As Mountain View High School's graduating seniors tossed their caps in the air on Friday, June 3, the Class of 2022 got to experience something that had last been seen on campus when they were freshman – a traditional graduation ceremony on the football field.

The coronavirus pandemic meant that 2020's ceremony was canceled in favor of a staggered, drive-in version, and 2021's event was held at PayPal Park in San Jose to facilitate social distancing.

This year, graduates were back on the athletic field, listening to speeches from Principal Michael Jimenez and their peers, snapping pictures in their caps and gowns on campus and receiving their diplomas on stage.

Student speaker Elechi Iroaga spoke to the graduating class about everything they had experienced and endured to get their diplomas, noting that they were the only class on campus this year that had ever experienced a full year of in-person instruction (their freshman year in 2018-2019).

"Time and time again our class has been put into situations where the expected response would be to give up, but we’ve proven to be resilient, determined, and adaptable," Iroaga said, according to a script of her speech. "We are living through history. We are making history."

Principal Jimenez, who is retiring at the end of the year, also took the opportunity to share a series of life lessons with students, including to use their power responsibly to help the world and to learn from the experiences life brings.

"Everything in life is a lesson, even the smallest things," Jimenez said in his written speech. "Take every moment to learn something new."

Senior Joshua Agupugo spoke about how fortunate he and his classmates have been to attend Mountain View High School and urged his peers to use their talents to give back to their communities and the greater world.

"The world needs us, more (so now) than ever with global conflict and inequality plaguing our society," Agupugo said. "We should feel obliged to step up and contribute to the effort to combat the injustices of this world, whether it's through running for office, helping people through your job, or just using your voice, because it is stronger than you think."

The full list of graduates can be found here.