LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Excitement filled the air, with an element of fear, as Frederick Douglass High School seniors kicked off two days of graduation ceremonies at Rupp Arena on Thursday morning in Lexington.
“I’ll miss my friends. They helped me get through high school, and they cheered me up when I was down,” Liam Gutierrez said.
Others learned what those who came before figured out on this day when it was their turn.
“It went by really fast. A lot faster than I thought it would,” Anthony Condi said.
“I can remember the very first day I came in freshman year, and the school looked so big and now it's like a small community for me,” Emily Yoder explained.
Parents inside the arena were just as miffed by where the time went, even those who’ve done this previously.
“It is very emotional. She's the baby, so we're going to miss her and we're really proud of her,” one mother said, whose daughter graduated last spring.
“She’s my best friend. We’ve been best friends since the day she was born, and she was here for me last year, and there for me every step of the way. I’m just glad to be here for her, too,” Justice Ashburn said.
Justice’s father, Jason Ashburn, is now trying to plan for life as an empty nester with his wife for the first time in more than two decades.
“We’ve talked about that a whole lot in the past year; we have plans about it. I think we’re ready, but it’s day by day,” Mr. Ashburn said.
