that the most important thing that we could ever be or wasn't just a structure, it was community. And that led [music] me to being mayor of Memphis. And let me tell you that nowhere on my cards was being mayor. When I was sitting where you were sitting, there was nowhere in my sightline. I wasn't thinking about being mayor. And I don't say that to impress you. I just say that to tell you because every step of your journey from school to where you will be in the long term and where I am right now sitting in this office, it's been about one thing and that's been service. Service to the city, service to neighborhoods, and service to people. The degrees change, the titles change, but the
026decision that I made as a teenager sitting right where you are to do something that mattered for other people, that never changed. And I'll just tell a quick story. I'm not going to take too long cuz I know we're trying to get to the to the passing out diplomas, but I had this moment when I graduated from college. When you graduate from college, you just assume that your job is going to be waiting on you. But it just so happened that it wasn't waiting on me. And so I had to work a lot of different jobs and I graduated and I I was down because I had friends that had gone on and they were doing other things and they had moved to other cities and I was back here. And my parents [music] are
027both preachers. And my mom just happened to be preaching one sermon one Sunday and I was sitting in the back and the title of her sermon was called The Purpose Driven Life. And what she said in her sermon changed my life. You know, I just graduated with a degree in it electrical engineering, couldn't find the job that I wanted, wasn't sure if that's what I wanted to do. And when she was preaching, it was like one of those moments when a spotlight shines on you and you feel like it's just you and that person talking and when my mom was preaching, she said that God's purpose for your life will never be about you. I'mma say it again. God's purpose for your life will never be about you. His purpose for your life will always
028be about someone else and that changed my whole trajectory. I started thinking about what can I do with my life where I can do something for somebody else, but still earn a good living and I decided that I wanted to help rebuild neighborhoods in the city that I love, which is Memphis and that sent me on a whole different path and God does a funny thing. My dream job was to be the housing director for the city of Memphis and in 2016, it happened. And it was a long journey to get there, but it's a funny thing that happens because once you achieve a goal, then God will move the flag just a little bit further and he'll push you further than you thought you would go. And I say all that to say that
029you might not have it all figured out just yet. You might not know exactly what you want to do. You might have already enrolled in school or technical school or have your your job lined up. All of those things matter, but you don't have to have all of the pages written just yet. Because if you just take the next logical steps, then you will get where God has you to go has for you to go. Now, I want to just jump into this really quick. Some of you might feel like Memphis isn't for you. Maybe you heard it from somebody who meant well. Maybe you heard them whisper it in the back of y'all and you hear whispering in the back of your own mind at night. But if you really really want to make
030it, you might feel like you might need to leave. You might feel like Atlanta's calling your name or Nashville's booming or Houston's got an opportunity. And those are great cities, but I can't stand in front of young people without reminding you that Memphis needs your talent. We need your insight. We need your knowledge. And those cities, they're they're great places. They are. But Memphis is special. And Memphis is special because of you. We want you to be the next medical researcher who changes outcomes for sick families all across the planet. We want you to be the next AI programmer. We want you making sure that we're using technology for good. We want you to be the entrepreneur that builds here something here that changes the world like FedEx did or like St. Jude did or
031everyone that came to do sing the blues and soul and rock and roll and hip hop. All of those things made Memphis a global powerhouse, and that kind of innovation is in our city's DNA, and that [snorts] innovation is in you as well. We need future city council members, future mayors, future school principals. We need future business owners. We will need people who are ready to transform neighborhoods. And in Memphis, that's not just a fantasy. That's attainable. It's possible and it's waiting. So, I want you all to go. I want you to learn. I want you to get everything that the world has to offer you. And then I want you to come back. I want you to come back and I want you to build here. I want you to create here. I want
032you to invent here. I want you to invest here. I want you to uplift right here in Memphis. Because this is a city who isn't waiting for someone else from somewhere else to do the work. We want our people that were born and bred here to come back and change the world here. I also want to be honest with you because you deserve honesty tonight as much as you deserve applause. You still have some work to do. And that's completely okay because almost nobody is ready at 18. I think most of us sitting in the back would uh would attest to that. I know I wasn't. But what tonight means is that you have been cleared for takeoff. The runway is ahead of you. College, trade school, military, entrepreneurship, whatever path you have chosen. And
033what you do on that runway is going to determine everything. So, here's what I need you to do with the time between now and when you come back up to lead. I want you to grow with purpose. Don't let life just happen to you. Seek out people who challenge you. Put yourself in rooms where you're uncomfortable. I want you to study hard. I want you to fail forward. And when Memphis calls, and it will call, be ready to answer. And I want to speak to something else tonight. I want to speak to the power and importance of lived experience. Some of you have seen and lived through some hard things. You've navigated neighborhoods, situations, and pressures that most people will never understand. And you showed up anyway. You studied anyway. You graduated anyway. And that's
034not a small thing. That's a mighty thing. Your lived experience is going to make you stronger. It's going to make you more empathetic and more world ready. So, I don't want you to be apologetic about your path. In fact, your path has given you a real superpower. Uh one of the things that I've learned on this journey, I I used to get intimidated when I go in rooms with, you know, powerful people or smart people or people that you think are cool, you feel somewhat of intimidation until I realized one thing. No matter how smart the person is that you're interacting with, no matter how cool they are, they still don't have your experience. Your background is special. So, when you walk in any room, this gives me confidence wherever I go cuz no matter
035how smart they are, they still hadn't been through what I've been through. And so, your story is enough. And I want you to know that. If your path wasn't always easy, don't count yourself out. Know that it makes you prepared in ways that other people are not. And so, as you close this chapter and open the next one, I want to leave you with three things. I want you to dream bigger than what you've seen. Your zip code is not your ceiling. Your circumstances are not your conclusion. The fact that you've seen someone who looks like you doing what you want to do doesn't The fact whether you've seen it seen it happening from somebody you've known or not, it doesn't mean that it can't be done. It means that you're the one who's supposed
036to do it first. Number two, I want you to serve something bigger than yourself. Most fulfilled people I know are not the ones who chase the biggest check paychecks. They're the ones who found something worth fighting for and poured themselves into it. So, I want you to find your cause, find your community. I want you to give back before you think you're ready. If you go away, come home. If you stay, jump in. I want you to go, learn, grow, but remember that your city wants you here. If you go, come back to Memphis with what you've gathered because we are building something here right now. I am building something here and a table that we're setting is being set for you all. We're making this city worthy of what you're going to become and
037when you come back, we need you at the table. So, class of 2026, you are East High, you are Memphis, you are proof that this city produces greatness and tonight is just the beginning. Congratulations, I'm proud of you, this city is proud of you and now go show the world what a Memphian can do. Thank you all so much. >> [applause] >> At this time, if I could get Mrs. Natalie McKinney to come forward as I present the class of 2026 in preparation for awarding diplomas. Good evening, everyone. Family, friends, and to the class of East High 2026. By the power vested in me by the state of Tennessee and Memphis Shelby County Schools, I hereby release diplomas to be awarded to the members of the 2026 graduating class of Memphis East T-Stem Academy. Congratulations.
038>> [cheering] [applause] >> So, at this time, parents, I want you all to take the next 60 seconds to give your loudest clap, your loudest scream for the class of 2026. [cheering] We want to make the walls shake for the greatness that sits before us. >> [cheering] >> We want the city of Memphis to know that these scholars are headed their way, and they are doing great things [cheering] the Mustang way. >> [cheering] >> Congratulations. >> [cheering] >> All right. Thank you so much, Mustang Nation. >> [cheering] >> Thank you. Families, >> [cheering] >> as we begin to call the names, we want to ensure that every family member can hear their child, their family members name called as they cross the stage. If you all could please assist us in making sure you leave
039your applause, you hold it until the very end so that every student is heard, is seen, and is acknowledged as they take their walk across the stage. Go Mustangs! >> [cheering] >> Go Mustangs! Go Mustangs! >> For the class of 2026, Justice Salisbury. >> [cheering] >> I would like to take a moment as the Salisbury's are walking up. Some of you may or may not know that this class has endured a great deal their very first year in high school. Today, we take a moment to recognize a member of this class whose journey with us was far too short, but whose impact will never be forgotten. Justice began her high school journey with the class of 2026, bringing with her dreams, potential, and a presence that mattered deeply to those who knew her. Though she
040is not here with us physically, her spirit remains woven into the fabric of this class. In the friendships she formed, the smiles she shared, and the memories that continue to live on in the hearts of her classmates, her teachers, and her family, an honorary diploma is not just a symbol of what could have been, but a recognition of who she was and the place she will always hold in our hearts. >> [snorts] >> Today, we honor her life, her light, and the legacy she leaves behind. Mr. and Mrs. Salisbury, please know that we stand with you in remembrance and in love. And to the class of 2026, may we carry Justice's memory forward with kindness and with purpose and with gratitude for every single day. Justice is our butterfly in the sky and she will
041always be remembered and a part of this class. So, if we could please have a moment of silence as we celebrate Justice today. >> [snorts] >> Thank you. Noah Parker Amara Reed Andrea Jones Michaela Horn Deja Brandon Abigail Ingle Catherine Ashby Layla Brown Romey Walkley Carson Archer Denise Aguera Mohammad Almansouri Aiden Anderson Madison Bailey Tracey Barrett Phoenix Battle Madeline Bearden Tariana Boatman Breanna Bradford Aubrey Bernie Wilbanks Juliana Casa Mayor Parker Cole Chelsea Conlin Anna Cook Evelyn Cruz Acuna Kevin Cruz Mikaela Cummings Natalie Davis Ternice Davis Myteya Derveaux Fitzgerald Jonathan Dorch Sophie Doss Houston Elam Kevin Ferro Harley Foster Shawn Gideon Vanessa Gomez Jeremy Gray Jamila Griffin Cedric Hall Namazi Hampton Nicholas Harrison Addison Hines Alicia Holiday Michaela Holmes Aryana Heard Cherington Johnson Kaelan Johnson Marissa Johnson Caitlin Jones Giovanni Juarez de la Luz Fennon Kirk
042Samuel Leibowitz Ethan Maldonado Miller Manning Sharia McCollum Montarius McCroy Zion McCorter Jacob Meyer Joel Morris Jaren Moss Homer Najera Kaelan Nixon Gitzy Olguin Caitlin Parker Zari Paylor Brandon Payne Kelvin Register Tia Richmond Geraldine Rivera Dylan Rowan Grayson Rodriguez Gabriel Ross Tristan Reuben Anthony Rupert Judah Sandlin Chloe Sanford Aaron Schmeticky Abraham Segoviano Kyla Shelton Anissa Sims Ashley Sinkfield Titus Smith Zuri Smith Shamiya Springfield Jasmine Settles Kevon Sykes Jiren Thompson Samantha Thompson Samuel Thornton Maggie Towns Masai Turner Nathan Villarreal Jack Ward Joaquin Ware Lindsey Whaley and Jayden Willis All right, family. There's one thing we have to do before we finish. You all know what it is. If I could get the class of 2026 to stand stand with me as we recite Invictus. Oh, y'all say it every year. It's in your program if you don't
043remember, but you all should. All right, class of 2026 Out of the night that covers me, black as a pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance, my head is bloodied, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears looms but the horror of the shade and the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how straight the gate, how I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. Class of 2026, at this time, if you would please move your tassel from the right side to the left. It is official. I welcome each of you alumnus of Memphis East T-STEM
044Academy. I would like to thank each and every one of you for joining us this evening as we celebrate this group of young people. I hope you all have a lot of fun tonight, but be safe. I thank each of you. I'm appreciative of each of you. Go forth and be great. Thank you. This concludes our ceremony. >> It's a bicycle. >> [music] [music] >> Here you go. Now we have to pass. No, they all people sit right there. Oh, okay. I see that now.