The valedictorian of the Carbon County Technical Institute encouraged her Class of 2022 to seek happiness.

“Although you may forget this speech the minute we leave, remember this one thing: Pursue what makes you happy,” Abigail Orach said during Friday’s commencement at the Jim Thorpe school. “Whether that means you’re underwater welding, or in Hollywood cutting a celebrity’s hair, make sure you wake up every single day loving what you do.”

Orach extended her appreciation to teachers, friends and administrators.

“Thank you to all the teachers in the school, whether I had your class or not, for giving us all a proper education. Thank you to the administration for making the school what it is today,” she said. “Because of our administration, it is an honor for myself and my peers to be here today graduating from this great school.”

Salutatorian Audrey Ramos asked graduates to take time to look back on memories - and remember only what they want “because in the long run this was your experience.”

Ramos noted that the class of 94 students learned and grew through their years at CCTI.

“Think about how far we’ve all come together as a class. All the talk about dropping out, worrying about deadlines with college, standardized testing, assignments, life’s problems getting in the way of things, lack of motivation - and yet here we all are,” she said.

Ramos congratulated her classmates.

“The interesting part about all of this is that this is just the beginning, there’s so much more for us to learn to understand as we will all continue to grow and change,” she said.

Class President Caleb Givens admitted that senior year was a bit difficult.

“This year has been a tough one with COVID and Senioritis kicking all of our butts and making the year an especially hard one for all of us,” he said. “Through these times we have adjusted and adapted to these situations and have prospered to where we are now, graduation. It only took us 12 years!”

Givens asked graduates to remember the time they shared.

“It’s now our time to show the world what we’re made of,” he said.

Technical instructors from the school presented diplomas.

Director Brent Borzak encouraged graduates to “take in the sights and the sounds, and you know, put this one in the memory banks.”

He also recognized instructors and staff members who helped with the 20th annual graduation ceremony, along with day-to-day operations.

“When it comes to the call of duty to set up for graduation, after school activities for senior class trips,” the staff always rises to the challenge, he said.