Merced graduates have ‘come a long way’

Pomp and circumstance surrounded hundreds of Merced County’s high school graduates this week, as the area’s four largest high schools rewarded departing students with hard-earned diplomas.

At Golden Valley High School, 454 students walked the stage in red and white gowns, some donning gold cords – a symbol of their academic achievements.

Graduation, Associated Student Body president Gabriella Flores said, was the time to “reflect about yesterday, appreciate today and anticipate tomorrow.” During her welcoming address, she told students to think about their first days of school, when they waited for the school bus with their cartoon-themed lunch boxes.

“We’ve come a long way, and tomorrow we’ll be launched to the unknown,” Flores told the graduating class.

Her address was translated by fellow classmates in Spanish and Hmong to accommodate the diverse families in attendance.

Golden Valley Principal Constantino Aguilar awarded medals to the 15 valedictorians, who maintained a minimum 4.24 grade-point average and took at least five advanced placement courses. Students who completed 250 hours of community service and members of the California Scholarship Federation were also recognized.

Aguilar said he was proud to announce that collectively students had earned $1.3 million in scholarships.

Buhach Colony senior Emanuelle Ochoa was excited for the future.

“I’m blessed to say that I’m here with all my friends and we’re here graduating together. This is what we’ve been working for for four years, so we’re excited and we’re happy,” Ochoa said.

Atwater High Principal Torrin Johnson, who took over the school halfway through the school year, said this graduating class can best be described as relentless.

“I’ve come to find out that this class really rises up to a cause,” said Johnson a few hours before the commencement ceremony. “We’ve had some illnesses and deaths in the school this year and these young adults have come together like a true family.”

Johnson, who used to be the principal at Yosemite High, said he learned from former Atwater High Principal Alan Peterson that the graduating class was also a group of caring, tenacious and unafraid forward-thinkers.

This story was originally published June 5, 2015 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Merced graduates have ‘come a long way’."