Meet Addison Trail’s class of 2019 graduation speaker

Pictured is Addison Trail senior Gabriella Bonilla, who will serve as the student graduation speaker during Addison Trail’s 53rd commencement ceremony on May 19.

On May 19, Addison Trail senior Gabriella Bonilla will address more than 480 of her classmates as the student graduation speaker during Addison Trail’s 53rd commencement ceremony.

Bonilla entered the school’s annual graduation-speech competition and was selected as this year’s winner by a panel of judges. Her speech, entitled “To the Ones That Blazed,” will focus on the experiences members of the class of 2019 have had during their high school career and what they should expect and strive for in the future.

“Addison Trail has helped us grow as people, as a school and as a class,” Bonilla said. “I hope my speech inspires my classmates to reflect on how much they’ve accomplished and realize there’s still a lot out there to experience.”

Bonilla said she has wanted to enter the competition since her freshman year, but she nearly missed the deadline. She realized the deadline the day the speech was due and forced herself to sit down and focus on writing the best speech she could for her peers.

Bonilla said she’s thrilled to be the voice of the class of 2019 and represent the various groups of her classmates. During her time at Addison Trail, Bonilla has served as Editor in Chief of Torch (Addison Trail’s student newspaper) and has been a member of Color Guard, Choir, Interact Club and Girls Tennis. She also earned a Judge’s Choice award during Elmhurst College’s Annual High School Art Exhibition this year.

Bonilla plans to attend Roosevelt University, where she looks to major in education and minor in marketing.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned from Addison Trail is to try everything,” Bonilla said.

Addison Trail 53rd commencement ceremony online
Can’t make it in person to Addison Trail’s 53rd commencement ceremony on May 19? No problem! The graduation will be streamed live at 3 p.m. (CST) online at www.dupage88.net/atgrad.