Saint John's Catholic Prep grads value support systems, ready to make their mark

As the graduation ceremony for Saint John’s Catholic Prep began on Thursday afternoon, graduating senior Ethan Reberio looked out at the crowd of graduates, families and friends as he began to read an opening prayer for the event.

During the prayer, Reberio gave thanks to God for the graduates getting to this milestone and asked Him to watch over the class of 2024 as they begin a new chapter of their lives.

“We give thanks for all those in our lives who are representative of Christ’s light to us,” he said. “In this thanks, we pray for our families and the many who have sacrificed and worked to see us to this hopeful moment.”

Saint John’s celebrated its graduating class of 72 students, according to a program for the event. Many of the graduates were grateful to their support systems of families and educators for helping them to eventually receive their diplomas.

Flora Karpowicz, the class’ valedictorian, spoke during the ceremony. She said the graduates wouldn’t be where they are today without their parents and caregivers and thanked them on behalf of her class.

“To my classmates, let us remember the people who care about us — our teachers, families and friends — who have encouraged, sustained, inspired and tolerated us,” Karpowicz said.

Will Knotek, the head of the school, also told the graduating class to lean on their support systems as they leave high school and deal with new challenges.

He commended the class for getting through the last four years starting off with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and continuing to excel since, garnering thousands of service hours and starting or revitalizing extracurriculars like the bell choir and school newspaper.

Reberio said that he helped start Saint John’s bell choir during his sophomore year. His fellow graduate, Gabriella Lowry, was the editor in chief of the school’s paper, as well as president of the Spanish club.

Reberio and Lowry were involved in multiple activities together, such as the National Honor Society and the school’s Student Ambassadors program.

Lowry plans to attend Towson University after graduation to study mass communications, and Reberio will attend the Catholic University of America to study biomedical engineering.

At the graduation ceremony, they both had another thing in common: They were named the recipients of the Father John McElroy Award, which honors the school’s founder and recognizes graduating seniors who embody the school’s mission.

Neither of them knew they would be receiving the award, and Lowry said she felt blessed to get it. With a smile on his face, Reberio said he was speechless.

Lowry said she’s excited to go to college and make a difference in her community. Each year, she said, Saint John’s has a theme for the year, and this year’s theme was “Be the One,” and she said it resonated with her.

“Be the one to make the difference, not be afraid to make a change and help those who need it,” she said. “I’m definitely going to keep that in mind as I move forward to my next chapter.”

Another graduate, Anna Mulhern, said a similar sentiment she learned in high school will stick with her when she starts attending Carlow University in Pennsylvania: Life is what you make of it.

Mulhern said she was relieved to graduate. Throughout her life, she has struggled with depression, and she said she attempted suicide in her sophomore year.

She said she’s not ashamed to talk about the experience, because she wants to help others through her own story.

With tears in her eyes, Mulhern said she was proud of herself for achieving this milestone, and she’s excited to continue her education and study psychology.

She said the field is something she’s very passionate about, and it plays into her life philosophy of trying to treat others how she wants to be treated.

“No matter what, you’ll find something to love about everything,” she said. “If you push through, you can decide what you want. You can write your own story.”