As she walks across the stage, senior Sofia Ayala shakes hands with Superintendent Holly Ferguson. Ayala plans to major in business finance at Southern Methodist University. "I can't believe how fast the last four years went by and the 10 years I spent in Prosper ISD," Ayala said. "I'm thankful for all of the memories I made, and I'm excited for the next chapter of my life."
Who: Prosper High School Seniors
What: PHS Graduation
Where: Children’s Health Stadium
When: Thursday May 22 at 7 p.m.
What’s next: The 2025-2026 school year will start Aug. 12
As she walks across the stage, senior Sofia Ayala shakes hands with Superintendent Holly Ferguson. Ayala plans to major in business finance at Southern Methodist University. “I can’t believe how fast the last four years went by and the 10 years I spent in Prosper ISD,” Ayala said. “I’m thankful for all of the memories I made, and I’m excited for the next chapter of my life.” (Michelle Ayala)
Looking into the crowd, senior Erica Deutsch walks to the end of the field to get her photo taken before heading back to her seat. Deutsch will be attending Texas A&M University. “(What) I will miss most from high school is getting to walk into the newspaper room every day,” Deutsch said. “It became like a second home for me. I will also miss seeing the teachers who have made a positive impact on me and the sweet friendships I’ve made along the way.” (Michelle Ayala)
Fist-bumping her friends, senior Erin Egstad waits in line to walk across the stage. The graduation lasted about 2 1/2 hours, with 755 seniors graduating. The senior class valedictorian was Chloe Phillips. (Elizabeth Cohorn)
Celebrating their graduation, seniors Nora Ryan and Ava Garretson wave at their families and friends in the bleachers. Ryan plans to attend Sam Houston State University and major in health sciences. She is most proud of being the 2025 UIL state champion in the 800-meter event in track and field. (Elizabeth Cohorn)
Standing in line to enter the field, graduate Nana Obi-Yeeboah gazes at the graduates in front of him. His stole reflects the colors of Ghana’s flag and his Ghanaian heritage. He plans to major in engineering in the fall. (Elizabeth Cohorn)
High-fiving her drill team coach, senior Ella Hensley smiles at Talonette Assistant Director Colleen Hunt. Hensley was a Talonette for four years and plans to study biomedical engineering at the University of Arkansas. “The thing I will miss most about high school is seeing my best friends every day, especially during Talonettes,” Hensley said. “The memories I’ve created with my friends are ones I’ll take with me for a long time, and I’ll always treasure the bond we shared.” (Elizabeth Cohorn)
Waiting for graduation to start, senior James Rollow looks into the distance. The ceremony began at 7 p.m. and ended shortly after 9 p.m. “As a senior, sometimes your upcoming graduation can cause stress,” Rollow said. “But the people around you make it a lot better.” (Kate Duncan)
Showing off her graduation cap, senior Madison Pullin displays the design she created, inspired by the movie “Mean Girls.” Pullin plans to attend Collin College and the University of Texas at Austin to study criminal justice. “I just got a bunch of stuff from Michaels and glitter and the stock boards,” Pullin said. “And then I just put it together with hot glue.” (Kate Duncan)
In a line, Prosper’s soon-to-be graduates make their way to the stage. This year’s graduation was held at Children’s Health Stadium. “I’m ready to go get things rolling,” senior Christina Krasnova said. “Hopefully it doesn’t rain in the middle of the ceremony, but I think it’s going to be fun. I’m ready.” (Kate Duncan)
Gazing into the crowd, senior Krish Kamal smiles as he makes his way back to his seat. During his time at Prosper, Kamal participated in many extracurricular activities. This includes SkillsUSA, an organization that offers students an opportunity to enhance professional and personal skills. (Kate Duncan)
As they watch their classmates walk across the stage, seniors Jadyn Elnitsky and Alberto Escobedo sit in their caps and gowns. The Class of 2025 set a record in Prosper ISD history, with 19 graduating seniors earning associate degrees from Collin College. Thirteen of these graduates were from Prosper High School. (Kate Duncan)
Ending the night with a selfie, senior Sriram Srinivas smiles for the picture. Srinivas will attend Texas A&M University in the fall to study neuroscience. “High school will always be a memorable place for me,” Srinivas said. “These bittersweet experiences are ones that I will always carry with me.” (Aarushi Rana)
Showing off his high school diploma, graduate Branson Reeves walks back to his seat at graduation. Reeves plans to attend Midland University in the fall. During his time at Prosper, Reeves played football and is committed to playing for his college team. (Aarushi Rana)
Adjusting her cap before the graduation ceremony, graduate Kirsten Porchia wears a smile. Porchia plans to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C. in the fall. “The music is really weird, so I’m a little confused,” Porchia said. “But I’m super duper excited.” (Trisha Panicker)
Leading the march back after presenting their color show on stage, Cadet 2nd Lt. Pranavi Sundaram represents the Prosper High School Honor Guard. This is Sundaram’s second year in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) and her first year leading the Honor Guard. “I feel a sense of pride and honor knowing that I am presenting the colors for our nation,” Sundaram said. “I also wish the best for these seniors.” (Trisha Panicker)
Standing for a picture with Principal Nicholas Jones, graduate Isaac Lee holds his diploma and wears the cords he earned throughout high school. He was the captain of Prosper’s engineering robotics team, the Robotalons. This year, the Robotalons secured a victory at their first district competition in Plano. (Trisha Panicker)
Getting ready to receive her diploma, senior Savanna Westwick walks in line after two hours of waiting. Westwick will attend Texas Christian University in the fall to study music education. “I feel really sad it’s ending,” Westwick said. “It’s all hitting now that I’m actually graduating. I’m excited to be done now, though.” (Victoria Byers)
Making a face at her friends, senior Rakshitha Ganapathy walks in line to receive her diploma and await the rest of the ceremony. Ganapathy plans to attend the University of Oklahoma and major in pre-nursing. “When I walked onto the field, I felt the excitement,” Ganapathy said. “It started to hit me that I was really living through my last-ever moments in high school.” (Victoria Byers)
With caps in the air, senior Jadyn Elnitsky celebrates the conclusion of the event before the alma mater. Elnitsky plans to attend Sam Houston State University to major in forensic science. “It was amazing,” Elnitsky said. “I’m surprised they didn’t postpone graduation.” (Victoria Byers)
Your donation will support the student journalists of Prosper High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
Michelle Ayala leads the sports section as the sports editor. This is her second year working for Eagle Nation online. As a sophomore at Prosper High School and originally from Frisco, Texas, she enjoys playing golf and pickleball, working out, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family. She has earned the best of SNO for her feature article, “Senior overcomes injury, dives in to help water polo team,” and looks forward to improving her photography and writing skills while covering the athletes and games.
Trisha Panicker is a senior and this is her second year working for ENO, now as the Editor-in-Chief. She loves the town of Prosper and engages with the local community through her reporting. In addition, she is part of the PHS speech and debate team. In her free time, she enjoys going to coffee shops and reading.
Junior Kate Duncan performs her role at Eagle Nation Online as Feature Editor. This year officially marks her second on staff, and she is excited to see how the school year will play out. When she isn’t writing articles, Kate participates in other clubs like Breast Cancer Awareness Club as secretary and Key Club, and she enjoys reading, photography and spending time with the people close to her during her free time.
Honors & Awards:
2 Best of SNO publications
TAJE 2025 Best in Texas News Awards:
Superior: Staff Editorial
ILPC 2025 Individual Achievement Awards:
1st: Editorial Writing
3rd: Multimedia Package
TAJE 2026 Best in Texas News Awards:
Excellent: Feature Story
Excellent: Entertainment Review
ILPC 2026 Individual Achievement Awards:
Honorable Mention: Entertainment Review
Honorable Mention: Portrait
Quill and Scroll Honor Society Member
Sophomore Elizabeth Cohorn can be found dancing as a line member of the Prosper Talonettes Drill Team, completing her annual goal of reading 150 books, baking, and listening to music. This is her first year working on Eagle Nation Online as a reporter, and joined ENO because of her passion for writing. Her love for writing started in third grade with her first short story titled “Kindness Counts” and as a member of the staff, she is most excited about writing feature articles.
Senior Victoria Byers leads social media posts for Instagram, X (formally known as ‘Twitter’) and Facebook. This is her second year as a staff member, and she normally reports football games as a Mighty Eagle Band member. As she continues to find more and more creative tasks, clubs and electives, she gets to finalize and lead in band, two clubs, along with joining three new organizations.
Aarushi Rana, originally from Connecticut, is a senior at Prosper High School. This is her second year on Eagle Nation Online and she serves as the Multimedia Editor-in-Chief. In her free time, she enjoys photography, reading and watching movies. Through ENO, she hopes to enhance her community outreach.
Honors & Awards:
2 Best of SNO publications
ILPC 2026:
Honorable Mention: Entertainment Review
Honorable Mention: Multimedia Package
Honorable Mention: Video Story
Silver Medal: Photo Story
Certifications:
Adobe Visual Design 2026
Adobe Photoshop 2026
Adobe InDesign 2026
