Minutes before filing down the aisle, Allie Wilson, in cap and gown, was pacing in the basement of St. Mary Basilica.

The 2009 Cathedral graduate and valedictorian was a ball of nerves, telling her friends and fellow graduates that she was hyperventilating.

When the time came, Wilson stood behind the lectern, let out a deep breath and gave a quiet, nervous giggle, but she spoke, clear as a bell, to the 32 other graduates.

“Cathedral has embedded in our hearts that we never walk alone,” she said.

And though they may be a small graduating class of only 33, they have become friends and comrades during their four-year high school journey.

“From the first day of school to the last exam, we have overcome many obstacles, she said.

She said the diversity and the strength in the graduating class is so unique, that she believes each graduate will succeed in their post-high-school ventures.

“We are filled with the anticipation about going to college,” she said. “This class possesses the courage to go far.”

Salutatorian Harrison Burns spoke of the complexities, risks and challenges of life.

“We should not be afraid to take chances,” Burns said. “God throws curve balls at us every day.”

But with perseverance, a clear mind and faith in yourself, Burns said nothing in insurmountable.

He encouraged his fellow graduates to enjoy each day as it comes.

“Each day, every year, we have on this Earth is a gift from God,” Burns said.

And while times may get tough and struggles may present themselves, he said don’t get too caught up in making your way through life that it becomes unpleasant.

“We should enjoy the ride,” he said.

And never get caught up in too fast a pace where life passes your by, Burns said.

“Live in the moment, prepare for the future and never forget the past,” he said.

Looking to the future was where many of the graduates’ minds were Friday night.

Graduate Amanda Richardson said she was looking forward to attending the University of Southern Mississippi in the fall to purse a nursing degree.

No stranger to the medical profession — Richardson’s aunt is a nurse and her brother an EMT — she said she was looking forward to fulfilling somewhat of a family legacy.

High school instilled a valuable lesson in Richardson, one she can carry through her college career.

“You have to work hard for anything you want,” she said.

George Jackson said he’s ready to hit the football games at his college choice Ole Miss in the fall, but he’s ready to hit the books, too.

Wavering between a criminal justice or pre-law degree, Jackson said he just can’t believe high school is over.

“Freshman year, I began thinking, ‘Wow, it’s going to be a long time to graduation,’” he said. “But it flew by.”

As the graduates waited in the pews for their diplomas and turning of their tassels, Wilson summed up her emotions in one final address.

“I will always love and miss each and everyone of you.”

Natchez High School

NATCHEZ — Ylani Hayes has only one goal in mind today — sleep.

“I’m going to take a long nap” Hayes, Natchez High School’s 2009 valedictorian said. “That’s all I want to do.”

A short time later Hayes and 189 of her classmates walked across the stage got their diplomas and finished high school.

They can all sleep late today.

And while students were all smiles at the ceremony, several said the evening’s rain did dampen the mood.

“It was pretty much my dream graduation,” Olivia Geter said of graduating on the school’s football stadium. “Every class before got to use the field, that’s what I wanted. I think that’s what everybody wanted.”

Geter said not only did the rain ruin her dream graduation, but also it limited the number of people who got to see it.

When the graduation was scheduled to be outside, the students did not have a limit on how many guests they could invite to the ceremony.

Since the graduation had to be moved inside, each grad was only allowed five guests.

Keonnia Williams said that limit meant some of her friends and family could not see her graduate.

“It’s disappointing, I wanted them to be here,” Williams said.

But no matter the weather, the seats of the Natchez Convention Center eventually filled until there was standing room only.

In her address to the class, Hayes implored her fellow graduates to continue empowering themselves and to continue their educations.

“We must continue to educate ourselves, if we do, no doors will be locked on us,” she said.

Not only did Hayes implore her fellow students to continue in self-education, but she also challenged them to change the world.

“Let us seek to accomplish what no individual will attempt.”

Adams County Christian School

Natchez — As they processed down the aisle of First Baptist Church in full academic regalia, Friday night marked the end of one phase of life but the beginning of another for the 37 graduates of Adams County Christian School.

Graduate Ryan Comer, whose plans are to attend Southwest Mississippi Community College before deciding on a major, seemed to sense that.

“I’m kind of nervous, but at the same time I’m ready to graduate,” Comer said. “It’s just another big step, really.”

Comer’s fellow graduate Vincent Burchfield — who plans to attend Copiah-Lincoln Community College and study to become an electrician — didn’t share his hesitation, however.

“I’m relieved to be graduating, really,” Burchfield said. “We have been going to school for 12 years, and we finally get to get out.”

Salutatorian Alexis Nicole White noted that the occasion of graduation is the last time all of the graduates will gather together.

“Graduation is a time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future,” White said.

“As we look back through the years at ACCS, it is with great pride we can say the school has been very important in helping us get to be the young men and women we are today.”

White said graduates had God, their family, friends and teachers to thank for where they are today.

“These past years we have been given excellent information, and now we can put it to use,” she said.

Graduation marks a transition into adulthood, White said.

“After tonight, (the graduates’ parents) will no longer be the parents of children, but of young men and women,” she said.

High school was not always easy, Valedictorian Elizabeth Evon Floyd said, comparing it to the Gary Allan song “Life ain’t always beautiful.”

“These difficult times have made us stronger,” Floyd said.

“These changes we have experienced have made us wiser.

But as they journey into the future, graduates should remember Jeremiah 29:11, which tells them God has a plan for them to prosper and not fail, Floyd said.

“It is not planned to be easy, but it is planned to be worth it,” she said.

Now that the graduates have left their mark on ACCS, it is time for them to leave their mark on the world, Floyd said.

“It is now time for each of us to become what we are capable of becoming,” she said.

The featured speaker for the ceremony, Procurement Officer for the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board Wayne Pinkerton, told the students they have made friendships that will last a lifetime, and that God loves them and they should love him back.

“Congratulations class of 2009, work hard and be successful,” he said.