Embracing the Moment" was the theme of the speeches delivered by members of Columbia High School's Class of 2024 during their graduation ceremony on May 30.

The speakers were Aiden Stover, Kaitlin Scheele and Brooke Droege.

For Aiden, the topic of the speech was particularly inspirational.

"My speech talked about how this is our moment. It's your moment. It's not your family's or anyone else's moment," he said. "It's yours, and you should take in what's happening right now."

He noted that he struggled in his early school days, and he highlighted those challenges. "I had a hard time speaking when I was younger, causing me to lash out," he said. "My speech talked about how I learned to overcome my communication struggles to now I'm speaking in front of my whole class."

Aiden, the son of Jessica Ortiz and Murf Stover, attended Lancaster County Career & Technology Center for photography. He hopes to pursue a career in cinematography.

When the opportunity arose for any senior to write a speech to be considered for the graduation ceremony, Aiden said he hesitated at first. "Then, I started thinking back to my past, and I was like, 'I don't think I would have even pondered the possibility of ever doing this,' so the fact that I am, that shows a lot of growth. That pushed me to want to do it even more."

Kaitlin, who was active in the theater program at Columbia, focused her speech on taking what she learned on stage and applying it to real life.

"I wanted to try out for a speech because the theme really spoke to me," she said. "You're always living in the moment when you're doing theater."

She shared her tips for staying present, something that she acknowledged is hard for busy high school students.

"I try to take a breath and center myself and think, 'Don't worry about the future. That's not happening yet. Don't focus on the past, because that's already happened and you can't change it,'" she said. "The only thing you can control is the stuff right now, what you're doing right now."

Kaitlin is the daughter of Brian and Dawn Scheele. In addition to theater, her high school activities included serving as president of the National Honor Society, as a member of Mini-THON and as part of the choir. She plans to attend Millersville University, where she will study theater.

Brooke had a dual part in the graduation ceremony, serving not only as a speaker, but also as co-valedictorian with her twin sister, Brie. The girls are the daughters of Marjorie and Alex Droege.

A standout basketball player at Columbia, Brooke wove some of her basketball experiences into her speech. "I focused on embracing the challenges and getting the most out of challenges, instead of just trying to push through them," she said. "For me, 'embracing the moment' means just living in the present and not letting mistakes and challenges define you." Along with basketball, Brooke played volleyball at Columbia, was a cheerleader and served with Mini-THON and as Class of 2024 secretary, among other activities. After graduation, she plans to attend East Stroudsburg University to play basketball and study education.

About 80 students graduated in the Class of 2024. Madison Bootie, the daughter of Jason and Tasha Bootie, was named salutatorian.