Mat-Su Central celebrates the largest graduating class in the district

Mat-Su Central School graduate Lila Cabezut shared with the audience and fellow graduates her personal life story and what led her to first attend MCS.

Faced with many struggles in her young life, Cabezut said she had dropped out of school in the fall of 2022. She said that returning to school and attending MCS changed her life drastically. Cabezut found that the people and community at MCS really cared for her and loved her and wanted to see her succeed.

And on Friday, Cabezut was one of 210 MSC graduates celebrated during the school's graduation ceremony at the Menard Sports Center in Wasilla.

“I don't believe I would be standing in front of you all today if it wasn’t for the love and support of Mat-Su Central staff and the school’s community,” Cabezut said.

Cabezut recognized that everyone deals with struggles in their lives and encouraged her fellow graduates to build relationships and surround themselves with people that support them. She said that while not everything is perfect and the journey through life may be rough, having a support team around makes all the difference.

“Today, we may just look like a big group of students, but in reality, we are a collection of individual stories,” Cabezut said.

MCS graduate Hope Poglitsh performed the National Anthem. Her performance was followed by the singing of the Alaska Flag Song by the Mat-Su Central Choir.

Principal Stacey McIntosh gave the final lesson of her educational career as she prepares for her own graduation into retirement. In her final request, McIntosh asked her students to live to a high standard of integrity and to always do what is right. When pressured to conform, McIntosh asked her students to have the courage to stand up for themselves.

“Courage isn’t the absence of fear. Courage is doing what’s right in spite of fear,” McIntosh said.

Ni’a Dowdy, a senior graduating with 60 college credits and a plan to pursue a career in family medicine, spoke about how everyone at MCS embarks on their own paths that are different from students in a traditional high school setting. The connections students have made, the places they’ve visited and the lessons learned were accomplishments that rivaled the success of receiving their high school diploma.

MCS graduate Karina Elliot performed on stage during the rose ceremony, a time for students to recognize members of the audience that have made a difference in their lives. Each student carried their white rose to a family member, friend or mentor while receiving hugs and handshakes in return.

Students graduating faster than the standard four years, earning a technical certification or college credits, receiving educational and athletic scholarships and those committing to the military were recognized by Counselor Kristin Langhoff. Graduate Lila Cabezut received the John Brown Lifelong Learning Scholarship during the ceremony for exemplifying “inspirational growth… determination and a willingness to learn,” Langhoff said.

Luke Howell, a student of MCS since kindergarten, led the graduates in the tassel moving celebration. Students in a sea of black robes and silver sashes raised their hands to move their silver tassels from the right to the left before throwing their caps in the air with a loud round of applause from the audience.