LEWISTON — Perseverance was the watchword Saturday night at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee as 122 seniors in the Gray/New Gloucester High School class of 2013 took the stage and collected their diplomas.

Speakers quoted from T.S. Eliot, Steve Jobs and Lewis Carroll, urging graduates to forge ahead despite adversity while keeping a watchful eye on the horizon.

Superintendent Bruce Beasley told the graduates to challenge themselves in life.

“Successful people test their limits and step outside their comfort zone,” he said. “The competition is always trying to be better than you.”

Principal Paul Penna said they should seize opportunities that come their way: “It’s your time to implore, dream and discover.”

He referenced a television show that featured Alaska pioneers, homesteaders with a “can-do” attitude. The family is completely self-sufficient, he said.

“The Kilchers believe in who they are as individuals and are passionate about what they do and how they do it. They trust their instincts,” he said.

Valedictorian Devon Maguire spoke of fear of public speaking, but said she embraced the challenge as a chance to “expand my horizons” and try something new, something of which her father always reminded her, she said.

“The experiences you gain will help you define yourself and in turn, show others the type of person you strive to be” said Maguire, who is heading to Stony Brook University in New York in the fall.

Salutatorian Dylan Frisbie, who is bound for Colgate University, talked about the daunting prospects of becoming self-reliant, much like climbing a mountain.

“Though the climb may be bumpy, we may be rained on, fall or get hurt, we all need to remember why we’re doing what we decided,” he said. “Stick to the path and you’ll find yourself at the top of a mountain.”

Class President Alexandra Thompson advised her fellow graduates to live in the moment.

“Life is not only about making a journey, but more importantly about enjoying the scenery as we travel,” she said.

Steve Coleman, an inspirational speaker from Bangor who lost his eyesight a year after graduating from high school, recounted instances of hardship. He never gave up on himself and graduated from the University of Maine despite his disability.

“I’m one of the happiest guys you’re ever gonna meet,” he told the packed arena.

Besides their diplomas, graduating seniors also collected nearly 60 scholarships and awards before the evening was over.

Students sang their class song, the chorus sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the band played “Pomp and Circumstance” and graduating senior Joshua Kane performed a solo and duet on keyboards.