The Hope High School Class of 2026 graduated Friday evening at Hammons Stadium as 168 students received diplomas during commencement exercises highlighted by speeches centered on perseverance, gratitude and the importance of so many of life’s brief-seeming moments.

Commencement speaker Ricky Tompkins, chancellor of the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana and a 1991 Hope High graduate, told students that people often fail to recognize the importance of moments until years later.

“The truth is, our lives are not built from milestones, they’re built from moments,” Tompkins said. He also encouraged graduates not to rush through life while making clear that society values kindness, integrity and willingness to build relationships.

“The world does not just need talented people,” he said. “It needs good people.”

Superintendent Jonathan Crossley encouraged graduates to take chances in life and avoid living with regret. “So often in life we say no,” Crossley said. “Don’t be that person when you’re 85, 90, 95 years old, wishing you would have tried to do more.”

College and Career Coach Rachel Holt detailed the accomplishments of the graduating class, noting that 103 graduates plan to attend college, four will enlist in the military and 51 will enter the workforce.

The class accumulated $3,904,820 in scholarship offers while 14 students completed associate degrees through Hope Collegiate Academy.

Student speaker Rosa Paredes delivered an emotional address focused on sacrifice, family and perseverance. “We are our parents’ wildest dreams,” Paredes said. “So dream big, work hard and become the kind of person your younger self and the people who sacrificed for you would be proud of.”

Paredes also reflected on the death of her cousin in a car accident last summer and urged classmates not to text while driving. “No text message is ever worth a life,” she said.

Student speaker Addison McEuen spoke about overcoming anxiety and depression while discovering new opportunities through adversity. “A missed opportunity isn’t a dead end,” McEuen said. “It’s simply a detour toward a new experience.”

Principal Kimberly Dunham closed the ceremony by reminding graduates not to compare themselves to others.

“The only person you should ever compete with is the person you were yesterday,” Dunham said.

The ceremony concluded with graduates turning their tassels as family and friends cheered from the stands.