On Maguire Younes' first day of school as a freshman at Hempfield High School (HHS) in 2019, his teachers issued him a warning that the next four years were going to fly by. As Younes prepared to read his speech during HHS' commencement ceremony on May 24, all he could think was, "They were right." The speech was titled "2,340 Days," in reference to the time Younes had attended school from kindergarten to 12th grade.

For Younes and many of his classmates, graduation day was accompanied by a mixture of emotions. The nervousness of preparing to give his speech, the excitement to finally have four years of hard work pay off and the melancholy of saying goodbye culminated in a day that closed one chapter of life, beginning the next for the Class of 2023.

During his time as a student at HHS, Younes said, he had experiences that helped him to feel supported by the school and connected with his classmates. "Whether it was teachers making connections and putting in effort to help students, state-of-the-art classes like (Communications Technology) or new English classes that are relevant to the 20th century, my favorite memories came from the supportive environment at Hempfield," Younes said.

Younes frequently participated in Student Council events such as organizing food drives and raising funds for students in need. He was elected to be the club's president during his senior year, representing the student body at school board meetings and discerning the needs of the school as a whole. Younes was also a part of the Comm Tech program, which provided him opportunities that included flying to Long Beach, Calif., for a media competition. When the COVID-19 pandemic restricted admission for live events, Younes often assisted the athletics department by livestreaming games and serving as the announcer for the girls' softball team.

Although Younes' time in high school is rife with fond memories, the last four years presented him with a variety of challenges to overcome. For all the members of the Class of 2023, the COVID-19 pandemic created unexpected obstacles. Younes and his classmates had barely begun their second semester of high school when the building was closed due to safety measures in March of 2020. "Together as a class and school, we went through dropping everything we learned, having no available resources and leaving everything in our lockers," Younes said. "Overall, it was a mess. But we worked through it, and we persevered onward to return to normalcy."

As Younes looked ahead to life after graduation, he credited HHS' variety of class offerings with preparing him for college. The school offers Advanced Placement courses, college preparation classes and opportunities to enroll in local trade schools. Younes plans to attend Penn State University in the fall to major in cybersecurity operations and analytics with a minor in security risk analysis.

Younes noted that if he could travel back in time and speak with himself as a freshman, he would tell his younger self, "Have fun with COVID; everyone gets through it eventually. By the way, it's not just two weeks."