Fifty-two graduates at Weatherly Area High School heard words of encouragement from a 1990 alumnus during commencement ceremonies held Friday evening inside the Weatherly Area Middle School gymnasium.

Weatherly native Richard C. Gregory, a cancer researcher living in Framingham, Massachusetts, was the honored speaker.Gregory advised the group that the world is theirs."You may be graduating from a small high school in rural Pennsylvania, but rest assured that a world of opportunities lies ahead of you, just as it does for the 3.2 million other graduates in the U.S.," said Gregory."It's up to you to explore those opportunities, work hard and make your mark on the world."Gregory attended Pennsylvania State University, where he earned his bachelor of science degree in biology and a minor in molecular and cellular biology. Following graduation, he remained at Penn State, where he studied red blood cell development and earned his Ph.D. in 1999.He then moved to Boston to continue training as a research scientist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow.In an especially moving speech, Brittany Isom, class president, encouraged her classmates to welcome diversity."We will have the opportunity to meet people from all different kinds of backgrounds and cultures. Embrace their uniqueness and learn from them."The top 10 Weatherly Area High School graduates, ranked in order, are: Cassidy Noelle Piskorick, Rachel Catherine Moon, Brittney Nicole Isom, Dominique Ann Adamczyk, Kirsten Eleanor Ursta, Sarah Jessica Peiser, Courtney Paige Dickson, Katelyn Christina Priore, Kayla Rose Harrisson and Stephanie Lynne Jamgochian.The ceremony also honored members of the Weatherly Area High School Class of 1964.