THOMASVILLE — The 178 members of the Thomasville High School class of 2022 left the THS gym Friday night with hard-won diplomas in hand.

For valedictorian Carson Cochran, it was the songs that brought back memories, whether was from the Cheetah Girls and her days at Busy Bear or “Who Let the Dogs Out” for PE.

While Cochran said her class and their colleagues may not change the world, they will shape it.

“Each of us, in our own tiny, minuscule way, will have a hand in molding a small piece of the world whether we like it or not,” she said. “We may not cure cancer or go to Mars, but each of us will impact the world in our own way with our actions towards ourselves and those around us.”

As the class of 2022 was about to graduate and leave the THS gym together one last time, Cochran said the Taylor Swift song “22” came to her.

“We’ve seen and experienced some crazy stuff as mere seniors in high school, and there’s more where that came from in our future,” he said. “After we exit this gym we will be leaving THS for good, going down separate paths, all doing different things with our lives. But here’s what I encourage everyone to do: make memories. Life is an accumulation of memories, the good, the bad, and everything in between, and it’s these memories and experiences that will determine how we shape the world. “So take advantage of the next few years as teenagers and young adults before true adulthood sets in. Listen to music, hang out with people that make you feel good, work hard at whatever you do, and remember to have faith because everything works out the way it’s supposed to in life.”

Co-salutatorians Iris Allgrove and Sydney Deutsch addressed their classmates, alternating throughout their co-written speech. 

For Allgrove, coming to Thomasville from Miami, there was an adjustment, she said.

“I had never been around deep southern accents or tried collard greens or seen a taxidermy store,” she said. “Even though I have had a vastly different experience than Sydney and arrived here far later, I was still met with a welcoming and nurturing environment. People went out of their way to introduce themselves to me, so I felt a little less like an alien.”

Deutsch started out in Thomasville City Schools at Jerger Elementary School, in kindergarten. 

“As Thomasville High School students, our experiences, although quite unique, are shared,” she said. “Each student in the audience had a unique coalescence of focuses that determined their own experience. Whether your four years of high school revolved around sports, the relationships you formed with others, athletics, the arts, or academics, we are all in the same cap and gown, in the same room, celebrating the same accomplishment.”

Though she was a relative newcomer to the system, Allgrove said she wasn’t treated like an outsider and was introduced to the spring musical and encouraged her to play soccer.

“Although it is a small school, I never ran out of new people to meet each year who would introduce me to new experiences, whether that meant clubs or friends,” she said. 

Deutsch said she was grateful for the administrators and teachers who pushed and sometimes soothed her and Allgrove, especially as they wondered how a class rank might affect their college application. 

“I am extremely grateful that I have Iris to share this title with, and we both agree that we could not have picked a better classmate to be named co-salutatorian with,” she said. “The bonds we all share as Thomasville High School students are not to be taken for granted, and we both urge our classmates, whether you all plan on attending further education, pursuing a job, or any other path, to hold them dear to your heart.”