By JON BAKER

WARWICK — Still a good 45-60 minutes from the actual reception of his diploma, Miguel Trejo, an 18-year-old from Central Falls, stood by a stairway railing overlooking the decorated Vincent A. Cullen Field House and just blurted out: “I really can't believe it's over. It's the end of four years, and I don't know how to describe it.”

Trejo referred to the 38th Commencement of the William M. Davies Jr. Career and Technical High School, held before a large crowd at the Community College of Rhode Island Knight Campus.
“I'm not sure where I'm going yet, or what I'm going to do, but I would like college,” he said.
Standing next to him, James Ramieri, 18, of Smithfield, admitted he wanted to chase an engineering degree, and would start at, appropriately, CCRI.
“I like math, and I did well in that subject in school,” he noted. “But this is strange. I don't know what I'm going to do the next few days, because I'm going to wake up and I won't have to go to high school
… But this is pretty big. On my dad's side of the family, I'm the first one to graduate, and it feels pretty good.”
Moments later, 93 graduates — the boys in black caps and gowns, the girls in gold – walked down the stairs, down the left aisle and took their seats to the usual “Pomp & Circumstance.”
Following student Mary Gibson's beautiful rendition of the National Anthem, School Director Victoria Gailliard-Garrick welcomed family and friends, and the Class of 2009 naturally hooted and hollered at the introduction of their senior class advisors, Candy Salazar-Reilly and Bernie Blumenthal.
Richard Beaupre, a member of the Davies Board of Directors, told the teens, “Focus and commitment are the keys. I call it having fire in the belly. Love what you do and do what you love … Believe me, you'll be successful in your future endeavors.”
Salutatorian Aaron Hebert, of North Providence, asked his parents to stand to recognize them during his delivery.
“In high school, there were countless times for me to be lazy, and I took every one of them,” said Hebert, who will attend Philadelphia Biblical University to study counseling, drawing laughter from the crowd. “You may not know this, but I dislike work a great deal. If there is a way out, I'll take it. However, going to college away from home, and getting a job, I realize that I can't cut corners anymore. So here's to hard work, guys!”
He then placed a Spiderman mask on his face, and initiated a soliloquy about heroes.
“Of all things hero, they are most known for their unyielding character and unimaginable inner strength,” he offered. “When things get tough, they don't curl up in a ball and call for their moms. They take and try to turn the situation to their advantage. They have friends whom they trust and help through the tough times. They don't always work alone, but – when they do – they work hard for what they want, even when people oppose them.
“In the end, a hero is just like you and me,” he added. “They have dreams and aspirations, and try to make the world a better place. Maybe we are closer to being a hero than you might think … In the end, work hard, don't give up and be that hero.”
Valedictorian Ethan Pinault, who finished his four years with a 3.89 GPA and will study engineering at the University of Rhode Island, took a different route with his message to his classmates.
“In four minutes, or maybe an hour, or maybe a summer, we'll be in charge,” he stated. “A friend once told me a story of how the last day of high school would go. He began by saying it would be an unforgettable experience, and he said, 'You're going to walk out those double doors on top of the world. About three steps outside that building, you're going to look back and say, 'Uhhh, oh, man, what am I going to do now.
“In a society where the pressure of success if everywhere, we are raised to win and afraid to lose … we're afraid to fail,” he continued. “As we celebrate our accomplishments, don't worry, because even the best fail. It's part of life. Thomas Edison may be a poster child for failure. I mean, it only took him 2,000 tries to find the right filament for the light bulb. Edison's answer to this was, 'Well, at least we know 2,000 ways that won't work; that's progress.
“So our biggest challenge may not be to achieve great things, but to gain the wisdom to be able to balance failure with caution and forethought ...We are each going to have to find our own way to handle failure and our futures. We have been prepared, and I believe in you.”
Gailliard-Garrick followed with her directors' thoughts, and called this class one of “independent thinkers.
“”You have just completed four years of rigorous technical and vocational instruction; I know this because I witnessed your desire,” she said. “Our journey has never been a path for the faint-hearted. Rather, it's been for the doers. They carry us up the the long rugged path to success and freedom … All characteristics of independent thinkers are what's important to success in business and industry, and you'll be the generation that's put to the test.
“Have self-esteem, recognize all problems, no matter how difficult, and face them,” she added. “There's no courage unless you're scared. Take the risk, and move into the future. Identify your strengths, as well as your weaknesses. Your independent thinkers and good decision-makers.”
With that, the students accepted their diplomas with trepidation, but also excitement.