MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake High School class of 2017 has hundreds of stories. Stories of success and stories of defeat. Stories of hardship, of perseverance and dedication. The candor of senior class honor speaker Amanda Harder when she told her story on Saturday at Lions Field was a big takeaway from the ceremony. Two months into her high school career Harder was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.

“In short, I am a 17-year-old girl with the internal organs of a 95-year-old,” she said.

Harder had a tough go of things, but she didn’t let her diagnosis define the rest of her life.

“All of my success and achievements throughout high school can be credited to the fact that four years ago I looked at myself and made the choice to be a better me. You see, it’s the choices that we make that decide our quality of life.”

Harder’s story was one of over 450 that were on display on Saturday during Moses Lake High School’s 71st commencement exercise. The excitement was palpable. The eager anticipation was evident. The constant stream of selfies never ceased. The students were fully aware that Saturday’s ceremony was the last time they would be together before they venture out and forge their own path.

“For some of you that thought of navigating the unknown [that] may still be even a little bit scary. Now while you will be making choices and living with the consequences as an adult, you are not alone and you never will be, because you are from Moses Lake,” MLHS principal Mark Harris reminded the class of 2017.

Moses Lake's school spirit was put on display as the ceremony ended and the graduates exited Lion’s Field. There was seemingly no student who was not met with a pat on the back from family members, friends and even complete strangers. The MLHS class of 2017 left its mark on the community and now has goals of leaving a mark on the world.

“The challenges that we face, we must face them head-on and not fear them at all. And if we do that then it will help us to evolve and become better people and if we all live up to our potential that we have and face those challenges, then we can make this world a better place,” senior class speaker Aditya Sharma told his fellow graduates during his speech.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.