Congratulations, Mike!!

lava falls celebrates Mike!

Mike graduated his Program and High School! 

Zack spoke at his ceremony:

"at a lot of graduations people say there's going to be a hole at DRA when this guy or that guy over there leaves.  but you're BIG MIKE, I couldn't say that for you because that would be such an understatement"

"i'm going to tell you guys a story:  one day i wanted to eat some crab legs so i went crabbing.  okay, maybe this never happened... (:  i caught one crab at first and i put it in a bucket but it would just keep climbing out.  i caught another crab and put them both in the bucket, something amazing happened...

anytime one crab would try to escape, the other crab would pull it backwards.  they were trapped in the bucket, not by me but by each other. as i put more crabs in the bucket, the same thing still kept happening.   if the crabs just let go of each other, they could all escape.  but they didn't. they held each other back.

okay, maybe this never happened...(:
(but the moral of the story remains)

 anytime in life that you want to get out of the bucket, or rise above expectations and accomplish something great, there are always going to be people pulling you backwards.  this may have already happened to you here, but you used your free agency and you pulled through anyway, and here you are today, graduating...

never forget free agency.  you always have the right to make your own decisions.  if you make the wrong decisions, you will have to face the consequences.  if you make the right ones you will go far." 

Way to go, Mike.  Good luck!