LEWISTON — On the back of her graduation mortarboard, Isabella Enos had created a collage of photos from her best days at Lewiston High School.

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Shaped to spell out “2026” on her graduation cap, the collage represents her memories of four good years at LHS.

But by Friday night, Enos was already starting to put those memories behind her and focusing on the future.

“I’m nervous,” she said, just minutes before the high school ceremony began, ” but I’m also excited. There are a lot of emotions tonight.”

Like so many of her classmates, Enos has her post-high school plans somewhat charted out. Come the fall, she said, she’ll be off to Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts.

It all sounds so straightforward. Yet, the matter of the hazy future became a kind of theme Friday night as 335 received their diplomas.

While former Assistant Principal Doug Dumaon spoke at length about the character of the class of 2026, he also reminded them that the plans in their heads on this night may not come to fruition in exactly the way they envision.

“Because here is the truth that nobody tells you,” he said. “Most people are writing their next chapter while they’re actively living it. You will change your mind. You will take wrong turns, switch majors, change jobs and completely reinvent yourselves. You might discover your ultimate dream actually isn’t your dream at all — or you might stumble straight into something unexpected and realize, ‘this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.'”

And with that, the tone was set and the ceremony was underway to see this year’s graduating class off to their individual futures. The bleachers at Don Roux field were packed from end to end for the ceremony on an early evening that remained sunny and warm even as sunset approached.

Lewiston High School Prinicipal Jon Radtke spoke of some of the hardships the class has seen, both as individual students and members of a community that has seen pain and turmoil in recent years.

The principal commended the students for their “resilience and strength,” and for succeeding amidst a multitude of challenges.

“This extraordinary group has celebrated many achievements,” Radtke said. “You have won championships and individual awards and you have led the way in restarting many Lewiston High School traditions and clubs. In addition to your public achievements I am just as proud of your private achievements: a test passed, a family member supported, a first job, a new friendship.”

Hamdi Mohamed, in his valedictorian address, reminded his classmates what they’ve endured. They started their high school careers, after all, in the lingering shadow of COVID-19.

Mohamed’s speech, like Dumont’s, stressed the uncertain nature of the future into which all of the graduates would soon be wading.

“We all made it through,” Mohamed said, “but I warn you guys: It’s not over yet. You will be running this race for the rest of your life, each finish line a new starting point, and I know the class of 2026 will keep on sprinting.”

In her salutatorian address, Klara Cloutier, too, hit on the matter of the great unknown that is the future. That fact is, she reminded her peers, that their four years at Lewiston High has taught them what they need to know in order to manage that unsettled future.

“As we leave LHS today,” she said, “some people have five-year plans. Some of us still don’t know what we want for dinner. But, over the last four years, we’ve learned something far more important than having every answer. We have realized how to adapt, persevere, and keep moving forward. A lesson that will matter even more as we leave this chapter behind.”

Like Enos, most of the graduates had their caps festooned with decorations of one kind or another.

Some had bits of poetry that seemed apropos for the evening. Others went with bold, one line statements while more than a few decorated their caps with the insignia of the various schools they plan to intend.

A few students admitted they were not entirely sure what they want to do next. Their plans, as they went up to collect their diplomas, were still up in the air.

That’s quite all right, according to their peers. The fact was that they had made it through high school and even a blank slate is considered progress.

“It’s about taking the next step,” Cloutier said, “even when you’re unsure.”

And soon after she imparted those words, the ceremony was over and the 335 graduates went off to face the future about which they had been given so much advice.