Mia Loyd loved high school, but she’s excited about the next chapter of her life.

The Terre Haute South Vigo High School graduate will attend the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where she also will play Div. 1 volleyball.

The Air Force Academy enables Loyd to pursue a strong academic program and continue her love of volleyball. It also will prepare her for her goals of providing leadership and service.

It involved an application and nomination process, and she was accepted her junior year. “It was the perfect match and the perfect fit,” she said in an interview prior to graduation.

“I know I want to make an impact bigger than myself for other people. I believe by serving others, I’m doing the best thing I can do,” Loyd said.

Loyd was one of 386 South Vigo High School seniors who graduated Sunday during a commencement program at Hulman Center.

At South Vigo, valedictorians are:

Christopher Chow; Abigail Clark; Brady Exoo; Christine Liu; Lilly Merk; Sophia Miranda; Sophia Morse; Haley Overton.

Salutatorians are: Wyatt Crockett; Braden Mekeel; and Cale Williams.

Student council president Imer Holman gave introductory comments and pointed to an African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child.

He thanked families, teachers, coaches, friends and others who all had a part in the students’ success in achieving graduation.

“As we begin to close this chapter, we embrace new opportunities that lie ahead,” Holman said. “It’s safe to say, none of us would have got here today alone.”

Family “pushed us to be the best versions of ourselves” and they “never gave up on us,” he said.

South teachers “molded our young minds each day. You sparked our curiosities, pushed us to think critically and instilled in us the tools for lifelong learning and success,” he said. Teachers also “taught us morals, values and perseverance.”

“To everyone who helped us get here, thank you not only for cultivating our potential, but preparing us to go forth as global citizens,” he said. To classmates, Holman said, “Let us use the lessons from our village to go conquer the world one dream at a time.”

In an interview, South principal Tammy Rowshandel said that at graduation, “You’re kind of sad to see them go. But you know what is next is so exciting.”

She looks forward to catching up with graduates a few years from now, when they’ve finished college or landed “cool jobs.”

Sometimes, it’s the students they worry about most who “get it together” and find success, whether through college or other pursuits, she said.

Reflecting on the Class of 2024, she said that collectively, “This was a class of just really good, kind, huge-hearted, thoughtful kids who care about one another and care about the world in which we live.”

Today’s students “are kinder and more open-minded than when I was in high school and I walked the halls of Terre Haute South,” said Rowshandel, a 1986 South graduate who’s been principal there for 10 years.

Today’s students don’t put up with bullying and they intervene when they see it happening, she said.

In her speech, she planned to emphasize the importance of being resilient.

“They’ve shown me they can be that. They need to keep the faith and surround themselves with good people and people who will help them be the best person they can be,” Rowshandel said.

They’re going to fail sometimes and they’re going to have tough times, but that’s going to show their true character, she said.

“You have to be resilient,” she said. “What do you do when you fail? Are you going to blame somebody else, are you going to fall apart, or are you going to pick yourself up by the bootstraps and show others, ‘I can do this.’

Mia Loyd says she is “super excited to graduate,” but she had a great four years of high school.

“I had some amazing teachers, friends, parents and people involved in my life who allowed me to do a lot of cool things,” she said. “I’m really thankful for those people.”

Many of those things wouldn’t have happened without those relationships, she said.

Her advice to others is to be willing to get out of their comfort zones, talk to people and build relationships with others. “Don’t be afraid to try new things,” Loyd said.