I Graduated!

I am a 2025 Graduate

I graduated!

June 7th, 2025. The day we dreamed of. The day we, as students, never thought could come fast enough. These past thirteen years of school helped shape who I am, but, it was the past four years of high school that truly formed me.

Growing up with a ball at my feet, I always knew I loved two things: my family and soccer. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school, when I suffered a season-ending knee injury, that I discovered I had more passions to life outside of the sport. It wasn’t because I chose to branch out; it was because I was forced to. At the time, I thought my life was over. Being told no soccer for the next four months felt unimaginable. But looking back, it was the greatest blessing I could have ever received. It was during that time that something I used to do occasionally for fun turned into a deep part of me. I was now experiencing high school with a camera by my side.

That Christmas, I received my first real camera and lens—and everything changed! Instantly, I started going around my house taking pictures of objects and following my cat to get the best shot of him. By the time school started back up that following fall, I now had two things to be excited for; the high school soccer team and the school paper. Joining the school paper my sophomore year is truly what lighted my passion on fire. Quickly, I learned that covering games meant more than just taking photos; I also needed to write. Suddenly, I was publishing photo galleries along side my stories of the buzzer beater victories for the Braintree Wamps. It was cool being able to see how I was able to enhance a story with the combination of photos and writing.

Once again, something that felt like a challenge at first turned into a blessing. I discovered my love for writing. I joined the paper with zero skills besides my traditional English classes I had taken throughout school. I soaked up everything I could from those around me and continued my drive when nobody was watching; I wanted to be the best that I could be. Now, as a senior, I’ve developed skills that I never even thought of the first time I walked in the news room: news articles, photo galleries, and even video packages. I came to love the grind of interviewing, editing, and publishing, just like I’ve always loved the grind of soccer.

As I grew as a team, I also grew as an individual; I created Summer Lamont Photography. I spent countless hours building my website, asking for feedback on the tiniest adjustments—"Does this look perfect?"—until it finally felt right. As I was able to transform my skills into something I could never imagine, I was able to now unlock a new level of passion through creating my own business. The joy delivered to me through photography is one I can never explain and one I am eternality grateful for. Now, whenever I do anything photography related: booking a session, editing, upgrading equipment, uploading galleries; I can’t help but smile. I truly love photography, and I feel so blessed to be able to do it and work with such wonderful people from all different aspects of life.

"What do you want to do next?" The most common question asked of any upperclassman as they near their senior year and end of schooling. Freshman year, my answer was simple: “I want to play college soccer.” But over the years, with growth and self-discovery, my answer changed: “Well, I want to play college soccer, but I also want to study journalism and photography.” Now, as I walked across that stage with a smile as I receive my diploma and turn that tassel from right to left, I am proud to say I am turning in my Braintree blue for Castleton green. I’m officially attending Vermont State University–Castleton, where I’ll continue my journey—playing Division III soccer, majoring in Communications, and minoring in Photography.

I can not be more excited to see what the next four years in college will bring me, develop me, and form me. But, I can always say; I am truly blessed for my past four years in high school!