“I believe there is only one way to succeed in any country. You just have to try hard,” Valedictorian of Toll Gate High School Dongeun Seung told her classmates at graduation.

A total of 195 graduates dressed in red and blue crossed the stage at CCRI’s Vincent Cullen Field House last Wednesday night. The theme of the evening was hard work, independence and adaptability can lead to success in life.

Principal Stephen Chrabaszcz introduced Seung, describing how she came to America from Korea just four years ago and soon thereafter became a freshman at Toll Gate. She could read and write English, but could barely speak the language; she overcame that challenge with hard work.

Seung told a story her father once told her in Korea before she left for the United States. 

“When a trained dog is with a hunter, he can beat a wolf. But when a dog is alone and confronting a wolf on a single log bridge, he will lose. It’s because the dog is used to listening to the command of his owner; he can’t make a decision for himself. Wolves on the other hand have to travel in the wild and learn how to survive by themselves. Living in today’s world is like surviving in the wild, so you have to learn how to be independent and how to walk your own way.”

Seung is a member of the National, Rhode Island and Spanish Honor Society at Toll Gate. She made the High Honor Roll all four years of high school, and has participated in a variety of extra-curricular activities at the school, including being a three-time winner of the Rhode Island Senior All State Orchestra Award. When things were tough during her transition to the United States, Seung said she thought back to her father’s story.

“Then I remembered the story that my dad told me that taught me the importance of independence and self-confidence. This lesson started my new life throughout the United States. In this foreign land, I figured out the necessity to stand by yourself.” Seung said, “Now I believe that I have the ability to adjust under any circumstance and any environment. This life lesson will become the foundation of my growth in the future.”

Salutatorian Abby Gregory excelled academically, winning various awards such as the Holy Cross Book Award, second place in National History Day and Outstanding Senior in French. As president of Best Buddies, she helped the community as well. She also had words about independence and finding one’s passion.

“If you find what makes you passionate, you can find success and personal satisfaction. If you find what makes you passionate, whether it is an area of study or an activity, your work stops feeling like work and begins to feel like an extension of yourself, your involvement feels natural. So use your new independence for discovery,” Gregory said.

Chrabaszcz, Superintendent of Warwick Schools Dr. Richard D’Agostino, Mayor Scott Avedisian and School Committee member Bethany Furtado all gave congratulatory remarks, wishing the graduates success and echoing the ideas of hard work and independence.

“Now that you have completed your studies, worked hard, practiced and have grown both physically and mentally, it’s time to cast the training wheels aside and fly solo,” D’Agostino said.

Offering congratulations and challenging the students to work hard toward their goals, Furtado said, “I challenge you to be the best that you can at whatever you choose. You are the creators of your own destiny.”

Mayor Avedisian advised, “You have shown that in our community, in so many ways, our best days are still ahead.  Please continue to use your remarkable talents, your intelligence, your creativity to make a positive impact not only here in Warwick, but wherever your path in life will lead you.”

Erika Pena, senior class president, not only began the graduation by presenting the soon to be graduates to the audience at the start of the ceremony, but also closed off with the final speech before the conferring of diplomas. Pena’s speech, which began with her taking a selfie on stage of her and all of the graduates, acknowledged many of the memories the class of 2015 had shared through the years.

After the presentation of the class gift, a new bubbler, to Junior Class President Morgan Candon, Pena returned to her seat and the graduates lined up for their diplomas.