Lake Ridge grads told to 'Be remembered or be forgotten'

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — Thirty-eight seniors received their diplomas Saturday as Lake Ridge Academy celebrated its 53rd graduating class. Co-valedictorian Jinglong "Benjamin" Yang, who shared that honor with Alexander Masgras, told his classmates "when you dream, make sure you dream big." "Because if you don't even dare to dream about an idea, then how can you bring it into reality?" he asked. "One day your entire life will flash right in front of you. Make sure it is a life worth watching. Be discerning, stay alert and embrace critiques so that you don't lose your direction. Sometimes you just need to believe you can become whoever you want. Sometimes you just need to believe in the power of belief." "Class of 2022: Be remembered or be forgotten. May we all become the winners in our own stories," he said. The private, co-ed, independent K-12 college preparatory school was founded in 1963. This year is the first time in its history the school has had co-valedictorians and co-salutatorians, the school announced earlier this month. The co-salutatorians were Tanish Makadia and Tyler Young. Fellow graduates elected Joel Lacoste as the senior class speaker, and Head of School Mitch White introduced Lacoste. He said the graduates "had only one normal year of high school" due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but praised Lacoste for his leadership, advocacy, dedication and commitment to the school and his peers. Lacoste thanked his "incredible peers for the honor" of being selected and praised their "support, friendship and compassion." In his speech, he broke down the advice given in that perennial favorite graduation gift — the "relentlessly optimistic" book "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss. The rhymes inside are "humorous and somewhat catchy," but the book lacks a foundation, Lacoste said: "It never addresses the hardships that have already taken place. It doesn't mention where we've been as individuals, what it's taken us to get to the place we are today, or where we have been as a collective," he said. At times, the class was as small as 12 students and as large as 45, with some from as far as China and as close as Strongsville or Brunswick, and they traveled the nation and the world together, Lacoste said. All "traveled different distances to be standing on this stage today," he said. "Where we'll go is yet to be determined. After today, we'll be matriculating to top colleges across the nation. I'm confident that members of this graduating class will inevitably matriculate to prestigious graduate schools, commence impactful and incredible careers and indulge in every ambition that presents itself." White later announced he had selected Lacoste to receive the Head of School's Award. He said that in advocating for his fellow students and respectfully and intelligently challenging a decision White made, Lacoste made White better at his job. Dr. Chandana Mozumdar, dean of upper school students, social studies teacher and award-winning Mock Trial program founder and coach, was Saturday's faculty speaker. "Dr. Mo," as she is known to her students, is retiring after 23 years at Lake Ridge. She spoke of an Indian tradition of "guru dakshina" — guru meaning "teacher" and dakshina "offering or gift." It is a "unique Indian tradition where the student upon completion of their education makes an offering to the guru in acknowledgement of the gift of knowledge that the teacher has given them. The gift can take the form of a promise or vow," according to the graduation program. "I have chosen this theme because I feel it is time for the gurus of this senior class to ask for their 'dakshina,' a promise for the future. A guru is more than a teacher. She or he is a mentor, an 'emotional sherpa,' an unmovable ethical standard and a loving parent all rolled into one. A guru is never a friend, because they must transcend the personal need for reciprocity of feelings," Mozumdar said. "It is not a job for the faint-hearted." She also referred to the students on the stage as "baroque pearls." Irregular in shape, "but luminescent," Mozumdar said. "This is a class that can do some crazy things, but underneath it all keep a glow that catches your eye." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com or on Twitter @daveobrienCT.