The class of 2016 has left the doors of St. Aloysius High School for the last time as students, and after tomorrow, they’ll be calling it their alma mater, looking forward to what’s next.

Forty-one students including valedictorian Katie Ann Martin and salutatorian Katelyn Frances Brock will take the stage Saturday at 10 a.m. at City Auditorium for graduation.

Martin, the daughter of Karen and Ann Martin, has attended St. Aloysius since she moved to Vicksburg in the seventh grade.

“I’ll enjoy looking back on it,” she said. “I’ll miss the people I like.”

Martin said she would encourage other students to try to be the best they can be without worrying so much about ranking or competing against others.

“You may be at the very bottom, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work hard and improve yourself,” she said. “You have to know your self- worth, and that’s not just about grades. You do have to know why you’re getting your education, so you will have something to push you.”

Martin is a member of Key Club, Liturgical Team, Quiz Bowl competition team, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society and is the senior moderator of the open forum at St. Aloysius. She is the captain of both the swim team and golf team and the Math and Science Team.

Martin has been a member of the Vicksburg Swim Association, and she is now an assistant coach. She is a member of Vicksburg Cotillion Club and Rebelettes Service Club.

Martin attends Church of the Holy Trinity where she is a crucifer and a lay Eucharistic minister. She has volunteered with the Vicksburg Warren Animal Shelter and Camp Silvercloud.

In the fall, Martin will attend her parents’ alma mater Purdue University

“I’m excited to try something do, do something new and meet a lot of people,” she said. “My parents went there, I lived there for a year and I have family near there. It’ll be new for me, but not totally brand new.”

At Purdue, Martin plans to study engineering.

“I’m thinking mechanical (engineering) or chemical (engineering) right now,” she said. “I have a vague idea of maybe moving to Germany and working at a car company or something like that.”

Martin said she’d like to thank everyone who has helped her along the way, “my family especially.”

Brock, the daughter of Carl and Jane Brock, has attended the Vicksburg Catholic Schools since preschool.

“[I’ll miss] being around everyone who has been my family for the last 13 years,” she said. “I’m going to miss all my friends.”

Brock said to excel academically has taken several different factors.

“There’s been lots of studying, staying focused on my goals and a lot of determination,” she said.

Brock is president of Mu Alpha Theta, the math honor society, and she is a member of National Honor Society, Key Club and Retreat Team. She also serves as captain of her swim team.

Brock is the president of her youth group at Crawford Street United Methodist Church and she participates in the Conference Council of Youth Ministries and Service Over Self. She is a member of Vicksburg Cotillion Club.

This fall, Brock plans to attend Mississippi State University where she will study biology with a pre-med concentration. She hopes to one day become a pediatrician.

“My family has believed in me since I decided I wanted to be a pediatrician in the second grade,” she said. “They believed I could do it, and they still do.”

Brock said although finishing up at St. Aloysius is bittersweet, she’s excited for new beginnings.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to know new people outside of St. Al and Vicksburg and all the new classes,” she said. “It’s something new.”