Warren JFK's 47 grads looking ahead after today's commencement

WARREN

A two-week missions trip to Kenya during his freshman year acted as a template for Andrew Rossi to not only excel in school, but to set his sights far beyond achieving good grades and living for the moment.

“It opened my eyes up to poverty and played a big role in me taking part in service and charity roles,” explained Rossi, a Class of 2016 graduate of Warren John F. Kennedy Catholic High School. “I [also] hope to help others around the world as a doctor.”

It appears that Rossi already has laid the groundwork for accomplishing such aspirations. He plans to major in pre-med at DePaul University in Chicago and enter the medical field.

Rossi already has completed the first major leg of his goal: He was one of 47 graduates to receive a diploma during the school’s commencement Saturday at W.D. Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW.

Delivering the commencement address was James D. Pipino, a 1978 Warren JFK graduate.

During his presentation, Rossi, the class valedictorian, quickly ticked off in alphabetical order from A-D the names of 47 countries, which also represented the number of graduates. He used the humorous moment as a metaphor to point to the fact that each country is unique and diverse, saying his fellow grads possess the same qualities and have lots of potential to change the world for the better.

Read more about the ceremony and the grads in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.