Shannon Renker, executive director of the Missoula Education Foundation, told graduates at Hellgate High School’s Class of 2025 commencement that each person “carries a key, the key to our own potential.”

Renker described a years-long recovery after a traumatic brain injury, saying she was told by doctors there was “no chance of improvement” before later discovering she had been misdiagnosed and chose a rare neurosurgery that restored parts of her abilities.

The message to graduates framed resilience and self-advocacy as practical tools. “Your potential is not something you find outside of yourself. It's something you unlock from within,” Renker said. She urged students to rely on persistence, curiosity and community rather than titles or test scores to shape their futures, adding, “You have the key.”

Renker recounted that after seven years of disability she researched treatments, advocated for new medical professionals to join her care team and ultimately underwent surgery that produced measurable improvement. She said the recovery involved a mix of medical care and social support: “And through my own research and persistence, I discovered that I had been misdiagnosed and that there was in fact a chance for improvement.”

The keynote framed graduation as a launch point rather than a destination. Renker told the audience the Class of 2025 had finished high school “in a world that's been anything but predictable” and encouraged graduates and their supporters to remind young people of their strengths when doubts arise.

Renker closed by addressing family members and educators in the crowd, asking them during celebrations to “look your graduate in the eyes. Remind them who they are. Remind them of their grit, their heart, their strength, even when they doubt it.”