PROVIDENCE — La Salle Academy graduated its 148th class on the evening of June 7 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. This year’s class celebrates many standout accomplishments including the awarding of $54.6 million dollars in merit scholarships. Additionally, 120 of the grads will attend eight colleges/universities in Rhode Island, while 22 students have signed National Letters of Intent to play in 10 different sports at 15 colleges/universities.
In his Welcome Address, Austin G. Marinosci asked his classmates, “If we wanted to capture this class, to make a time capsule, what would we want to fill it with? What would tell our piece of the story?”
“We would want our time capsule to hold our contribution to the Lasallian mission,” said Marinosci. “When others look back, they will see that we did the good work as people of faith in Christian Service, service learning trips, and through the kindness we showed one another. We served the poor and the marginalized, sought social justice, and showed our love for God by loving each other.”
He added that, unlike other time capsules, while we do gift it to the legacy that is La Salle, we don’t just leave it behind. We take it with us in our hearts wherever our roads lead in our future.
“Time is precious, but the truth is more precious than time. And the truth is that, from the outside, our time capsule may appear similar to that of the many classes that have come before us, but our unique talents and memories have overflowed the inside of our time capsule. The truth of this class is that we have upheld and made proud the tradition of La Salle Academy.”
Brother Thomas Gerrow, F.S.C., President of La Salle Academy, shared with the Class of 2019 that they have much in common, as they all prepare for life after La Salle – as Brother Gerrow prepares to retire.
“Know that we never leave La Salle, we simply move to another level of our involvement in the La Salle community which will always be a part of us.”
In her Student Address, Catherine Medeiros offered gratitude to all those who played an important role in their lives, recognizing the sacrifice of parents, and thanking teachers, coaches, directors, campus ministers and club moderators for shaping them into the people they are today.
“Since we were freshmen, we have been planning for and counting down to this moment. Now, here we are, and we are already planning for the coming years. The future holds some of our biggest challenges yet. With everything La Salle has taught us, starting the day with our faith, having a couple friends to help us paddle along, and loving people for the size of their hearts, I am confident we can face these challenges.”
