Malden High School graduates 423 with the Class of 2024

Picture-perfect weather graces the day as family and friends celebrate

 

By Steve Freker

 

They surely do not make many better days than the one that graced Macdonald Stadium on Sunday for the 180th Malden High School Commencement Exercises. Sunny skies and comfortable temperatures in the high 70s provided a picturesque backdrop to the afternoon with family and friends packing the stands as 423 members of this year’s Senior Class of 2024 were awarded their diplomas.

This year’s senior class was one that withstood lots of adversity and challenges, including being freshmen when the once-in-a-100-years COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and caused them to spend basically their entire freshman year of high school at home in remote learning. Malden High School Principal Chris Mastrangelo touched on this theme in his remarks to the Class of 2024 citing his only regret. “The regret that I [have], it was because I only had 3 years with you instead of 4. I missed an entire year [of in-person learning] with this exceptional group,” Mastrangelo told the seniors Sunday. “Imagine how much more I could have learned from you. Imagine how the entire MHS community would have grown from another year with you.”

The Class of 2024 persevered, however, and rolled to Sunday’s “finish line” in strong fashion, the Malden High principal acknowledged. “[Today] is where my regret turns to joy. The next stage of your life is filled with excitement and uncertainty. You will face challenges, but you are ready. You will face loss, but you are ready. You will face great success and you are ready. You will face the world and you are ready,” Mastrangelo said.

“I am excited for the world to meet you and realize what we already know. I just hope that the places you go and the people you meet get more time with you than I did,” he added, just before officially beginning the distribution of diplomas.

Earlier in the ceremony, Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, addressing graduates at his 13th MHS Commencement in the city’s top elected post, made it a festive greeting, replete with a noisemaker and donning a “Happy Birthday” party hat and passing out others to his stage mates – Mastrangelo and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ligia Noriega Murphy – before congratulating the Class of 2024. Mayor Christenson used a historical theme, tying the Class of 2024’s commencement into the city’s real-time 375th celebration of Malden’s founding. “Our community is making history this year with our 375th anniversary, and this year’s senior class of 2024 is part of it as the graduating class from Malden High School,” Mayor Christenson said. “Everyone here is part of the celebration and part of making history.”

Superintendent Dr. Noriega Murphy also congratulated the graduating seniors. “This is an amazing class and you are all on path to great success,” she said on Sunday. “It has been a pleasure for me to get to know so many of you and congratulations on all you have accomplished.”

Supt. Noriega Murphy and Principal Mastrangelo both made note of the exceptional academic performance of the Class of 2024. Nearly 100 members of the Class of 2024 are graduating with a Grade Point Average of 4.0 or higher (all A’s), while over 220 have achieved an Honor Roll GPA of 3.0 or better. Additionally, over 80% of this year’s class is headed to either a four-year college or university, a two-year community college or a certificate granting program.

Over 100 seniors received just over $124,000 in scholarships at the recent Senior Awards Night. On Sunday, the Malden High School Scholarship corporation – in existence since 1909 – awarded individual $5,000 scholarships to a total of 30 recipients, another new high mark, as announced by Trustee Greg Lucey.

Top-ranked student and Class Valedictorian Colby Parker, who is headed to the University of Florida in the fall, also spoke on the historical aspect of his classmates’ high school experience. “In Malden, our motto is ‘Strong Past, Proud Future.’ This can mean something different to everyone, but in my view, this speaks to the character of our school, our community, and more specifically, our class as a whole,” Parker said, referencing the fact that this 2024 class was the only one in school history that spent most of its freshman year in remote learning, due to the pandemic.

“Our time at Malden High did more than teach us the curriculum, it instilled in us a work ethic and a sense of character that will continue to pave the way for our success in the years to come,” Parker added. “We were provided more than an education, we were given ownership over our futures.”

Alejandra Fernandez has been in the United States for just three years, but has made a tremendous impact on the Malden community and Malden High School specifically in that brief time. Fernandez will matriculate at Harvard University – frequently ranked at or near the best college or university in the world this fall. She shared a snapshot of her life as an emigrant from Venezuela in her Salutatory Address as the #2-ranked student in the Class of 2024.

The MHS Salutatorian had words of praise for her school and those who helped make a welcoming environment. “I would like to thank my classmates, teachers, and administrators for all their work in creating a welcoming environment that embraces diversity at Malden High School,” Fernandez said.

She also thanks her parents in her and their native language, Espanol. “Mami y papi, ustedes son la razón por la que estoy aquí hoy dando un discurso. Desde pre-escolar ustedes me han impulsado a seguir mis sueños, a nunca dudar de mi, y me han dado la fuerza para superar cualquier obstáculo en el camino.”

Fernandez urged her graduating peers to “make a positive change wherever you go.” “Whether your next step in life is attending a four-year or two-year college or going into the workforce, take advantage of the learning opportunities, be bold, and strive to make a positive change wherever,” Fernandez said.

Class Orator Ivan Wu, who is headed to Mass. Institute of Technology (MIT), the #3 collegiate engineering program in the world, in the fall, cited his embrace of the Daoist philosophy as a driving force behind a surge of motivation in his academics that pushed him near the top of his class. “I have endured weakness in the past, drifting through school without a care in the world. However, one day, enlightenment dawned on me. This turning point in my journey is why I can stand here before you today,” Wu told his classmates and the audience.

“I made no shortage of mistakes along the way, and occasionally didn’t try hard enough where it mattered, but my efforts bore fruit in the end. The point is that any one of you seated here today can take the same path, rife with both successes and failures, and time will show you whether your efforts were worth it,” Wu added.

Malden High Class of 2024 President Meklit Abel, who is headed to Bentley University, one of the top-ranked business schools in the world, in the fall, also serves as the Student Representative to the Malden School Committee. She had praise for the “power of community” she has experienced in her high school years in her remarks. “One of the most incredible things that I personally think the class of 2024 embodies heavily is the power of community. Together, we’ve created a supportive environment where everyone feels valued and included,” Abel said.

“We’ve celebrated each other’s successes and lifted each other up in times of need. This sense of community is something I will always cherish and strive to recreate in all aspects of my life,” she added.

Following the speeches, a total of 423 members of the Class of 2024 received their diplomas and at the conclusion, when the traditional “cap toss” followed, family and friends streamed onto the Macdonald Stadium field to offer their congratulations to the strains of what now seems to have become the official theme song of Malden High Graduation Day, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.’“

 

The MHS Class of 2024:

Meklit Abel

Tia Adams

Malyk Adrow

Catherine Alayane

Derick Aldana

Aaron Al-Marayati

Yara Alves Escobar

Maria Luisa Alves Martins

Joshua Angulo Hernandez

Ana Luiza Antunes De Paula Ernesto

Stacy Araujo Da Costa

Michael Ardon

Gabriel Arevalo

Camille Arevalo Ortega

Brayan Arevalo Rivas

Abigail Arevalo Rodriguez

Sandra Argueta Ariza

Camilus Aristil Jr.

Amy Arrue Maldonado

Nicole Arthur

Harrison Ashley

Arsaima Asnake

Jamal Aurelus

Yeqi Bai

Nathaniel Barber

Charlens Barboux

Yasmin Barbosa Da Silva

Victor Barros

Zuleyma Benitez Lopez

Nicholas Berciano-Parini

Kade Blanchet

Bryan Blanco Ramos

Yaw Boadi Acheampong

Garrett Bolls

Lindsay Bordenave

Madison Borselli

Victoria Boseti

Sarah Boucher

Mohamed Bouchtout

Murillo Brandl

Zachary Brennan

Andres Brito Gonzalez

Matthew Brown

Unique Bullock

Mckenzi Burke

Lillian Cai

Jerrell Calixte

Yixin Cao

Jayden Caplis

Luiza Carneiro Passos

Leticia Carvalho

Allan Carvalho Petrocelli

Nayelis Casillas

Nayshon Casseus

Mario Chacon

Stefany Chacon Tejada

Ramneet Chahal

Brahim Chahid

Rayane Chakir

Daniel Chan

Ashley Charles

Christina Charles

Dandre Charlot

Adin Chen

Chloe Chen

Ethan Chen

Jiaxing Chen

Jiongjun Chen

Shuyi Chen

Yonghao Chen

Yonglin Chen

Kara Cheung

Diana Chivata Sanchez

Alyssa Chung

Kennedy Clark

Paolla Coelho Dos Santos

Ryan Coggswell

Angelina Colon

Mahrianna Comin-Larmie

Emilly Cruz

Teresa Culbreath-Isles

Felix Junior Da Costa

Isadora Da Silva Alves

Kauan Da Silva Coelho

Kauanny Da Silva Santos

Alina Dao

Kevin Daugherty

Marielys De Jesus Collado

Paulo De Oliveira Ribeiro

Giulia Gabriela De Sousa

Nathan Dean

Shaun Dearborn

Melvin Delgado Melara

Emerson Deras Rodriguez

Lilleana Desantis-Cail

Victor Desouza

Giselle Dessert

Richardson Devilme

Nikolas Diaz

Waly Diouf

Shane Dixon

Brynne Donahue

Kayqui Dornello Dutra

Kathleen Camily Dos Santos

Luana Duarte Almeida

Yuliana Duarte Chuva

Nicholas Duggan

Monay Dupree

Tyler Edmond

Shawree Edwards

Youssef Er-Rafay

Karina Escobar Torrez

Masa Fahl

Qiuting Fang

Sydney Faysal

Emma Fenelon

Alan Feng

Angelina Feng

Guilherme Fernandes Margon De Oliveira

Gustavo Fernandes Margon De Oliveira

Alejandra Fernandez

Yasmin Ferrari Santos

Lorrayne Ferreira

Maria Ferreira Siqueira

Safiyah Fghani

Joey Fils

Francisco Flores Landaverde

Caio Fonseca Poroca

Ana Clara Francisco Nuno Vieira

Samuel Francois

Clayve Gachette

Victoria Gammon

Benjamin Garcia De La Cruz

Karen Garcia Erazo

Alejandro Garza Ramirez

Cassandra Gaznick

Dina Genene

Thomas Ghile

Sandhaya Ghimire

Tyler Gillespie

Abhishek Giri

Luiz Henrique Gomes Batista

Aniellen Gomes Da Silva

Kevin Goncalves

Jose Gonzalez

Christian Gonzalez Lucero

Jackson Gordon

Justin Grieder

Wing Ching Guan

Oumara Ridgy Guerrier

Einstein Guillaume

Rauf Hassan

Edwin Henriquez

Dewayne Henry

Sarah Henry

Thora Henry

Mia Hernandez

Josue Herrera

Nicholas Ho

Dang Hoang

Helen Hoang

Brenna Hoffman

Samara Hogan-Sanders

Miaoyi Hu

Santiago Huamani Rivero

Becky Huang

Delilah Hudson

Gabriella Hukill

Saia Hussain

Yandel Huynh

Lauren Jackson

Meritza Jacques

Nacheca Jean

Bancliph Jean Baptiste

Midjina Jean-Pierre

Samienjy Jeudy

Shane Johnson

Aamaya Johnson

Damien Josaphat

James Dion Jose

Clifton Joseph

Sophia Rose Josselin

Emily Kam

Kisten Karanja

Amneet Kaur

Belinay Kaya

Michael Kenney Sanchez

Abdullah Khan

Praveen Khanna

Samantha King

Sara Kravitz

Saul Kruckenberg

Arek Kuan

Andrey Kuan

Aaryan Kumar

Charles La Rosa

Marie Laguerre

Karl Lange

Huimin Lao

Gil Antonio Lawson

Megan Le

Taylor Lee

Mohammed-Amine Lhaloui

Ada Li

Jessica Li

Junxian Li

Zhiqiang Li

Andy Liang

Justina Lim

Keira Lin

Gilberto Linares Maravilla

Xenia Liu

Antalia Louissaint

Salma Lqamar

Aiden Luciano

Steven Luong

Christopher Lyczak

Yihao Lyu

Xuyuan Ma

Sarah Machado

Erikah Macharia

Joelle Mahoney

Natalie Maldonado Posada

Hanya Malebranche

Jeremiah Mann

Shellecy Martineau

Alex Martins

Aliah Martins

Isabella Matos

Adam Mayyalou

Davian McGuffie

Rolando Mejia

Josue Mejia Musto

Diego Melo

Bruan Memeus

Jonathan Mena Peralta

Ericka Mendoza Vasquez

Samrawit Mengesha

Carla Michel

Redjiline Milfleur

Annabella Miller

Ahlam Missbah El Idrissi

Keza Mitala

Hamza Mohamed Saleh

Zakaria Mohamed Saleh

Gisele Morales

Briana Morales Pacheco

A’Mayzin Morris-Boyd

Abigail Morrison

Seth Mukala

Zachary Nedell

Limya Nesmith

Dominic Nesta

Jessica Nguyen

Johnny Nguyen

Linh Nguyen

Thuy Kha Nguyen

Tran Nguyen

Victoria Nguyen

Christopher Nguyen

Van Nguyen

Angelica Nocera

Ralph Noel

Ezechiel Noelsaint

Isiah Normil

Rachel Nortelus

Julia Nunes Dias

Deuel Obdeus

Jared O’Brien

Aderlin Occean

Antonio Odom

Nathanael Ofoedu

Emanuelle Oliveira

Isabella Oliveira

Rodrigo Oliveira

Ray Oliver

Vivian Onyejiaka

Emanueli Ortega

Kayla Ortiz

Daniel O’Toole

Archer Ou

Racha Oumark

Basma Ourich

Jiayuan Pang

Matthew Paraliticci Castano

Colby Parker

Scarlett Parlan

Kaitlenn Paz-Benitez

William Pena Pichardo

Yongchao Peng

Alyssa Nina Felicia Pereira De Barros

Benjamin Perez

Hoai Thuong Pham

Kaitlynn Pham

Tanya Pham

Tiffany Pham

Jordan Phat

Gabriel Philippe

Angela Phu

Gerardy Pierre

Guetternnensje Pierre Rene

Charlie Pike

Daniel Pineda

Nicole Piper

Jamal Pomare

Eric Portillo

Christopher Portillo Flores

Sabrina Qranfal

Belen Quispe Almendro

Isaiah Raimond

Julisa Ramirez

Jessica Ramotar

Arnibish Ray

Cherai Reese

Micbaelo Rene

Larissa Retamero Granja

Karen Reyes Martinez

Onesty Riguad

Felynn Rincon

Marianne Rivadeneira

Chad Robertson

Nicura Robinson-McCaskill

Michael Rodenmacher

Ashly Rodrigue

Alexandra Rodrigues

Julia Rodrigues

Sofia Rodriguez

Ashley Rodriguez Pleitez

Jacob Rogers

Salma Romero Vazquez

Arthur Rosa

Marge Rosas

Jessica Rufo

Milagros Rustrian Carrillo

Jamila Said

Ann Sainvil

Pampam San

Joao Victor Santos

Jacir Santos Aranda

Felipe Sathler

Joao Sathler Correia

Robert Schulz

Makeila Scott

Jabir Selouani

Soukaina Senoya

Grace Sewell

Arya Shah

Anthony Sierra Janampa

Maria Elisa Silva

Savion Silva-Clark

Debora Simeon

Jake Simpson

Agambir Singh

Scott Smith

Trinity Smith

Maybeli Solano Pleitez

Vanessa Solano Pleitez

Jordyn Solimini

Andrew Solio

Katrina Son

James Song

Arianna Sosa

Beatriz Souza Santos

Emma Spignese-Smolinsky

Ryan Staskiewicz

Julianna Straccia

Tanner Stumpf

Elias Sultan

John Summers

Julia Swanson

Luisa Tafarel Meira

Jelani Tah

Jason Tan

Sandra Tang

Natalie Tarantino

Anthony Tessier

Vincent Thai

Purnima Thapa

Nghi Thieu

Adriana Ticas Rodas

Kettaina Tidor

Cyan Tobin

Owen Tofuri

Nora Toscano

Nhu Tran

Steven Tran

Elizabeth Travers

Fnu Tsering Dolkar

Addissu Tsige

Shelby Urban

Emelyn Vaca Lima

Rayyan Vahora

William Valentim

Walter Valle

Gabriel Vargas Cardoso

Brian Vences

Eric Vieira

Isabella Vien

Woodjenicesky Villard

Brenda Vivas

Elina Vo Hong

Kristen Vu

Selam Walle

Henry Wallis

Liam Walsh

Jason Wang

Carlos Watson

Elise Wong

Tsun Wong

Donald Anthony Wright

Ivan Wu

Elina Yang

Jarita Yang

Ming Kit Yeung

Stanley Yip

Hadjar Yousfi

Joseph Yu

Yu Zeng

Joyce Zhou

Weicong Zhou

Yanyang Zhu

Shirley Zou

Ali Zoulgami