NILES — On Thursday at Niles High School’s football stadium, 200 seniors became alumni with the symbolic move of a tassel.

NHS’s commencement ceremony began at 7 p.m., shortly after the symphonic band played music from Star Wars. The band began to play “Pomp and Circumstance,” and the Class of 2019 walked down the track to their seats in the football field.

Honors student and New Tech member Alexandria Robinson welcomed her fellow graduates, then asked the audience to rise for the national anthem.

“Star Spangeled Banner” was followed by Charlie Puth’s song, “See You Again,” performed by senior choir members and the Niles High School Counterpoints, an extracurricular performance group.

NHS principal Molly Brawley was the evening’s master of ceremonies. Group by group, she asked the Class of 2019; faculty and staff; and those enlisting to serve, those currently serving and those who previously served to stand and be honored by the crowd. She concluded with a moment of silence for all of those who could not be in attendance for the commencement ceremony.

Director of New Tech Jerry Holtgren came to the podium next. He first introduced the Niles Board of Education and superintendent Dan Applegate, who sat behind the podium and in front of the Class of 2019. Then, Holtgren introduced the first of three senior speakers, Anna Stewart.

Stewart led off the senior speeches with a joke.

“Now that you’ve graduated,” she told the graduating seniors, “just remember, bosses don’t accept notes from your mother.”

Stewart then took a more serious turn, noting each student’s four years at NHS proved that they were dedicated to fulfilling their dreams. She then asked the audience to consider the phrase, “you are what you eat.”

“Well, you are also what you think,” she said. “You can only achieve what you think you can. A positive mindset can impact your future and help you achieve the goals you have set.”

She concluded her speech by saying that while it will not be easy to make decisions after graduation, mistakes will happen, and post-graduation will be a great time to make them.

“We might constantly change our minds, then change them again, over and over, because nothing is permanent,” Stewart said. “Make as many mistakes as you can.”

A quote by televangelist Joel Osteen was the center of Meghan Sokoloskis’ speech. Osteen compared the large size of a windshield and the small size of a rearview mirror. He said that the reason for the difference in size was because the rearview, which shows what has already passed, is not as important as the windshield, which shows what is ahead.

Sokoloskis, an honor student and New Tech member, acknowledged the importance of looking ahead, but also said that checking the rearview was necessary.

“Your focus needs to be the windshield, but a successful driver never forgets to check their mirrors,” she said.

Small moments with people — like late-night runs to the store with parents for a class project, a coach pushing an athlete and a teacher staying after-hours to help students — were the focus of Sokolosis’ own rearview.

“Once you travel so far into your future, you won’t be able to see these amazing people, but always remember them,” she said.

Taylor Altergott, valedictorian, noted in her speech that life after graduation, regardless of what it looks like, is an opportune time to correct a frequent mistake of high school students: assimilation.

“Throughout high school, we have gone through times where we did not feel like we belonged,” she said. “Some of us changed ourselves in order to fit in with a certain group of people. At times, we lost sight of who we were just to feel like we mattered, were needed or were important to our peers.”

Altergott’s one request to her classmates was to spend time post-graduation finding who they were again.

“Remember that in a world where you can be anything, it is always best to be yourself,” she said, concluding her speech.

By 9 p.m., the Class of 2019 received their diplomas, moved their cap tassels from right to left and moved away from the seats they sat in moments earlier as high school students. The symphonic band played “Song of Joy” by Ludwig Von Beethoven as they walked.