Next stop: The world's their limit

Condoleezza Rice won't be making the speeches. Protests, if any, will probably hammer dress codes or the driving age rather than US foreign policy.

But for the graduates and their families at local high school commencement excercises this spring, the rite of passage from childhood to what comes next couldn't be more momentous.

So, then, in honor of all our local youths who have made it through the years of homework and the MCAS , City Weekly has chosen to profile five graduating seniors who have made a difference in their schools and communities.

You will meet students who arrived at this point via Vietnam, Brazil, and Nigeria; who have become strong leaders on Boston's tough streets; and who have brought public service to new heights in Brookline.