Nearly 400 students joined the ranks of Whitehall High School alumni during the school’s 118th commencement ceremony June 6.

The ceremony was held at PPL Center in Allentown for the second year in a row.

Class President Jalyn Jimenez addressed her peers, saying her speech was the hardest assignment she faced during high school.

Jimenez discussed her parents’ sacrifices to ensure she and her sister “could be given opportunities that they never had, freedoms that they never enjoyed and blessings that they never experienced.”

She urged her classmates to be a positive force in this world, changing disparity and negativity because, as her parents told her, “tu si puede” - meaning “you can.”

WHS Principal Nathan Davidson took time to recognize the outstanding achievements of many students, including those wearing different stoles and honors cords. Davidson also listed the 13 outstanding students in each discipline and the recipient of the Class of 1972’s scholarship - Julia Alderman.

Student speaker Vannamarie Huynh continued motivating her fellow graduates to make a positive mark on the world using “their youthful outlook and newfound maturity.” She went on to explain “failure is a steppingstone to success,” another positive thought for her class to take away as they navigate the grown-up world.

Salutatorian Gaby Haik and Valedictorian Ryan Ni both gave their respective speeches.

Haik discussed his views on life, following dreams and making mistakes.

“Life is a journey of self-discovery. This journey will not be easy; we must abandon our comfort zones altogether because a comfort zone is where dreams go to die,” Haik said.

He told his classmates not to be afraid of failure or other obstacles life throws at them, but rather embrace them. Haik concluded his speech by thanking his teachers for the lessons (both academically and socially), his family for their undying support and his friends and classmates for challenging him.

Ni focused on how it’s impossible to be perfect and that making mistakes is a part of life.

As a young child, Ni decided he wanted to be a genius and started putting a lot of pressure on himself. However, as he got older, he realized, with the help of his high school classmates, that he “wasn’t as omnipotent as I wanted to be or thought I was.

“It’s a far cry from my original vision, but that’s alright. You don’t have to be perfect. It’s OK to make mistakes. It is from my mistakes that I have learned the most,” Ni said in closing.

Davidson recognized Dr. Barbara Chomik, director of curriculum and instruction, and math teacher Kris Eichelberger, both of whom are retiring at the conclusion of the school year.

Class officers included Jimenez as president, Jasmin Abdalla as vice president, Ella Laky as secretary and Ryleigh Wilmott as treasurer. WHS teachers Elizabeth Burnett and Christina Stoudt served as advisers for the Class of 2022.