AUBURN — Auburn Schools Superintendent Katy Grondin advised the Class of 2018 at Edward Little High School to “be kind to yourself,” before handing out diplomas to the 192 graduates Saturday night at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

“The greatest relationship you will have in your life is the one you have with yourself,” she said.

She advised the graduates they will make mistakes and do some things wrong, but the important thing is to learn from them and forgive themselves.

“Don’t be afraid,” Grondin said.

Valedictorian Julia Milks similarly told classmates to be brave and go “head-on into the unknown with no reservations.”

Milks referred to her class as the future generation that will change the world.

“We are not the generation that will fail,” she said. “We are the generation that will not only succeed but succeed beyond expectations. We are not entitled, we are motivated, brave and take risks.”

Her speech message contradicted the common stereotypes of Generation Z, including being lazy, entitled and addicted to their phones.

“We do not lack communication; we can communicate in so many ways with so many people that our acceptance and understanding has grown,” she said.

Milks said they use social media to draw attention to humanitarian problems around the world, which forces change.

“We are not lazy, we are efficient and work for the social good rather than personal gain,” she said.

Milks also said the Generation Z is the most diverse in the history of the United States.

“At Edward Little, we have students from 25 different countries,” she said. “All of us are going to do great things in our lives and it begins now.”

Speeches from fellow graduates Lauren Berube, Ella Henry, Evelyn Bilodeau and Nicholas Hathaway echoed similar remarks, urging classmates to take on the future and be the best they can be while remembering Edward Little High School helped get them there.

Ella Henry told classmates they are at the precipice of adulthood.

She said her class has been shaped by the Auburn school system to use their voices to make a difference in the community.

Young adults are using their voice all over the country, Henry said.

“Hear us,” she said, “when local immigrant students tell their stories and share their cultures, when we stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community, when we participate in peaceful protests, when we register to vote and start participating in our nation’s conversation.”

“You can’t help but hear us,” she said.

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