Hundreds of seniors from Ann Sobrato, Live Oak and Central high schools received their diplomas at ceremonies throughout Morgan Hill last week, after surviving a tumultuous academic experience over the past four years.
Central High’s Class of 2022 graduated in a June 2 commencement ceremony at the Community and Cultural Center. The Morgan Hill Unified School District Adult School also held a graduation ceremony the same day, on the campus of Live Oak High School.
On June 3, Ann Sobrato and Live Oak held their Class of 2022 graduations on their respective campuses in back-to-back late afternoon ceremonies.
At Live Oak’s athletic field, friends, family members and school staff filled the stands as they snapped photos and cheered loudly for the graduating teens.
MHUSD Superintendent Dr. Carmen Garcia reminded the graduates that their high school career was “sandwiched between a sophomore year cut short, a junior year spent largely online and a senior year that saw your return to campus as young adults preparing to enter a world that continues to rapidly evolve.”
Yet, despite these pandemic related challenges, the students came out “strong, empathetic and brilliant citizens of the world brimming with a stubborn refusal to quit.”
Garcia advised the graduates to continue building onto “the mountain” of everything they want to do in life as they move into adulthood.
“The journey toward your mountain will lead to side adventures, spontaneous detours, and people and mentors that will shape you and mold you and impact your life in ways you can’t begin to imagine,” Garcia said. “These are the experiences that will enrich your life, help you make meaning of the world, and give you purpose and direction in the moments when you feel adrift.”
The Live Oak Class of 2022 Valedictorian is John Verhoeven. The class Salutatorian is Tejal Oza. Ann Sobrato High School’s Valedictorian is Neil Shah. The Sobrato class’ Salutatorians are Ravi Bhagat and Jared Lebovitz.
In her Salutatorian address at the June 3 ceremony, Oza recalled details of the high school experience she shared with her hundreds of classmates—from fond memories to collective stressful moments.
“It’s always the little things that hit the hardest. And while I don’t mean to get too sentimental, these moments may be raw with emotion now but they are just the beginning of the small and meaningful moments that await us in the future,” Oza said. “And since I’m certain that everyone here will go on to do wonderful things, I can be hopeful in saying this is not the best day of our lives—it is just the beginning.”
