This is the seventh entry in our Class of 2025 series.
Giving his final speech as student council executive president, X’Zaeviun Sims lifted up his fellow Pine Bluff High School graduates and gave a bold prediction about his future.
“If no one else has told you, let me be the first to tell you I’m proud of you, I love you and I can’t wait to see you in 20 years when I announce I’m running to be your governor,” he said, erupting the cheers of a capacity crowd inside the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s H.O. Clemmons Arena on Friday night.
Exactly 200 Zebras received diplomas Friday night at UAPB’s H.O. Clemmons Arena. It also was a highlight in a night captured with emotions from tears of joy, to words of poignance, to Sims’ uplifting message.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
In his welcome speech, Omarion Tucker challenged the class to dream bigger than they thought possible and leave their mark on this world. Amid tears of joy, salutatorian Jaide Sanders reflected on the 13-year education journey she and others took and the family members and teachers who helped them along the way. And valedictorian Keyon Smith looked back on the roots of his educational excellence, like responsibility, humility, respect and discipline.
“These roots have prepared us and equipped us for the challenges ahead when the times gets tough and the going path isn’t clear, we’ll have experiences to look back on to help us make a way,” Smith said. He also paid homage to his roots in the Dollarway School District, which annexed into the Pine Bluff School District in 2021. (Dollarway and Pine Bluff high schools merged two years later.)
Sims is gaining invaluable leadership on a national level. He was a “senator” at Boys Nation in Washington, D.C., last July and is now president-elect of Jobs for America’s Graduates Career Association, representing more than 80,000 students nationwide, according to his JAG bio.
Sims also offered some keys of life: always love yourself, protect your peace, always know your worth and own your story.
“Tell it with pride. Let them know coming from Pine Bluff doesn’t mean you’re behind. It means you’ve been tested and you passed,” Sims emphasized.
