After four years of hard work and dedication to reach graduation, Dante Parlin has his regrets.
Parlin, the Greeley Central High School senior class president of the 2024-25 school year, spent his time in high school focused on building an impressive resume, taking AP courses, excelling in academics and partaking in extracurricular activities, all to get admitted to his top-choice university one day.
But as Parlin inched closer to his prestigious life after high school, he realized he should have been prioritizing the present rather than preparing for the future.
“I had spent my four years of high school planning for the next four and ended up missing out on enjoying the moments that I already had,” Parlin said Friday during his graduation speech. “I ruined my own high school experience to be an exceptional student at the cost of my personal life.”
Dante Parlin, senior class president of the 2024-25 school year, delivers a speech at Greeley Central High School's commencement ceremony Saturday afternoon at District 6 stadium. (Courtesy/Greeley-Evans School District 6)Parlin spoke about his regrets to remind the class of 2025: “Live for what’s now, not for what’s coming next.”
Greeley Central High School celebrated its 2025 commencement ceremony Saturday afternoon at District 6 Stadium.
Thomas Frasier, an English teacher at Greeley Central, delivered the keynote address to the graduates. He wanted to let the class of 2025 know they are forever part of Greeley Central’s legacy.
“Today is the day to be grateful to the best version of yourself,” Fraiser said. “The version of yourself, unadulterated by the noise of the digital world, that pushed on when those destructive voices told you to quit. The persistent version of yourself that recognized your worth and your talents and summoned the resilience to push past your doubts and through your discomfort.”
The graduating class has morphed from “annoying freshman” to “mostly respectful young adults” on their way toward reaching the full potential of what Greeley Central’s values of pride, class and dignity mean, first-generation graduate Alonde Fraire said in her opening remarks.
A graduate shakes hands with Principal Amy Zulauf at Greeley Central High School's commencement ceremony Saturday afternoon at District 6 stadium. (Courtesy/Greeley-Evans School District 6)High school was more than achievements and academics, Fraire said. It was also about the relationships and memories made — like the final football win for the 2025 graduating Wildcats, a triumph over Greeley West.
“As we step forward into this new chapter of life, remember that the path ahead is yours to shape,” she added. “The future is waiting, and it’s brighter because of you.”
This remains true no matter what the 2025 Wildcats decide to do next, whether it’s entering the workforce, higher education, military or another postsecondary journey.
Parlin eventually chose to stray away from his perfectly planned path, committing to a school he hadn’t intended to apply to at first. He couldn’t help but think that changing his mind made all the hard work and suffering feel like a waste of time.
However, he began to understand the importance of “living life in the moment” with the help of a line from Norman Maclean’s story “USFS 1919: The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky.”
“I was young and I thought I was tough and I knew it was beautiful and I was a little bit crazy but hadn’t noticed it yet,” Maclean wrote.
Parlin already feels at peace with his decision to change everything he had been working for.
Up until a Central vs. West baseball game in April of his senior year, high school felt meaningless. From there, he moved forward with his new outlook on life, creating his best high school memories on impromptu nights.
“For the first time ever, I was at an event purely for my entertainment, not as part of some extracurricular commitment,” Parlin said about the baseball game. “Since that night, I made every effort to continue making time for my friends, my interests and everything I actually wanted.”
Graduates show excitement about getting their diplomas at Greeley Central High School's commencement ceremony Saturday afternoon at District 6 stadium. (Courtesy/Greeley-Evans School District 6)Fraiser concluded his speech by asking the graduating seniors to never forget the words and their meaning: “To dare is to do.”
It might just bring peace after four years of suffering.
“I ask you, go try new things, meet new people and live your life now,” Parlin said to the departing seniors. “Leave today and seek out your own authentic journey.”
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