2024 high school grads: 'If we can survive a pandemic, we can survive anything'

Billings West, Skyview and Senior high schools all held their 2024 graduation ceremonies at Metra Park on Sunday.

“You can be a little discouraged about what’s going on," said Jeremy Carlson, West High School's principal, "but at the same moment, the future is bright for our country, for our state, for our city because of these graduates and what they’ve had to go through.”

This year's graduating students began their high school education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It feels like I missed out on the original freshman-to-sophomore experience," said Tensey Martinez, a West High School graduate. "I was 13 – and I went back to school and I was almost 15.”

The graduates said the quarantine experience taught them patience, that everything is temporary, and to remain optimistic in the face of adversity.

"If we can survive a pandemic, we can survive anything," said Lola Sheridan, a West High School graduate.