On Wednesday afternoon, Eden Prairie High School was a sea of red and black as nearly 800 students from Eden Prairie High School and Eden Prairie Online rehearsed for their graduation ceremony.
After running through ceremony details inside the school, students waited for buses to take them to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
In the minutes before departure, they gathered in small groups – adjusting gowns, straightening caps, posing for photos, and sharing quiet laughs.
For a brief moment, the high school’s busy halls became a staging ground for something bigger. This was the final step before the send-off – a pause before stepping into the next chapter.
More to read: Eden Prairie’s Class of 2025 marked graduation night with speeches, music and a new code of conduct at U.S. Bank Stadium.
From left: Suleman Mohamed, who plans to study finance at Augsburg University, and Khalid Mohamed, who will major in finance at the University of Minnesota. 
From left: Audrey Gaffin, who will study engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Mia Nelson, who will study elementary education at Oregon State; Emily Langfield, who will study human resource management at Iowa State; and Ava Irmiter, who will study nutrition and exercise at the University of Nebraska. 
From left: Jommo Terry, who plans to study project management at Normandale Community College, and Jordan Webber, who will major in business administration at the University of St. Thomas. 
From left: Violet Pierson, who will study sports management at Minnesota State University, Mankato; Maya Miller, who plans to study biology/pre-med and business at the University of Minnesota Duluth; and Rose Weber, who will study psychology and Spanish at Luther College. 
Alham Mohamed is enrolled in the pre-med program at Concordia University. 
Reece Webb will study film production and editing at Winona State University. 
Zach Fernberger will study aviation at the Florida Institute of Technology. 
From left, Angel Cheng, who will study business at the University of Minnesota; Amira Ibrahim, who plans to major in neuroscience at the University of Minnesota; Sumaya Daqane, who will study psychology at the University of Minnesota; Ramla Hassan, who plans to major in biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota; Jazia Chhun, who will study communications at Normandale Community College; and Sophia Fernandez, who will attend Hennepin Technical College. 
From left: Maite Fairbanks, who plans to take a gap year before deciding on her next step, and Cole Gilligan, who will study engineering at the University of Minnesota. 
From left, Abdimalik Abdi, who will attend Normandale Community College for two years before transferring to the University of Minnesota; and Adonias Getachew, who will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 
Sana Faridi will study biochemistry and pre-med at St. Catherine University. 
LFrom left, Sean Reasat, who will study computer science at the University of Minnesota; Matthew Causton, who is undecided about his plans after graduation; Eric Martinez, who will study international business at the University of Minnesota; and Danny Nieman, who will study computer science at the University of Minnesota. 
Arash Johanshahi will study liberal arts at Normandale Community College. 
Ahmad Ahmad will study aviation at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in Queens, New York. 
From left: Elvin Thai, who will study data science at the University of Minnesota, and Bryan Nguyen, who plans to pursue an HVAC apprenticeship.
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