A forensic psychologist. A nurse. A firefighter. A botanist. An athletic trainer.
These are just some of the future career aspirations of Live Oak High School’s Class of 2017, all of whom received their diplomas June 8 at the end-of-the-year commencement ceremony.
“This was a great class,” said LOHS counselor Arron Thomas as he waited among the Acorns’ graduating class prior to the start of the ceremony. “It was a lot of fun to work with them and help them get where they wanted to go.”
Two hundred and thirty-five newly minted graduates are now off to 65 different destinations, including universities such as Arizona State, Boise State, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Arizona, UC Berkeley, University of Southern California, Purdue and Michigan State. Others are headed to the armed forces, joining the workforce and one is even volunteering abroad before returning for college.
“2017, you’ve been an extraordinary and entertaining group in so many ways,” said LOHS Principal Lloyd Webb, who welcomed the graduates and their families in his final graduation ceremony in Morgan Hill. In May, Webb accepted a superintendent job with Durham Unified School District.
With a scenic backdrop of the eastern foothills and scattered cloud cover above, the Class of 2017 sat together one final time in the bleachers of Reichert Field as Webb and Morgan Hill Unified Superintendent Steve Betando offered words of advice to them.
“Class of 2017, you are entering the adult world where there’s much work to do and challenges to (overcome),” Webb continued. “But I have unshakeable faith in you and believe that you will change the world for the better.”
Webb told them to have integrity and effort in everything they do in life, while Betando urged the tech-savvy student body to value face-to-face interactions with others over impersonal electronic communications to get their voices heard.
“Today is the end of one long journey and the beginning of another,” said Betando, who turned from the podium to face the graduates who were seated behind the stage. “Step away from your smart phones and social media and engage in meaningful conversations.”
Valedictorian Brooke Waller added some humor to her inspiring speech to fellow classmates by quoting Will Ferrell’s character, Ricky Bobby, in the movie “Talladega Nights:” “If you’re not first, you’re last,” as well as Ken Jeong’s character Leslie Chow in the Hangover trilogy, “But did you die?” She told her classmates to “strive to stand as tall as a giraffe” in order to “reach your highest aspirations” and “don’t be afraid to be unique.”
Graduates Riley Thorson and Emily Tidwell, both 18, were excited to start the next chapters in their lives after graduation. Thorson was accepted to Arizona State, where she plans to major in biology and work toward a career as a forensic psychologist. She credited veteran teacher James Hemeon, who announced his retirement this year, for helping her find her path in the biology field.
“He solidified my passion for biology,” said Thorson, who was an editor on the yearbook club. “It was a lot of work trying to cover each and every special moment not only for you but for everyone else. But it was fun to capture our high school moments in pictures.”
Tidwell, also a yearbook editor, is deferring her start at the University of San Francisco to go on a seven-month volunteer mission that will take her to Africa, South America and Asia.
“I love traveling and I love helping people,” said the aspiring humanitarian who will spend the summer with friends and family before shoving off in September.
For 18-year-old graduate Jordan Valdez, his career path will begin at Evergreen Valley College, where he wants to complete his general education coursework before seeking acceptance to a UC school to work on his doctorate in psychology.
“This is one of the biggest moments of my life,” said Valdez of earning his high school diploma. “Twelve years of hard work. We’ve come a long ways.”
Graduate Brij Saraf-Chavez, 18, plans to attend Gavilan College for two years before transferring to San Jose State University or Cal Poly-SLO to study kinesiology.
“It’s all about cherishing this moment. This is the last time we will see some of our close friends and classmates,” said Saraf-Chavez, a four-year basketball player. “All my teammates were like brothers.”
Decked out with decorative leis—one made from cash (with a few $100 bills) by his sister and girlfriend and another with Tajin spices and Takis chips by his cousin—was 18-year-old grad Angel Valle. The three-year LOHS football player is headed to Mission College to pursue fire science and later become a firefighter.
“I had great football coaches. Football kept me up with my grades. If it weren’t for football, I might not have been here right now,” said Valle, who was excited to graduate with his best friend since kindergarten Jimmy Perales.
Friends Kamryn Ulloa, 18 and Shivani Yadav, 17, faced their own challenges to get to the June 8 graduation ceremony. Ulloa said she overcame severe anxiety to succeed in her studies and is now headed to Gavilan College to study marketing and music.
“Overcoming that anxiety through the years made me the person I am today,” said Ulloa, who plans to sing at wineries around Morgan Hill. “Hopefully, I can further my career in music.”
Yadav went to three different high schools in Cupertino, Gilroy and then Live Oak where she completed her senior year.
“One of my best experiences here was meeting Kamryn,” said Yadav, who is is headed to San Jose State, where she plans on studying medicine for a career path to be a nurse.
Evergreen College-bound Lily Roberson, 18, credited teacher Andrew Cummings for helping her gain confidence and direction. She plans on studying botany.
“He really made me feel comfortable here at school,” Roberson said. “He pushed me to be me and to be myself.”
Epitomising the selflessness of the LOHS students was the moment when Senior Class President Aubrey Harmel and Senior Class Vice President Brooke Waller carried out LOHS’s graduation tradition of the presentation of a class gift. Harmel—who also led the flag salute along with Associated Student Body President Lindsay Baker—and Waller donated the remaining senior class fund balance to the LOHS janitorial staff to make upgrades to their lounge area.
From there, the students walked the stage, received their diplomas, turned their tassels, tossed their caps and then joined loved ones to celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment.
