June 12 was a celebration for the Pilgrim Patriots, as the Class of 2024 moved on to the next chapter of their lives.

Through the elation of the day, though, speakers took time to remember when the feeling of happiness and accomplishment felt much further away.

Valedictorian Hannah Smith recounted what she called the worst day of her life- October 9, 2023. She said on that day she woke up too exhausted to carry the weight of her own body, leading to her first ambulance ride, which she didn’t really remember.

In the following months, Smith would be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), which gave her double vision, numbness and a loss of coordination.

 “The future is unpredictable; it holds twists and turns we can’t anticipate,” Smith said from the podium at the URI Ryan Center where commencement exercises were held. “Whatever you plan on doing after high school, whether it be military, workforce, trade school, higher education, things are going to go wrong. And when they do go wrong, don’t forget about all the people around you who are there to support. It’s okay to ask for help, and that’s one lesson I needed to learn. Amidst my own battle with MS, it was the unwavering support of my peers that became my lifeline.”

Salutatorian Nouci Yang also shared a personal story, saying that over the past two years, she had been testifying as a witness against her father in court.

Yang said that reaching the end of high school felt “surreal.”

“For me, personally, the future sometimes seems so daunting that it is easy to get caught up in worrying over what is left to come, instead of focusing on the present and appreciating how far we’ve already made it,” Yang said. “Thirteen years of classes, clubs, competitions, exams, you name it, have already been conquered by all of you. You have shown such strong determination and commitment to both your academics and extracurricular activities, and that deserves significant praise.”

Another graduate who faced public struggles was Valerie Landry, who gave birth to her son Grayson when she was 16. Her request to walk across the stage with Grayson was originally denied by the school department, which said they would only allow students to participate in graduation ceremonies, receiving the attention of ABC 6.

Ultimately, though, Landry had Grayson in her arms as she received her diploma from principal Toby Gibbons, as the district  recanted the policy.

One struggle all 244 Pilgrim graduates faced was starting their high school years from home in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Getting through that, Gibbons said, showed the type of resilience that the Class of 2024 has.

“We adults figured out quickly that this type of learning was not ideal,” Gibbons said. “But you made it through. You looked forward. You didn’t dwell on the learning experience of the past. You adjusted.”

Gibbons said that over the past four years, he became truly proud of the members of the Class of 2024, saying that they had matured into outstanding people.

School Committee Chair Shaun Galligan complemented the venue, saying that a building as big as the Ryan Center- a new venue for Pilgrim’s graduation- was fitting for the Class of 2024.

“This venue is great, for well-deserving reasons, because this is a highly distinguished class that we have in front of us,” Galligan said. “I attended your honors, and so many of you won several accolades. None of that has surprised my colleagues and I. We knew you could do it. And we are so incredibly proud of you.”

Over a high school career that began online and included struggles both shared and personal, one theme became clear: Pilgrim’s graduates had been through a lot over the past four years.

The milestone that each graduate reached last Wednesday, though, made everything that the Pilgrim High School Class of 2024 faced worth it.

“We have all endured our own battles, and I am so proud of all of us for making it to this point,” Yang said.