This Address was given at Sonoma Valley High Graduation in 2025 by Alegria Gabriella A. Silvi
Good evening, everyone, and thank you for being here. My name is Alegria Silvi, and I am honored to deliver the salutatory address for you all tonight. First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who has made these last four years possible. Thank you to all our teachers, the staff, and our school administration. And a special thank you to Mrs. Conner who is retiring this year. Your work and dedication to this school are incomparable.
Thank you to our friends who have become our second families, and thank you to our families. Specifically, I would like to thank my family. Joseph, Isabella, thank you for always inspiring me and being my built-in best friends. Mom, Dad, words cannot describe how grateful I am for your constant love and support. Thank you for raising me in the faith and teaching me to always give glory to God. Know that I will never stop needing you in my life, regardless of how far away we are from each other.
Class of 2025, we did it! We may not have won powderpuff, we may not have won the homecoming float building contest, we may have had countless classes interrupted by false fire alarms, but here we are, graduating. We may not have accomplished everything we wanted to, but do you know what the Class of 2025 accomplished? Our football team went 12-1 this year. Our girls’ swim team went to NCS and State. Our girls’ soccer team won the Division 4 NCS title. Our girls’ and boys’ basketball teams went to the state quarterfinals. Our mock trial team made it to state, again. And that’s not even half of it. What I’m saying is, we changed things. Our small town, 1,100-student school, made a name for itself this year.
But what has struck me the most about the last four years isn’t what we accomplished. It was the regular days, the in-between days. The days that didn’t seem like they mattered, the ones we wished would just go by faster, the ones that now seem like a lifetime away. Those are the ones I remember. As we face the next chapter, it’s easy to think that after this, that’s it. But think about the last four years. Things were always changing. But for everything that did change–our interests, friend groups, the way we see ourselves–some things will never change. There will always be a sense of familiarity. Shared experience. We may not have all been close, but we still walked through the same campus, during the same four years, in a time that shaped who we are more than we probably think.
If the last four years have taught us anything, it is that change doesn’t ask for permission. But, we adapt. We figure things out, sometimes quietly, sometimes all at once. We learned to speak up, learned how to listen, how to let go, and how to keep going. And the best part is, we’ll keep on learning.
Whatever comes next–college, work, travel, service, trade school, or just figuring things out – know this: we have already overcome one of the hardest challenges yet. We made it through a period of our lives that wasn’t easy, wasn’t predictable, and didn’t always seem fair. And we did it with persistence and with the peers and mentors who helped us grow.
Class of 2025, this may be the last time we’re all in the same place at the same time. After today, our lives will begin to spread out into different cities, states, or even countries. Some of us may stay close. Some of us may never see each other again, and that’s a hard truth to say out loud. But it’s also what makes this moment so important right now.
No matter where we go from here, we’ll always be tied to this place and each other. Years from now, we will forget test scores and class schedules. But we won’t forget the feeling of being known here. Of belonging–even briefly–in this time, with these people.
So, as we step into whatever’s next, take that with you. Hold onto the things that grounded you here–the people who made you better, the moments that made you laugh when you needed it, and the sense of self you’ve started to build. And know that no matter how far we go, part of us will always belong to the Sonoma Valley High School Class of 2025.
Once a Dragon, always a Dragon! Thank you.
About Alegría G. Silvi, Sonoma Valley High Salutatorian, Class of 2025
Alegría will attend Columbia University, her dream school, in the fall. She chose it for “its incredibly diverse community with students coming from all over the world,” and because the school offers so many opportunities both on campus and in New York City.
As a prelaw student, she plans to major in history with a minor in international relations, planning for a career in law or politics, but she adds, “my ultimate goal in life is to glorify God and also to be a mom.”
Alegría was born and raised in Sonoma. She has two older siblings, a brother and sister of whom she says, “I couldn’t have asked for better role models.” She attended Crescent Montessori School preschool through fifth grade. Homeschooled in middle school, Alegría describes this as a pivotal period of her life, discovering herself and getting to learn rock climbing, Latin, playing the mandolin, and fly fishing. At Sonoma Valley High she was captain of the varsity tennis and swim teams.
Favorite pastimes are in the outdoors – hiking, going to the beach, camping, or reading a book at a local park or vineyard. She enjoys exploring new places, playing the piano or guitar, traveling with and spending time with her family, and trying new foods. Alegría says although she is excited to be in NYC, she will always have a special place in her heart for Sonoma, and is grateful to have such a beautiful home to come back to during the holidays.
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