Cardinal Mooney Catholic seniors say goodbye to high school days

A sea of red took over the iconic purple Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall May 17 when over 100 Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School graduating seniors walked –– and danced –– across the stage.

Senior Class President Alexis Melone opened the ceremony with a prayer where she asked that she and her fellow graduates be watched over as they venture into the next phase of their lives. 

Salutatorian Sam Koscho echoed Melone's hope for the graduates' future. His speech filled with quotes from celebrities like Miley Cyrus as he reminded students that, "It's not about what's waiting on the other side, it's the climb."

Koscho warned his fellow classmates of the damage social media can have on them as they enter the next step of their studies and told them to show their personalities in person rather than online.

Chasing your dreams was also at the forefront of Koscho's speech as he encouraged the graduates to travel down the career path that they want and "not the one that will make their parents happy, or make them the most money."

The 2019 Cardinal Mooney graduates were accepted into 134 colleges across the country. Some will stay as close as University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, and others will venture as far as the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon.