001e e e what [Music] okay we're ready let's get [Music] started e e e good morning every good evening everyone and welcome to MCAT high school it's so quiet High School graduation ceremony start over Okay yeah cuz can you hear me there we go okay say it okay good evening I got you good evening and welcome to MCAT High School graduation ceremony for the class of 2024 please remain standing and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance and for a moment of silence I pledge Alle to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands in one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all good J you may be seated thank you good evening and welcome to the MCAT High School graduation we are honored
002to have the support of our community parents and families who have shown up tonight to support our hardworking graduates before we get started tonight we have a few courtesy reminders to our audience Miranda Middle School is a non-smoking facility so please do not use any tobacco products including ecigarettes or vaping devices while on school grounds tonight's graduates are wearing colored sashes and honor cords to designate their academic achievements graduates from MCAT High School are wearing gold sashes and mirand distance learning graduates are wearing purple additionally students who were on the principal's list are wearing a white honor cord this is an academic accomplishment of all A's and B's on any quarterly report card during their time at MCAT I would like to congratulate all of these students on their honors tonight at this time I
003would like to welcome many of our distinguished guests that are in attendance beginning with the Morana Unified School District governing board Miss Katherine micronus governing board vice president Mr Tom Carlson governing board member and Mr David Willard governing board member also in attendance tonight are members of our district senior level administrative team Dr Daniel streer superintendent Mr Mark gigowski assistant superintendent M Denise l Zada assistant superintendent Miss Kristen Rey assistant superintendent and Mr Dan canoro Chief Financial Officer there are a lot of people who are a part of our students success here at MCAT most importantly though are the teachers and staff who work alongside our students each day I have the privilege of seeing their efforts to help students learn feel confident and set goals collectively these are the most committed patient and enthusiastic
004group of people I've ever known I often reflect on how truly blessed I am to work with this talented group of Educators please join me in thanking the entire team at MCAT including the mirand distance learning Dental Assisting and Ace programs [Applause] [Music] our MCAT team is proud to provide a quality education for this group of students and for the Mirana Community we are honored that our students have allowed us to be part of their Journeys I would also like to take a moment to thank the parents and families who supported our graduates we know that you are an important part of our support network you have provided encouragement and motivation to these young people along the way graduates please take a moment to thank your families for all they have done to help you
005out [Applause] on behalf of the MCAT staff Mr Oliver Bowen will now say a few words of congratulations to the class of 2024 Mr Bowen is a valued teammate at MCAT and assists students as one of our social studies teachers Mr Bowen is an acknowledged leader on our campus and always goes the extra mile for our students and staff he is a thoughtful caring and trusted member of our team team most importantly though he brings in energy and enthusiasm to learning and is highly committed to helping students achieve higher levels of personal and academic success I give you Mr Bowen thank you all right thank you thank you m uh well thank you hello all right well you know it's always an honor to speak on behalf have of the staff um and a privilege
006and there a little bit of pressure to think of some wise parting words to give you graduates before you leave um so I cheated and I googled a quote and um it was Albert Einstein who said something that I thought was really fitting for this group you group of GRA graduates in particular Albert Einstein said the world as we have created it is a process of our thinking it cannot be changed without our thinking and without changing our thinking and um it made me think of everybody here especially some of you graduates and your Journey coming to us because at some point you in your high school career you decided to change your world you decided to come to MCAT um you did the hard work to graduate um for some of you it required
007you to change your way of thinking um and you did and you took control of your life you planned your goals and ultimately you stayed committed to yourself graduating from high school and you changed your way of thinking and you changed your world you know the best part of of being a staff member at MCAT is being able to witness that change in young individuals like yourself a and being a part of it so it's it's really an honor to be a teacher or a staff member at MCAT um because we get to see uh the process you go through to get to this point so we celebrate you go forward continue your new way of thinking and accomplish all that you set out to do thank you congratulations tonight we celebrate an amazing group
008the graduating class of 2024 sitting in this space tonight are young people pursuing their dreams in every area that you might imagine students who have completed their career in teched certifications in some of our District programs like Dental Assisting robotics criminal justice welding or Autos programs just to name a few there are students who have been awarded scholarships and internships to continue their Education and Training Beyond High School our students interests are diverse with 82% of our graduating class continuing on to some kind of formal training or college after their graduation they are committed to being lifelong Learners and we are proud of them for pursuing their goals wherever that takes them the class of 2024 is talented and amazing the graduates tonight remind us what it means to persevere learn new things and Thrive
009even when life is difficult during challenging times sometimes you have to look a little harder for the good but it's still there the class of 24 is that bright Beacon showing all of us that challenges won't last forever and good times are ahead I encourage our cheetah to carry those good times forward in spirit with our school mascot the cheetah here are some facts about real life cheetahs that you may not have considered that show how our students are like the cheetah mascot cheetah set goals and pursue them with intensity and speed cheetah are the only non-domesticated cat that purs which indicates its kindness and connection with others cheetah also tend to lay around and sleep in trees when they don't have anything to do but we will not focus on that tonight overall cheetahs
010are one of the most a inspiring land animals around when they display their strength their speed and their focus at MCAT we've worked with you to keep that Focus using our Three A's academics attendance and attitude I hope that you will remember the power of having a positive attitude how it can help you achieve the impossible and how a belief in yourself is something that no one can take away I hope that you will go into the world with the same determination and belief that you will accomplish great things just like the cheetahs that you are a blink of an eye ago I sat where you sat wondering what the future held for me as a high school graduate while I don't know where each of your paths will lead you I do know that
011you're in for an exciting time enjoy every minute of it as as we prepare to present your diplomas and recognize your accomplishments this evening go out into the world be focused and intense and more importantly believe in yourselves congratulations my little cheetah I wish you every success in the world so now that I've told you a little bit about these amazing students it's time for you to hear from some of our graduates for yourself an important tradition in our ceremony is to encourage students to give a graduation speech if they would like to we have some Brave students tonight that have volunteered for this honor our speakers will be Jace cash Shan dwas Angie James REM canillo Brody McCullum Gary Mullen Anthony sandal and Carlos Santos and we will begin tonight with Jay C [Applause]
012going to do great right here for you hello my name is Jay cash and I'm excited to be here for the graduating class of 2024 many students attend school but not all graduate if you're sitting here today with a cap and a gown you are special and have shown your exceptional work and abilities to overcome and persevere to get you here today setting the foundation for your future High School establishes bonds between students and their peers to create lasting relationships that we will use throughout each other's lives I would like to especially thank my mom and my dad for helping me stay focused during my 12 years of education also teaching me how to treat my peers and respect one another as well as honoring one another I would also like to thank Miss green
013and all the teachers and faculty member that also made this possible and we willing to deal with me please let me introduce Shan dwiz thank you you're alled up and and greetings graduates mentors friends and family my name is Shan dwes and it is my honor to be here today to celebrate and be a part of mcats graduating class of 2024 today as we bid farewell to MCAT and step into the unknown I'm filled with gratitude for the journey we've all shared together for the many memories I've been blessed enough to make with all of you the outdoor events like chicken baseball and cornhole the many good laughs I've shared with friends and faculty alike and the opportunities I have been blessed to the opportunities I was given to learn from all of you to
014be a better version of myself to the staff and faculty who have tirelessly supported us thank you for guiding us through both our academic and personal challenges to my fellow graduates you've been more than classmates you've been comrades in overcoming adversity and to our families who have stood by us through thick and thin your love and support have been our rock as we reflect on our time here today let's acknowledge the diverse paths we've all traveled to reach this very moment each of us has faced our own obstacles and hardships but together we've pushed through and made it to the Finish line in the wise words of Eminem you can make something of your life it just depends on your drive let's embrace our diverse experiences and use them as sources of strength as we
015navigate the uncertainties of the future congratulations class of 2024 our resilience knows no bounds and our futures are filled with Endless Possibilities thank you very much all of you for being here today uh now please give a warm welcome to our next speaker Angie [Applause] James you've done this once already water hi not all of you know me but my name is Angie James I am one of the 244 MCAT graduates I started here in August and finished in March I wasn't at MCAT for long but I was there for a good amount of time not going to lie it was it was a long stressful time for many of us but we made it through with all of the laughing and crying screaming fighting and many more emotions but we did it thank you
016for thank you to all of the staff for all of the hope you guys gave thank you Miss Bion for always being there for always being oh my goodness sorry guys for always being there for good and for bad thank you Mr Bowen for all the smiles and laughs and many times we had to all of the students along the way thank you for what you taught me about people to everyone here today we did it finally y'all we did it High School officially over good job everyone and next up [Applause] REM yeah [Applause] all right um I think I can pull out she has a prop come on bubba all right this is my son all right like all the people graduating high school this year Co the co pandemic took what was left
017of my time as an eighth grader and bled into my high school years this period defined all of our college Years in some way or another we didn't really get the experience we were we expected and while we not all of our peers are able to be here with us today I'm still proud of us for trying our best with what we had nonetheless I think when I first transferred to MCAT I was depressed and wondered about how isolating moving to a new school would be especially being so far behind with no hope of graduating or even making a 18 but on that first day I found that I actually did know some of my peers and at the time the science teacher I had for my fifth hour but never for a science class
018obviously had four class pets I got very attached to this one and after doing the research I discovered a passion for reptile keeping that resulted in me getting to keep him when I took him for home took him home for what was supposed to be just summer was that the teacher retired and the phobia snakes that I had the years leading up to my transfer left as well now I have a variety of animals in my house including the now retired plb Geico if he would stop running and a goal in mind on how to provide for them I hope that every student gets the opportunity to find their own way through this next stage of life that we call adulthood for the better like I think that's it yeah thank you up next is
019bro soring got it back in the okay caring around SOC so so excited so now you know my excitement I'm speaking with a lizard down here the hidden secrets Brody McCullum is our next speaker [Applause] hello everybody and thank you all for coming I remember my first day at MCAT it was a cold and the sun sorry it was cold and the sun was barely in the Horizon as I walked to my first period Miss bion's class I remember the nervous feeling I had as I walked into a room with people I never met and now that I'm here one year later I realized that this isn't a school this is a community we didn't just learn the basics of life here we made bonds that will never be broken when we leave today we
020will still have these connections and memories no one else will ever have today we are all beginning our first day of our new lives as the sun is just over the horizon we will come upon struggles and hardships and I urge you not to quit many of us here wanted to quit at one point but we all are here we're all dressed in the same attire and to the class 2024 oh changed it around a little bit we can do a lot more than we can imagine and I wish the best of luck to every single one of you and on this journey we call life and I'll see you some other [Applause] [Music] time and to our next speaker oh I'm loud but not that loud right our next Speer speaker is Gary [Music]
021[Applause] Mullen you're it's up to you I speak nice and Loud hello hello am I good y'all can hear me I need to little get a little higher or what all right I want it to be known that every single staff member here at MCAT is amazing generous kind as well as understanding and empathetic in the future when I think back about my MCAT experience I'll think about the classes I had with Miss bignan Mr Todd Mr Bowen Mr Prague and Miss Ryerson all these teachers have made a different in my life even if it was so slight so thank you I would like to focus on the fact that if I didn't make the decision to come to MCAT I may or may not have been receiving my diploma this year so before I
022go any further let's all give it up for Miss green for being a proud educator in the Miranda district for over 20 years so let's give it up I always remember walking down down the hallways and being cool with everybody I seen including all the teachers who usually stood outside of the classroom doors every morning and evening when I left or got to school I would always have great conversations with Miss Olivia and Miss Luna I realized after going to school for some time that I could never stay in a bad mood even if I wanted to when I was having bad things going on in my personal life I would sometimes want to go to school mad and not want to be bothered however however the amount of positivity that goes around at MCAT
023help me back from doing so so I get 15 to 20 good mornings or how you doings by the end of first period it would be impossible for me to stay mad mad with myself this school support system is like no other I've been to they have meetings every week about their students each teacher is up to date with every single one of their students at MCAT they don't leave you hanging they get the help you need and I'll always be thankful for that I appreciate and love all y'all but real quick before I leave the stage I would like to have a moment of silence for the ones that have passed on before us and are here with us in spirit but didn't get the chance to be here at the ceremony so let's
024play have a moment of silence thank y'all y'all have a good one here sir our next speaker is Anthony [Applause] sandal nervous nervous nervous you're going to do a great job D I'm nervous bro loud and slow you can do it be great doing off my phone so bear with me ladies and gentlemen honored guests faculty and staff members proud parents and most importantly the graduating class of 2024 I'm so thankful for this opportunity I am given to be up here speaking with you guys today and the reason I've decided to throw myself out there like this is because hopefully to help other students overcome problems and challenges that they might endure one small problem that we fa in today's society is many kids don't complete school and don't ever don't ever uh end up
025graduating I was on the edge of that cliff and I believe if it wasn't for my friends and family around me that I may have never walked although I have to give myself credibility I was faced with many problems throughout my high school years including the death of my mother as well as my close friend Corey I became bitter and ignorant I started losing grip in my education but come senior year I began to pick up the pace and I was staying up countless nights and I started completing credits in under two days through the peak program as well as maintaining my grades in my current classes unfortunately I fell short in addition I missed out on what I thought was to be my only opportunity I watched my friends as well as my girlfriend
026graduate I felt as if I let everyone around me including myself I began to feel sorry for myself but then I built myself up then after I decided to attend MCAT High School for the new upcoming school year and I was given a month until I was officially graduated Denzel Washington said in a speech to the University of Pennsylvania he said if I'm going to fall I don't want to fall back on anything except my faith I want to fall forward I figure at least this way I'll see what I'm actually going to hit ironically I felt as if that saying represented most of my high school experience step back after step back problem after problem upcoming on the last few days of the month I was officially supposed to be done with school after
027completing and passing a test out for financial Algebra I was really nervous for this test out because math has always been one of my weaknesses it's like my kryptonite of subjects I've always had a difficult time applying myself and maintaining focus in class especially math but this time I applied myself I stayed up studying really hard to make sure I passed that test and when it came around to the time where they had to tell me if I passed the test or I have to attend another month I was ecstatic when I had found out I had pass the test I cried like a baby and looking back on everything that I've been through I wouldn't change a single thing because now I know how far I can push myself with the boundaries and length
028in which it took me to get here there's no other class I would rather graduated with than this class thank you all and congratulations to the class of 2024 and our last speaker is Carlos [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Santos okay yeah whoa sorry about that okay this thing off so anyways uh before I start can we just give it up one more time for those phenomenal [Music] speeches okay so hello guys wowers big crowd how are we feeling tonight good come on make some noise that's what I'm talking about so now without further Ado my speech so as I'm sure you heard my name is Carlo and now my speech is not so little so bear with me um before I started here at mcap I had next to no hope of graduating on time Co
029had taken a Monumental toll in my life as everything I knew was torn away from me in the matter of one spring break you remember that they said two weeks three weeks oh you're done and so I was pulled out of school during my freshman year and well I was stuck to doing online which I just couldn't get the hang up for the life of me and so I thought I would simply wither away and just give up on school all together the one faithful day my mom approached me and asked how I would like to go to the school out in Mirana and at first I was hesitant because all my life I wanted nothing more than to go to high school and have those memories with the friends I grew up with and
030I thought by taking this route i' would be giving all that up for some cheap knockoff in all senses of the word I was lost but as one Charles Xavier once said just because someone stumbles and loses their path doesn't mean that they're lost forever when I first started here I was something of a recluse a little weirdo if you will I spent the first week of school in the corners of my classes trying my best not to associate with my peers as I just wanted to get my school workk done and leave but that all changed in within the first week because one day some of my classmates asked if I would like to help them and in my first period we had this little thing called The Breakfast Club not the movie it
031was like a coffee Express we ran so anyways they asked if I would help them with that day's assignment and I agreed and what stemmed from that was just amazing I even seed them some aprons believe it or not but that was just the beginning the rest of my time here has been just as if not more electric with me achieving accolades I would have never thought possible two years ago in my time here I've received the awesome posum student of the month title not once but twice once for math which is just Bonkers to me because before I came here I took algebra one three times and then the next one was for the whole school of sorts and was called the star student and it was had an event sponsored by the Rotary
032Club of Tucson which was just Neato those guys are the best and so one thing that stuck with me from that day in that event they had apart from me nearly balling my eyes out was a quote that Mr Bowen here decided to share it reads I never lose I either win or learn Nelson Mandela is the one who's credited with this quote and it's just one that really speaks to me because while it seems I am something of a Man Out of Time seemingly losing such precious formative years and being placed in such I need to drink some water guys sorry do it some quality H2O and so um where am I oh yes I play such a wacky setting surely set up to fail I didn't what really happened was that I learned
033I learned that life is Locomotion and if you're not moving you're not living and then I also learned that if there comes a time where you got to stop running away from things and you got to start running towards something so no matter how Bleak it gets how pointless it may seem that this dark tunnel you find yourself in seems to be never ending if you keep but a sliver of Hope in your heart you will one day reach the light bathe in the Sun and accomplish wonders and the Wonders I've accomplished here have been nothing short of breath breathtaking I've not only accomplished these amazing feats but I've also made Priceless Memories and even greater friends and not to toot my own horn or anything I was even named president of our student ambassadors
034this past quarter and even had the absolute honor of receiving the 2340 scholarship which is still so surreal to me but I couldn't have done it without the amaz without the support of my amazing teachers my Fantastical friends none other than my partner in Tom Foolery and of course my supportive family so I stand before you starting to finally see that I've had effect here I've had an effect here but not the one I intended and more than often than not we all come to high school thinking we're going to save the world and sometimes we do but sometimes sometimes you don't so you don't think about saving the world you think about saving just one person because sometimes that's enough all I know is that we have to try that's what life is we
035try to push back against the darkness well this has been dragging on for quite a bit huh well just one more quote before I cut my yapping session off it's not about where you're born what powers you have what you wear on your chest it's about what you do it's about action this quote may come from a fictional Superman but it doesn't ring any less true we here at MCAT may not have been dealt the best hand in life but despite all the strife and confusion in the world right now we sure as heck have taken the action to be here tonight and for that I am so proud of every last one of you well class 2024 has been absolutely Splendid time with you and your you and finally thank you for your time
036ladies I'm so sorry thank you for your time ladies and gentlemen remember to always fight the good fight and now the carminat is signing off and that would have wait guys you know what go yeah Clos 2024 that's what I'm talking about louder louder [Applause] [Music] louder and he mentioned he was once The Quiet One in the corner so there you go so now we come to the exciting part of the evening which is joining me tonight for the presentation of our diplomas is Mr Tom Todd Mr Todd will be reading the names of our graduates as diplomas are awarded it is now my pleasure to announce that the MCAT High School seniors who sit before you have met all of the requirements set by the Morana Unified School District to participate in this ceremony
037it is my privilege now to ask the seniors to come forward to accept all of the honors which they have earned as graduates [Applause] [Music] Joey jadison Daniel Oliver Aguilera [Applause] [Music] Juan Manuel Aranda [Applause] Ibara Christopher Booker [Applause] Rusty Lee [Applause] Brown Matthew Floyd Burbank [Applause] Christopher Jacob [Applause] Burr Javier Bustamante [Applause] Jr Jace Christian Emmanuel cash James J [Applause] Coler Ari Nicole Conover [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] David Christopher cook [Applause] Jr Ashlin Rose Crockett [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Micah [Applause] [Music] Daniels Brooke Elizabeth theer [Applause] Radcliffe Elena Marie Diaz [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Julia Eve [Applause] dwarte Shan dwas [Applause] zaras James [Applause] Federico Kayla Rose flood [Applause] John [Music] [Applause] Foster Diego Armando Garcia [Music] [Applause] Anthony Ray Gonzalez [Applause] II than Carlos Elijah Gonzalez [Applause] [Music] Haley Jean gosner [Applause] Trevor Andre
038[Applause] gray Miguel guadamuz [Applause] [Music] Haley Lee [Applause] [Music] Hall Amando Hernandez Ariola [Applause] [Music] Monroe Wayne [Music] [Applause] Holtz princess Esther Ibara [Applause] anuli Gail [Applause] [Music] [Applause] James tamama and Jordan [Applause] Lily may [Applause] Osborne REM Marcela Kino karanza [Applause] W I'm so proud of you Angel Miguel Leon [Applause] Janine IET [Applause] Lopez Samantha Grace love [Applause] [Music] Jin Marie [Applause] loada Jacob Alec Machado [Applause] [Music] Lis Taylor [Applause] mallister Brody Wayne [Applause] McCullum Evan Scott [Applause] [Music] melon Riley Marie [Applause] [Music] Mo Gary Dwayne Mullen III [Applause] [Music] Isabella Monique [Applause] Navaro Michaela Caitlyn o [Applause] go Josie May [Applause] Olen Christian volter ornelles [Applause] [Music] Samuel Martin [Applause] Ortiz Evelyn fa Owens [Applause] Omar Jose Richard [Music] kada Jade Alexia k [Applause] Jacob Ramirez Richard James [Applause] [Music] Ramirez Aubrey Deana
039rants [Applause] Malia Meen [Applause] [Music] robuk MAA Grace Rollins [Applause] Cody Ray [Applause] Rose Ariel odet Salgado [Applause] Anthony Justin Sandoval Carlos Sergio Santos Jr [Music] [Applause] [Music] youy [Music] [Applause] you Isaac Alfredo Santos [Applause] Ali Marie [Music] [Applause] schaer katron Devin Shores M McLendon [Applause] Samantha Ray [Applause] signs cashes Kyle sink [Applause] Edgar Omar Catos [Applause] Shia Don [Music] [Applause] [Music] Smith Abby Louise stack [Music] [Applause] Abigail Rose Lin [Applause] Taylor Raquel Talia Theon [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Tristan Daniel [Applause] [Music] TI kylin Arisa ulavar Nathan Patrick Valenzuela Jr [Applause] Leila Celeste [Applause] valeski Denny Adele Woodard [Applause] [Music] Riley [Applause] [Music] Woodard Taylor amriel [Applause] zigger Carly Taylor sucker [Applause] a poignant Tradition at the MCAT graduation ceremony reminds us that there are those Among Us who do not take their diplomas for granted
040therefore would the students who are first in their family to earn a high school diploma please stand and be recognized [Applause] I would like to thank the staff at Miranda middle school for letting us use their Auditorium and for their assistance in setting up the facility tonight the administrative team at at Rana Middle School including Miss Dixon has been incredibly supportive in helping us plan the event I would also like to thank the effort that's been put in by the maintenance team for the facility and assistance with Sound and Lighting from Miss Sweeney in the [Applause] back MCAT high school graduates would you please stand [Applause] turn your tassel ladies and gentlemen the class of [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] light oh [Music] l