District News

Lancaster High School’s Class of 2026 was encouraged to be brave in pursuing their goals as they brought their high school careers to a close.

“You do not have to have your whole life figured out tonight,” said keynote speaker Lauren Budzich-Goren. “You just need the courage to take the next step, to raise your hand, to ask the question … to show up. Because luck isn’t random. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. But first, you have to get in the room.”

A total of 396 students graduated during the ceremony on June 24, 2026 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo.

Budzich-Goren, a class of 2015 graduate, shared her entrepreneurial story from selling candy bars to her classmates in fifth grade to leading a medical sales team for pharmaceutical company Johnson and Johnson and holding a prominent role with NAF helping support career readiness for aspiring young professionals. As a sophomore in Lancaster High School’s Academy of Finance, Budzich-Goren recalled the opportunity to meet with the chief human resources officer for Catholic Health, and working with him to create an internship path that had not previously existed. The next year, Budzich-Goren recounted sharing a homemade business card as well as her goal of being CEO of a Fortune 500 healthcare company with a person she met at a NAF conference in New York. The person she was speaking with happened to be the CEO of Johnson and Johnson, the largest healthcare company in the world by revenue. 

“Some conversations do not just change your day. They can change the trajectory of your life,” Budzich-Goren said. “Not because I had all the answers, and definitely not because I was the smartest person in the room, but because I got myself in the room.”

She also told the graduates to not allow technology to take away from the value of their presence and courage, and to be resilient in the face of setbacks in their lives. 

“Sometimes the door that does not open is simply pointing you to the one that you are actually meant to walk through,” Budzich-Goren said. 

Andrew P. Kufel, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools, congratulated parents for their work developing their children, and reflected on the moments that can go unnoticed at the time but are a part of their child’s development.

“That's how it's supposed to be,” Dr. Kufel said. “We want our students, and your children, to gain their independence, to be responsible, to be successful beyond our time with them.”

Among the student speakers during the evening were valedictorian Stephanie Couchman, salutatorian Carrie Kornacki and Ava Beckman, senior class executive board member. 

“As you move forward, we need to keep dreaming and chasing our life's goals that give our lives purpose,” Couchman said. “Dreams may come to you at night, but they don't come true overnight.”

Principal Michael Candella also spoke to the graduates, along with Lancaster High School Academy of Finance Director Scott Dixon, who introduced Budzich-Goren. The evening was also filled with musical performances from the LHS Symphonic Band and Concert Choir, as well as a performance of the alma mater by students. 

Full video from the graduation can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/lancastercsd/videos/27255972664095787/.