Challenges accepted and answered.

Penn Manor High School seniors received their diplomas during graduation on June 4 at Franklin & Marshall College.

Valedictorian Jordan Chen, salutatorian Tyler Hudson, and Katie Eberts, who was ranked third in the class, shared the spotlight. Hailey Frey, who is involved with a variety of school activities including MiniTHON, was given the honor of opening the ceremony.

"I'm very proud of the four of these students, but I'm also proud of their 450 classmates," Penn Manor principal Douglas Eby said. "We have challenged them to seize the opportunities Penn Manor offers. We have challenged them to be all in on everything that they do and make the most of these opportunities. And they have done that. They have represented Penn Manor well in the community, with their extracurricular activities, and in the classroom setting. We're very proud of them."

Jordan described his keys to success. "You've just got to put in the hard work over all four years, excel in academics, and be really involved in school activities," he said. "I'm really honored to speak for my graduating class. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Jordan will attend Harvard University in the fall and concentrate in neuroscience on a pre-med track. He wants to become a doctor, but he has not decided on a specialty. He looks back fondly on his time at Penn Manor. "I've met all sorts of people, and we have great teachers," said Jordan.

An all-state pianist, Jordan said many of his school highlights came in the music department. "We had two concerts every year, and it was always exciting to see the community come out to support us," he said. He also enjoyed being a member of the tennis team because it provided a break from academics and a chance to bond with teammates.

One of his favorite memories is the homecoming skits last fall. "Our pep rallies are always loud, of course, but they're pretty nice to end the day because everyone loves having less class," he said.

Tyler, who will study math at Franklin & Marshall, appreciated his time on the soccer and track and field teams. "I loved the bus rides with the team and the excitement of going to meets and games," he said.

Katie will attend The College of Wooster in Ohio and major in neurobiology, with plans to become a trauma surgeon.

"There are a lot of impactful teachers here that I will remember for a long time," Katie said, mentioning calculus teacher Eric Eshleman and chemistry teacher Jim McGlynn.

"Mr. McGlynn definitely taught me to work hard no matter what, and he showed me that hard work will almost always pay off," Katie said. "Mr. Eshleman, I definitely learned a lot of new things in his class."

Hailey is planning to attend West Virginia University to study social work and psychology and become a social worker at a children's hospital. She bonded with teacher Billie Jo Kramer, who is the MiniTHON adviser. "She taught me so much about hard work and passion while working with MiniTHON," said Hailey.

The Class of 2025 entered Penn Manor on the heels of COVID and during a construction project. "Perseverance is one word that would describe our four years here," said Jordan. "We came right out of COVID into high school, and now here we are four years later, on the other side of it."

Jordan referenced the "fountain of opportunities" available to Penn Manor students. He was not necessarily referring to an incident that occurred during his freshman year. "We were sitting in the cafeteria, and a pipe near the bathroom just exploded," he said. It was really fun. Everyone rushed over there and pulled out their phones to record it. What a day."

Katie chimed in, "Some of the fountain of opportunities was on my lunch that day."