Tiffany Hoesing had a very simple message at the end of her speech during Pacelli Catholic Schools’ graduation Wednesday night: “Never give up.”

“You’re capable of doing extraordinary things,” she added. “… If people have little faith in you or tell you that you’re worthless, prove them wrong. Prove them wrong by being your best.”

Twenty Pacelli students walked through Queen of Angels Catholic Church Wednesday evening during the 2015 Pacelli graduation commencement ceremony. The class was one of Pacelli’s smaller class sizes, yet high school Principal Laura Marreel said it has been a good group of students.

“It was a great year with them,” she said. “They have huge aspirations ahead of them. We’re all just overjoyed. At the end of the school year, they finished out the year real well, it’s an exciting time.”

Hoesing was excited to graduate and has a good outlook for her future.

“It’s exciting, it’s like the first step towards our goal you could say,” she said.

She plans to attend Riverland Community College and go into pharmacy and chemistry, eventually becoming a pharmacist. She hoped incoming students would learn a lot from their time at Pacelli.

“I would say believe in yourself because you’re worth it,” Hoesing said.

Commencement guest speaker Ben Murray, who graduated from Pacelli in 1992, was happy to honor the students during the ceremony.

“First of all congratulations,” he said. “We are here to celebrate your hard work and your achievements, as well as your futures.”

He challenged the students to decide who they want to be in the future, working to help others and share their talents or choosing not to.

“The pillars of the Catholic education you have received at Pacelli are faith, scholarship and service,” he said.

Marreel hopes incoming students learn that Pacelli is like a family, and they can belong no matter where they come from or what their background is. She said this year’s graduating class has learned a lot over the years and hoped they would carry it with them.

“I hope they learned that Pacelli’s a place they can always come back to and always have people who care about them here,” Marreel said. “And the way that they have been taught to treat each other and help others, I hope that carries out into their lives.”

She hoped the students would choose paths leading to happiness in their futures, and help others along the way.

“And do something that will allow them to use all the gifts God’s given them,” she added.

For Sarah Kahle, graduating felt very surreal, especially looking back over the years.

“I think high school has been kind of a ride, you know?” Kahle said. “I’ve gone through a lot of things not only in the classroom but outside of the classroom. I’ve had to develop friendships with people that I didn’t think I’d become friends with, and you know, kind of learn that I have to accept the things that I cannot change and make a difference with the things that I can.”

Kahle plans to attend St. Mary’s University for a degree in news broadcasting journalism. She hoped incoming students would take the opportunities presented to them.

“Accept people in your life that some people don’t, and all around respect everybody around you and respect yourself,” she said.