Two Live Oak High School students overcome great difficulties to
graduate with rest of peers
Morgan Hill – Within three short years, Luis Arellano and Juan Gonzalez have moved to a new country, learned to speak and write English fluently, passed all district and state high school graduation requirements and participated in the Live Oak High School commencement ceremony Friday.
Gonzalez, 18, moved to Morgan Hill from Mexico to live with his uncle and cousins while his mother is in Texas.
Arellano, 17, also came from Mexico. He moved with his father and three younger brothers while his mother stayed in Mexico to take care of his sick grandfather. She has recently joined the rest of the family in Morgan Hill.
Live Oak High Assistant Principal Irma Muñoz has worked closely with the students since they came to the school.
“I think I’m more excited than they are,” she laughed. “They’re being modest, but they have worked very hard, and I’m very proud of them.”
Arellano said that his family is proud of his accomplishments.
“I’m the first one in the family to graduate,” he said.
And he hopes he won’t be the last. His goal is to help his three brothers – in first, third and eighth grade – to follow in his footsteps, perhaps inspired by his hard work and success.
Gonzalez said he, too, would like to share his accomplishment with others. He knows there are other students in similar situations, just starting high school or coming in from other countries later in their high school careers. There are some things, he said, that can help them through the academic challenges they face.
“I would tell them not to cut class, to make a lot of effort in their classes,” he said. “I’d also tell them to make friends with people who are also on the right path, going in the correct direction.”
Arellano agreed. He said being surrounded by friends who have a similar determination is important. He added that friends who speak English – either as a first language or second – are valuable, too, because “then you can practice more, talk the language and get better.”
Learning the language was probably the biggest hurdle they had to overcome, both graduates agreed, but the high school exit exam was a formidable obstacle.
Once he passed it, Arellano said, “I felt much lighter, very happy.”
Arellano passed on the third try, saying the reading comprehension portion was particularly trying for him, and Gonzalez passed after the fourth try, with English also more difficult for him. Both passed the math portion of the exam on the first try.
Now that the exit exam and graduation are behind them, both graduates say they have plans for the future.
The students shine from the rest of the graduates because they had additional obstacles to overcome on top of the challenges faced by regular high school students, everything from social woes to academic difficulties. Arellano and Gonzalez faced seemingly insurmountable difficulties before finally placing the mortarboard on their head.
Gonzalez said he will join the Army after graduation. Arellano said he has been accepted into a program at Gavilan College.
“It’s great to see what they have done,” Muñoz said. “They are being very humble, but they have worked extremely hard to get to this point. I’m so happy they are moving forward, have a plan for the future. My hope was that, having done so well here, they would continue their education, and they have that opportunity, Luis with Gavilan and Juan with the Army’s college program.
I couldn’t be happier for them both.”
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@mo*************.com.
