Russell Karshmer of Highlands gave the closing remarks at the MAST graduation on Pershing Field at Fort Hancock Friday, June 20. He told the audience how much the class of 2025 is itself a group of 66 teens who have undergone as much transition and change on Sandy Hook as the historic ground on which their graduation was taking place itself.
Karshmer addressed a crowd of friends, relatives, strangers, faculty and fellow students already captivated by earlier talks by class president Olivia Palutis and Gregory Elkanovich at the ceremonies for MAST graduation, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology.
He was one of the most recent class of graduates from MAST who earned scholarships, which this year totaled more than $21 million. This included five students (Carter Braun, Thomas Clark, Aidan Gravelli, Nathan Olmeda, and Olivia Palutis) from the class being accepted into the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD., a record number in a single year not only for the Monmouth County Vocational Technical High School but for the Naval Academy as well.
Karshmer, who along with Connor Feeney and Alexandra Preston received Naval ROTC scholarships, will be attending William and Mary College in Virginia in September. Sarah Flynn and Kevin Ruland received appointments to the Coast Guard Academy and Charlotte McKeon received an Army ROTC scholarship, with all 11 military presentations made during the graduation ceremony.
Karshmer also made history last year when his artistic and historically accurate design was selected for the commemorative coin marking the commissioning of the USS New Jersey (SSN796) , the Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine commissioned in September 2024 at NWS Earle’s pier in Leonardo. MAST cadets participated in the commissioning ceremony of the third Navy vessel named in honor of the Garden State when the commemorative coin with Karshmer’ s design was available for sale and gift giving for the first time.
In his closing remarks at the end of the ceremony, Karshmer said the ceremony marked not just an ending, but a beginning. In trying to describe his time at MAST, he said, his mind “went to the very ground we are standing on.” He described the Sandy Hook peninsula as “a place along the coast, shaped by tides, time, and transformation … a place that has always been a place of transition and change. Long before it became a National Park, it was home to the Lenape people – a place of gathering and movement. Then it became a military stronghold, evolving over centuries, adapting to every challenge. And now, it’s a sanctuary – a place where nature, history, and people come together.”
All of which is “kind of like us,” Karshmer continued. “We entered high school unsure of our direction and our future – windswept and shifting like the Hook itself, shaped by forces beyond our control. Maybe it was a tough class”…and he cited Marine Bio in particular… “a new friendship, or even a global pandemic that challenged us to adapt.
But we grew. We learned. We found steady ground, anchored here, in this ever-changing world.”
In addition to all Sandy Hook offers, and has been such a part of their high school years, Karshmer said there is even one unique part of it that stands out as truly special.
“If Sandy Hook has a heart, it’s the lighthouse,” he continued, citing the oldest still operating lighthouse in the country located a short distance from the MAST campus. “Built in 1764, it’s stood for over 250 years, weathering every storm and guiding sailors safely through uncertain waters.”
Here again, he described the similarities between the class of 2025 and the historic lighthouse.
“I think we’ve all had lighthouses in our own lives – people or principles that helped us find direction when things got dark. Maybe it was a special teacher who was there for you, a friend who stayed beside you when things got rough, or even your own quiet determination. As we look to the future – with its wide-open sea of possibility – we’ll need those lights again. More importantly, we’ll need to be the light for others.”
Karshmer then pinpointed some of the other important facts about MAST’s location on the peninsula. “Sandy Hook also reminds us that change doesn’t erase history – it adds to it. The old missile sites, the retired barracks, the worn footpaths – they all tell a story. Just like the memories we’ve made in these past four years. They don’t vanish after today. They become part of who we are – part of the foundation we’ll stand on as we build what’s next.”
Addressing his fellow graduates, Karshmer said, “The path ahead will be new, and sometimes uncertain. But that’s exactly where growth happens. The shoreline at Sandy Hook is always shifting – it’s never static, and that’s what makes it alive. Just like us. We’re not meant to stay where we are. We’re meant to stretch, explore, and become something more. We are graduating from one of the greatest high schools in the nation – and we are more prepared than anyone to shape what comes next. We’re not just stepping into the future; we’re taking command of it. Whether it’s in the military, engineering, healthcare, finance, or athletics – we won’t just participate, we’ll lead. It’s in our DNA.
“Excellence isn’t a goal for us – it’s a habit,” the college bound graduate reminded his classmates. “It’s how we think, how we move, how we show up. No matter where we go, what we do, or how we choose to do it, we’ll do it better – because that’s who we are.
Let’s remember the lessons that the Hook has taught us: Stand strong, adapt with purpose, stay guided by light, and check the bushes twice to make sure a ranger isn’t hiding there. Stand tall – like the lighthouse at Sandy Hook – unshaken, steadfast, and built to illuminate the path for others. We are not just navigating the future. We are lighting its way. Thank you and Congratulations, Class of 2025. Be the light for what comes next.”
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