149 graduates honored during Baccalaureate Liturgy and Commencement exercises in Reading as school leaders and student speakers reflected on faith, resilience, and service
Reading, MA — Austin Preparatory School in Reading celebrated the Baccalaureate Liturgy and Commencement for the Class of 2026 on Thursday, May 14, in Richard J. Meelia ’67 Hall. Friends, family, faculty, staff, members of the Austin Prep Board of Trustees, and 149 graduates gathered for Mass and the conferral of diplomas, marking a joyful milestone for the school community.
In his remarks to the graduates, Head of School James Hickey, Ph.D. P’22, ’23, ’24, ’27, reflected on the Augustinian values that shaped the Class of 2026 during their time at Austin Prep. “Like Pope Leo, you have been formed in Veritas, Unitas, and Caritas, and you are sons and daughters of St. Augustine,” Dr. Hickey said. He encouraged graduates to carry those values forward, reminding them that “the purpose of your Austin Prep education is not merely personal success. It is service to the common good.”
Salutatorian Steven Elias Reyes ’26 of Andover, who will attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall, spoke with gratitude and perspective about the transition ahead. Reflecting on advice from the late Mr. Williams, a longtime Austin Prep choir and math teacher, Reyes shared, “Everything is transitory, and everything is eventual.” He added, “We have so much ahead of us, though, and that’s beautiful in itself. We’ve only been around here for 17 or 18 years. And the best is still in store.”
Valedictorian Jaden Joseph Cruz ’26 of Woburn, who will attend Boston University, invited classmates to recognize the meaning found in ordinary moments. “We spent so much time waiting for important moments that we didn’t realize important moments were already happening,” Cruz said. As the Class of 2026 prepared to receive their diplomas, Cruz reminded classmates that “we will always take pieces of Austin with us,” including “the resilience we built here, the lessons that grounded us, and the people who believed in us before we believed in ourselves.”
The ceremony concluded a formative Austin Prep journey for the Class of 2026 and celebrated graduates prepared to carry forward the school’s mission to inspire hearts to unite, minds to inquire, and hands to serve.
