Class of 2021 at Founding Roots Dinner

A large group of graduates from Western’s Class of 2021 attended the Dinner. These young men are graduating from high school this month. Pablo Caranti (’21) represented his classmates in a speech, advising them to, “Remember your roots!”

Pablo drew his attention to three areas Western helped him: by giving boys freedom, his friendships and his faith, all inspired by the Great Oak at the center of campus, which “represented us in a special way because those are our roots, they're our founding roots.”

Given the freedom we had, “we were made to understand the world around us, and we saw the creativity and imaginations boys have when they are given a ton of freedom. And Western really gave us the opportunity to live that.”

He said another key aspect of Western were "the friendships we made. There are no shared experiences like being outside in the great outdoors. It brought us together and forged us as men, and we ended up united as lifelong friends.”

“The final aspect of Western which I have found pivotal in my life is the faith that Western instilled in each of us. Seeing my teachers praying and helping me to pray. Having those men around you, you become like them. As you grow older, you try to become the men you were with when you were young.”

Read Pablo’s full speech HERE

2021 Grads at the dinner (above, L-R): 
Jun Valentin, Rafael Gomez, Gregory Pearson, Luke Webber, Matthew Parker, Jonas Henderson, John Dodson, Louis Saylor, Mateu Orendain, Gabriel Espinosa, Santiago Jimenez, Dominic Block, Spencer Sierra, Wyatt Glueck, Bennett Groover, Matthew Parmenter, Joseph Nichols, Rowan Bishop, Pablo Caranti, Dylan Lau, Grayson Smith, Berhane Linbeck, and Landon Lord (not pictured).

Among paths the young men are pursuing, 2021 graduates will attend the following colleges:
The Air Force Academy, Blinn College (Texas A&M) (4), Christendom College, Franciscan University, Knox College, New York University, Oklahoma State University, Rice University, Southwestern University, Springhill College, St. Constantine College, Texas A&M (9), Texas A&M (Galveston), Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University, University of Arkansas, University of Dallas (4), University of Houston, University of Notre Dame, University of Oklahoma, University of Oregon, University of Tennessee, University of Texas.