The Warriors of La Plata High School celebrated the graduation of its Class of 2026 Thursday, June 4, at Regency Furniture Stadium.
The class was led by valedictorian Ella Luton with the salutatorian role shared by Joyce Kang and Gavin Wu. Luton urged her fellow graduates to live their life not dictated by fear, but to try, fail, learn from it and try again.
“Trying means failing, failing means learning,” Luton said. “And learning means growing.” Luton will study biology at Salisbury University in the fall.
Kang, who will attend Johns Hopkins University to major in molecular and cellular biology, and Wu, who is headed to the University of Maryland, College Park, to study chemical engineering, both touched on how fear can be a catalyst for growth.
“It is possible for our excitement to coexist with the fear of the unknown,” Kang said. She said the class members were able to build friendships and a sense of community ensuring them they were not alone. Kang said she wished for a time machine to rewind back to moments in life that she wanted to try again.
“The moments we desperately wished for a re-do were the moments that taught us the most. Failed tests, awkward presentations and difficult loses taught us resilience,” she said. “Maybe the goal is not to wish for more time and a chance to restart. Maybe the goal is to appreciate the fact that we were blessed enough to live these moments.”
Wu said if he had a time machine, he would use it to go back in time and not waste it. He would make new friends and take the chances. But he realized he doesn’t need a time machine, he needed to think differently. He said that it is natural to want to protect yourself from uncertainty, risk of failure and change. “But changing is a natural part of life,” Wu said. “High school was different from each of us, but a common factor was fear. The fear of leaving old friends and making new ones often tethers us to the past. Stagnating our growth and delaying our potential ... I hope you’ll be free. Free from these fears. Don’t waste time.”
La Plata students in the Class of 2026 earned nearly $25 million in scholarship offers.
St. Charles High School will hold its commencement at 2 p.m. June 4 wrapping up the CCPS graduation season. To learn more about graduation, visit https://www.ccboe.com/parents/graduation-2026.
About CCPS
Charles County Public Schools provides 28,162 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 39 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event. CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).