Keynote speaker urges Burchell grads to "celebrate, pursue, dream'

Keynote speaker and Carry the Cure President Bill Pagaran’s words boomed through the Curtis D. Menard Center as he addressed the Burchell High School graduating class of 2026 on Friday night.

“Celebrate! Celebrate! Pursue, and dream!” Pagaran cheered into the crowd. “Today is evidence that it is worth it to pursue your desire. And the proof of your desire is in your pursuit.”

Pagaran then held a $50 bill high in the air, explaining how he uses this activity in his presentations and shouts into the audience “Who wants it?” He said it usually takes a minute, but someone from the crowd will stand up and race forward to rip it from his hands, showing proof of desire.

And, as Pagaran waved the bill for all to see, a young graduate darted from his chair to proclaim his prize and snagged it from Pagaran as the crowd cheered him from behind.

“That is the proof!” Pagran shouted as he handed the bill over. “He got up, went after it. That is what you need to do with your goals and your dreams.”

What Pagaran called for was that graduates pursue the greatness that each and every one of them held and to use their experiences at Burchell to fuel their journey ahead.

“You were created to change the world around you. Each and every one of you has the greatness in you to help others, love others, forgive, serve, make your family, community and world a better place,” Pagaran exclaimed. “I pray that you do these greater things in life. I believe that you want them. But remember, the proof of your desire is in your pursuit.”

The senior graduate master of ceremonies Aurora Brown congratulated her class for their hard work, their resilience and preparing for the next big step.

“When I look out into this crowd of graduates in front of me today, I see so much potential and strength,” Brown said. “And I also see a lot of uncertainty and anticipation for the next step of our lives.”

The four years that the students endured at Burchell were marked with adversity and challenges. But the students who moved their tassels from the right to the left were the ones who turned failures into success and problems into solutions.

“All of us here made it our right to be here,” Brown said. “This ceremony is not the end of our journeys, and I see a class of empowered, hardworking individuals who know they’re worth sitting before me today.”

The 2026 Gradient Program Senior Advisor Kelley Geagel held back tears as she encouraged the graduates to continue using their momentum that got them through Burchell in their lives ahead.

“You are the toughest of the tough, probably the fiercest group of students I’ve ever known,” Geagal paused. “Think about everything you’ve handled to get here. The challenges, the doubts, the days when quitting would have been easier and less painful, but you didn’t quit.”

Principal Dan Hietala joins the 2026 graduates as he, too, will be moving on to the next chapter. During his tenure at Burchell, the graduation rate increased by 20%, the highest among alternative schools in Alaska and surpassing the national average of 52%. He acknowledged every staff and faculty member for their work in making that happen.

Hietala shared three key practices for graduates to carry into the future. To have a strategy to solve problems and learn from them, a compass to stay on the path and resilience to break through challenges and hard times. He concluded his farewell speech with a poem.

“To all of you starting out down that new and winding trail, time will soon present a new chance to fail. When the critics attack and you fall along the path, you must get up and brush that dirt off your back. For the sun will wheel around, casting darkness away. Lifting tears from your eyes and bringing hope from its rays. Move onward, dear friends, from those troubling days. Keep the dust beneath your shoes, and the horizon in your gaze.”