Governor Tells 132 Grads: Focus on Impact, Not Success

When Maryland Governor Wes Moore addressed Mercersburg Academy's graduating class, he didn't talk about climbing career ladders or collecting achievements. Instead, he challenged 132 seniors to measure their lives by the difference they make.

"When it's time for you to leave this school, when it's time for you to leave a job, or when it's time for you to leave this planet, make sure that it mattered that you were ever even here," Moore told the Class of 2026 at the Pennsylvania academy's 133rd graduation. His message landed during a ceremony where every student speech echoed the same theme: connection matters more than credentials.

Valedictorian Audrey Hua from Connecticut shared a story that captured this perfectly. During her first week as a freshman, upperclassmen invited her to walk with them after mistaking her for a first year student. Years later, she realized that moment of simple inclusion represented everything that mattered about her time there.

Salutatorian Adrienne Howard from Switzerland built on that idea with advice that felt more like a friendship manifesto than a graduation speech. "Choose people who challenge you, who make you kinder, who show up," she said. "And be the kind of person who shows up."

Why This Inspires

These graduates are heading to 85 different colleges and universities, including Brown, Cornell, and Penn. But their speeches suggest they're carrying something more valuable than acceptance letters. Student speaker Gabrielle Wyant noticed how kindness at Mercersburg wasn't loud or dramatic, just consistent. "People here use their talents not just to succeed themselves, but to make someone else's day easier, happier or better," she observed.

Even the night before graduation, Dr. Julia Stojak Maurer reminded students that struggle shapes character more than shortcuts ever could. In an age when AI can do the hard thinking, she urged them to choose the wrestling and revising that builds real strength. "The hard work is not an obstacle to your education," she said. "It is your education."

Student Body President Yijun Zhu and Class Marshals Harold Cameron and Lilly Killinger helped lead the ceremony, which moved indoors due to weather. Senior Class President Lorenzo Cole Piraino continued tradition by donating to the school's Annual Fund as the class gift.

These young people are walking into the world asking themselves not "how can I succeed?" but "did my being here matter?" That's a question that could change everything.