Graduation season is here, and for Cochrane High School’s Class of 2025, Noah Azzaria-Byrne will be front and centre delivering this year’s valedictory address.
The 18-year-old says the milestone still hasn’t quite sunk in.
“It kind of snuck up on us,” he said. “But it’s exciting, and I’m really grateful for the journey.”
Azzaria-Byrne joined Cochrane High in Grade 9 after transferring from École Notre-Dame des Vallées. At first, he says, the transition to a much larger school was daunting.
“I was kind of like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to make any actual connections here,’ but that wasn’t the case at all,” he said. “It’s a building full of wonderful people who embraced me with open arms.”
Now, he’s been chosen by his peers and school staff to represent the graduating class, an honour he didn’t see coming.
“There are so many strong academics and outgoing people in our school,” he said. “I guess I was the one that got picked.”
Azzaria-Byrne has kept busy during his time at Cochrane High, volunteering with the local Lions Club and even receiving a scholarship from the organization this year. And while he didn’t participate in sports, he still found a way to support the school’s athletics, helping a teacher develop a custom app to assist the football team with sideline photo analysis.
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As valedictorian, Azzaria-Byrne’s speech will focus on Cochrane High’s three pillars: community, character, and commitment.
“I’m planning to talk about how community shapes us, and how we carry that with us into the future,” he explained. “And hopefully I can think of a few good jokes to add in, too.”
Next up, he’s heading to the University of Calgary this fall to pursue engineering, likely with a focus on software. He plans to spend his first year living in residence before returning home to Cochrane.
When asked to sum up his time at Cochrane High, he didn’t hesitate.
“Waking up early… and a lot of fun,” he laughed.