MONROE, Conn. — Taking risks, overcoming failures, picking others up and leading lives of character and kindness, even when no one is watching, were all themes of speeches given during Masuk High School’s commencement ceremony for the Class of 2026, before the packed bleachers of Benedict Field Wednesday evening.
Jeff Fulchino, a school board member whose life after high school led to a career as a pitcher in Major League Baseball, encouraged graduates to follow their dreams whether they go to college, serve in the military or go directly into the workforce.
“There is no single path to success,” Fulchino said, while speaking on behalf of the Board of Education. “Your future doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s. It only needs to reflect your character, your work ethic and your willingness to keep moving forward.”
He shared how proud Board of Education members are of all that the graduates accomplished, and how excited they are for what comes next.
“Go forward with confidence,” Fulchino said. “Work hard. Be kind. Be resilient. And wherever life takes you, never forget the people and the place that helped shape who you are. Congratulations to the Class of 2026.”
In addition to Masuk Principal Steve Swensen, Superintendent Joseph Kobza, Assistant Superintendent Sheila Casinelli, the Board of Education, teachers and administrators, other invited guests included State Sen. Jason Perillo, R-21st, Rep. Tony Scott, R-Monroe, and First Selectman Terry Rooney.
Christopher Yuskas, the class president, emceed the graduation ceremony, which featured the Masuk Band performing “Pomp and Circumstance” and the Masuk Choir singing the “National Anthem” and “Home” by Phillip Phillips. Class of 2026 MRA Members Adeline Kellogg, Emma McIntyre and Georgia Simons led everyone in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
No fear of failure
“I am honored to stand in front of you as this year’s salutatorian,” Sanjit Selvaraju said in his address. “But being named as the person who performed second best on school work is a good example of how someone can be a winner and a loser at the same time,” he joked, as laughter could be heard among the crowd.
“And honestly, I think that’s fitting, because high school taught all of us that life is not really about always winning,” he said. “It’s about continuing to try even when things don’t go perfectly.”
Selvaraju acknowledged that neither he nor his classmates have everything all figured out, but said that’s okay. He encouraged them to take risks, learn from failure, and to never let fear stop them from trying.
“Because the biggest failure in life is not failing,” he said. “It’s never trying at all.”
After presenting the Class Gift — scholarships for Masuk’s classes of 2027, 2028 and 2029, Yuskas also encouraged his classmates to take risks.
He shared the Greek myth of Icarus, who took a big fall after flying too high, the wax holding his wings together melting from the heat of the sun. Icarus did not scream, cry or express regret, rather he laughed with the understanding falling meant he had first dared to soar, according to Yuskas.
“There is something triumphant about reaching beyond your limits, even when it comes at a cost,” he said. “In that moment, Icarus had lived fully, and touched something extraordinary, even something worth falling for. This story resonates with me because, to me, it is not really about failure; it is about truly living.”
Relationships matter
Valedictorian Aryan Sharma, a self-described math nerd, calculated his waking life spent at Masuk, including years as a STEM Academy student, and came up with 10 percent. Though he spent such a significant time at the high school between classes and extracurricular activities, Sharma said he has a “notoriously bad memory.”
“I remember walking into Mrs. Gampel’s Honors Biology class on the first day of freshman year, acting like I was too cool for school,” he said. “But since then, life has felt like a blur, running from place to place, without a moment at rest. Approximately 33,323 hours and 35 minutes have passed since that first day of Bio, but whenever I try to conjure up a memory, I can only think of one aspect: the people that made these moments special.”
He encouraged his classmates to think of what really defines success.
“I know that for me, the definition of success has changed,” Sharma said. “I think I finally understand that in my world, my success is defined by my relationships and experiences with the people I love. My most fond memories are not the times I got a good grade on a calculus test, but the time I spent studying with friends at Panera or on Facetime the night before.”
“So as we all look to the future, I urge you to reflect on the relationships in your life,” he said. “Think about the friends and family that have gotten you to where you are.”
Mayar Eltaeib, who gave the Graduate Address, will also remember the people she became close to the most.
Eltaeib spoke of how she and her classmates were constantly being measured throughout their high school careers, from their grades, class rankings and test scores to who made the cut to join a team.
“A number has followed us everywhere,” she said, “and slowly, quietly, we started to believe those numbers were us. For the past 12 years, I’ve been number 13656, stressing about my GPA and SAT score more times than I can count.”
“But if I’m being honest, that’s not what made my high school experience meaningful,” she continued. “It was the little things. That’s what I’ll remember. Not the numbers. But the moments. The people. The feeling of being known here. And today feels like the end of all the measuring.”
However, for many of Masuk’s graduates, Eltaeib said the measuring will resume after high school with incomes, internships, resumes, acceptance letters and rejections.
She reminded her classmates how some of the most important parts of who they are will never be measured at all.
“Your character won’t fit on a transcript,” Eltaeib said. “Your discipline won’t show up on a resume. Your resilience won’t be ranked on a leaderboard. And yet, those are the things that will decide everything. We are walking into a world that will keep trying to measure our success. But we get to decide what success actually means.”
Rather than having a goal of being impressive, she said some may measure success by building a life that still feels meaningful on the days when nothing goes right — to define success in ways that don’t disappear the moment the applause ends.
“Because long after the grades change, long after the titles come and go, you will still wake up as the same person,” Eltaeib said. “And the only question that will keep following you is this: Who are you when no one is measuring you?”
Stay curious
Swensen recognized three graduates who will serve in the military: Robert Butler (Army ROTC at Virginia Tech), Austin Keegan (U.S. Marine Corps), and Jaretzy Pani (U.S. Air Force). “Thank you all for your decision to serve this country,” he said.
Swensen also recognized the 12 retirees from Monroe Public Schools this year, including four in attendance: Victor Alfandre, Karen Charpentier, Mari O’Rourke and Kerry Neaton.
In his closing remarks, Swensen told his graduates that legacy is rarely built by the moments that end up in a trophy case, rather it is the moments when no one is keeping score.
“It is built in the choices we make every day: the way we treat people, the way we respond to adversity, and the way we show up for others when they need us most,” he said. “Legacy is not about being remembered for being perfect. It is about being remembered for your character.”
Throughout the last four years, Swensen said he has seen his students live up to the school motto, “Panthers Pick Each Other Up”and he encouraged them to continue to choose character, kindness and doing what is right, while picking others up.
In his remarks, Kobza shared his passion for history and encouraged graduates to pursue their own interests.
“Class of 2026, take the tool of curiosity and apply it to whatever it is that lights a fire inside of you,” he said. “Everyone here knows that your education does not end when you receive a diploma. The world is changing faster than ever, and the future truly belongs to the curious. Don’t just look at the surface of the things you love. Dig deeper. Challenge assumptions. Keep learning.”
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