001but [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music] do [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] foreign [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] good afternoon parents family members students staff and dignified guests welcome to the 2021 gilbert high school and aohsd independent studies commencement ceremony my name is anthony tony atala and i will be your master of ceremonies before we officially begin our ceremony we would like to take a moment to remember our family and friends who have lost a loved one this past year due to the endemic let us share in a moment of silence together as we remember them thank you please stand and welcome ari alfaro and crystal murillo as they will lead us in the pledge of allegiance please remain standing for the national anthem oh okay put your right hand over
002your heart ready begin i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god and indivisible with liberty and justice for all thank you please be seated oh i'm sorry about that please remain [Music] standing [Music] so hmm [Music] um [Music] [Applause] now i'd like to welcome elijah benitez as you will read the decorum statement oh also one more thing everyone can remain seated now hi everybody today is a special day and one we are excited to celebrate together this ceremony is both a joyous and solemn occasion please let us remember to be courteous to those around us we need to be respectful to all our graduates so no air horns or noise makers face masks must be worn at all times
003and please maintain a social distance of six feet unless with someone of your same household or family remain in your assigned seat while filming and taking pictures keep your recording device at chest level and do not impede the vision of others who are seated do not stop in or block the aisle today's ceremony is being live streamed and will remain on this district's youtube channel to view at your convenience i would like to recognize special individuals joining me on stage today from the anaheim union high school district board of trustees i would like to introduce to you board of trustee clerk anne-marie randall trejo [Applause] board of trustee member al jabbar and also assistant superintendent dr jaron freed we would like to thank our teachers administrators and our counseling staff who have supported the graduating
004class of 2021 please give a warm welcome to our first senior senior class speaker shaylee babashov good afternoon class of 2021. if we have yet to meet my name is shea babashoff and i'm an early graduate from kennedy high independent studies also known as polaris i began attending polaris halfway through sophomore year and with then through hard work and good fortune i managed to graduate the year after before beginning i would like to greatly thank my teachers for deeming my story worth sharing and providing me with this unfathomably special opportunity to speak my truth a core fundamental i was raised on was expanding my mind thank you mom and dad for that by the way i remember always being outside studying rocks flowers insects all you could imagine feeling so curious about the unspoken knowledge
005nature could teach us in fifth grade my older sister was accepted into oxford academy she has always been my biggest inspiration and i wanted to do nothing but follow in her footsteps that goal of expanding my mind became very tangible when i realized it was impossible for me to attend oxford alongside her despite my burning passion towards learning i began experiencing an overwhelming burnout at a pretty young age after much deliberation my therapist and parents suggested i take a break and try independent studies two days later i completed my official transfer to kennedy is and after a short while i couldn't imagine doing anything but that the teachers immediately welcomed me so openly and confidently pouring so much faith in my ability to graduate early i never expected to form such a bond and such
006a genuine and pure bond with my teachers a special one that exists beyond my academic success they believed in me and us not only as amazing scholars but as talented artists hard-working athletes selfless tutors strong-willed confident young adults and so so much more we can never thank them enough for the single most important lesson that independent studies has taught me is that we as individuals can set our own course and that we are in control of our own success i finally feel curious again when i think about my future and these teachers played such an overwhelming role in that this gratefulness in me will last forever as it will in all of us all of us have been through so much we have lived through a historical crisis of truly global proportions we have had
007to learn how to adapt and flow with so many unprecedented changes but we have persevered and now here we are ready to take on so much more congratulations class of 2021 we have so much to look forward to thank you [Applause] thank you shaylee now please welcome aaron and gary good morning to the graduating class of 2021 we have arrived at our destination here in the middle of a global pandemic and worldwide outrage for the census actions being performed under racial injustice despite personal and academic struggles we've experienced we've still finished strong with the entire country looking for answers this new generation of graduates have initiated the turning point in our society today each of us will be honored for our perseverance and individuality therefore we must recognize the importance of investing in ourselves stepping
008out of your comfort zone is the prime action to take for self-discovery i can assure you i know how difficult it is to step out and to achieve that goal there was the pivotal pulling in my life when i chose to use my communication skills and passion for making a positive difference to impact not just my campus but the anaheim union high school district as a whole gilbert high school serves as a community of students and faculty with diverse ethnicities cultures and backgrounds some of us may have critical needs for these for example employment during campus hours family obligations etc with the uncertainty of receiving proper schooling through virtual learning and the lingering fear of being incapable of completing our educational pathway we students were able to prove what we deemed impossible as possible we
009are the answer to a generation of prayers i would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who helped us who specifically helped me realize the value of education awareness and how to be authentic in actions to my family and friends who've not only had to deal with my academic setbacks but my emotional turmoil as well and for empowering me to conquer through even my toughest misfortunes to my teachers faculty and the esteemed district board members who've always been in support of my academic achievements and who've helped me gain an understanding of self-righteousness and individuality specifically my specialized academic instruction teachers mr pearson and mrs r and my friday night live advisor miss rash to my fellow student ambassadors asb members and asb advisor mr sushain who never underestimated my cooperative skills and
010reminded me that communication empathy and the ability to delegate are all essential characteristics to being a successful leader to my ambassador to my ambassador advisors mr hoshi mrs brown and mrs b houston who've endorsed my comforting demeanor and assisted me through my educational pathway and participation in the auhsd ambassador program and finally to my independent studies teacher miss lee who has stuck with me for the entirety of my high school career her patience dedication quick wittiness are a few of the many reasons why she's one of my greatest inspirations my name is erin and gotti gilbert high school student ambassador and your student body president for a handful of you this is the first time we're seeing each other face to face and for the majority of you this is the first time you're hearing
011my name unfortunately with the events occurring from kova 19 and the transition to virtual learning i was incapable of establishing a good enough communication with you all my peers and making my presence known i take full responsibility for being unable to make a long lasting impression with the majority of you and i sincerely apologize your first impression to me may be that i'm an ambitious student with a smallish gpa that lives the ideal lifestyle with no obstacles hence why you take on multiple leadership roles nevertheless it's important that i preface that i am no different from you and that these are merely expectations i have struggled with self-identity academic setbacks lack of motivation and fighting my life purpose among many other obstacles gilbert high school's independent studies program was my turning point working diligently at
012my own pace gave me the opportunity to complete the credit requirements i fell behind in and the ability to reevaluate my outlook on education a man by the name of nidokuben once said your present circumstances don't determine where they go they nearly determine where you start cuban implies that who we become in life doesn't depend on the qualities we possess rather the choices we make sometimes fear of an untrue belief or limitation stops us from moving forward the unfortunate reality of life is that we will be denied more times than accepted once we receive our diplomas each of us could be faced with an abundance of rejections many of us won't get past the application process of attending the college of our dreams and some of us will be let down in neither ways whether
013it be our educational or occupational pathway other candidates with the same qualifications as us will get the jobs that we applied for each of us could sit in a hundred different interviews and still be denied in each one of them what i ask you today is to not take no for an answer don't be afraid of no's be afraid of a yes that you sabotage because you decided to quit instead of carry on you must accept failure so that you may persevere after facing challenges each obstacle we face is an additional reason to work harder so we must jump over each hurdle break each barrier to achieve nothing short of greatness celebrate how far you've come and how much you've contributed to this community today i challenge you to face your challenges head-on and to
014break those barriers and to believe so heavily in your aspirations because you know you have the potential to succeed to the graduating class of 21 i wish you all the best congratulations thank you aaron now please welcome janelle clemente good afternoon i'd like to start off by congratulating our graduating class of 2021. despite all the academic and personal struggles we've encountered and the fear and uncertainty during this pandemic we have proved that persistence pays off by persevering through the things we deemed as impossible we now know that anything is possible it is with great relief and pride that i can say we finally made it before i get into how this is just the closing chapter to the prequel on our line on our lives i'd like to first take a moment to thank everyone
015for joining us here today whether online or here in the actual stadium welcome and thank you for all your of your support to our esteemed district board members and our incredible teachers and faculty i'd like to sincerely thank you for working hard to organize today's event and contributing to make a physical graduation possible as tony previously stated my name is janelle clementa and it's an honor to be speaking at today's graduation each and every one of us carries a story some stories leave heavier and messier markings while others leave behind lighter clear-cut trails no matter your story you made it we've all made it all of our hard work has paid off and i'm really glad we can graduate and embark on the start of a new journey together just like most of you here
016my high school experience wasn't the greatest and when i was in middle school i looked forward to starting high school there were so many things i wanted to do and i held my expectations on myself high as a result of the pressure i eventually found my self-esteem deteriorating with each goal i didn't meet this continued to break me down until i found myself avoiding school entirely in fear of failing every time i would walk to my english class and step afoot inside i get panic attacks which never really happened before i started attending therapy where my therapist issued a 5-4 plan for me even then the fear and the feeling of being a burden or a disappointment left me glued to my bed for a month then i was transferred to the independent studies program
017for the next semester i love that program there i could work at my own pace all the teachers there were nice and good-hearted but the program only worked for me temporarily i couldn't adjust to the lack of socialization and absence of physical lessons taught step by step by teachers i worked hard to get as much work completed as possible but i was still behind in credits when compared to my peers and from there my anxiety worsened then came my junior year when i told myself that i would try to start doing more to get out of my shell i was able to join theater while still being in the independent studies program and i enjoyed that very much being able to participate in an activity i used to love made me excited and happy it
018gave me a reason to look forward to going to school each day a reason to fight my anxiety i was trying my best but nothing turned out the way i'd planned i'd physically shake when performing unlike my other classmates and i would have to sit in one corner for three quarters overthinking my interactions with others my mental state would constantly fluctuate i could be really happy then anxious the next at just one word so when the pandemic started and everything shifted to virtual learning i had a new more difficult challenge in dealing with the change the social interactions that i hoped for wouldn't happen and i felt like i failed as a result i stayed in my room for a whole month and completely tuned everything out i even stopped using social media mentally i
019beat myself up for not attending school and i still couldn't bring myself to properly communicate my feelings to anyone i felt like i was spiraling downward until the 2020 school year ended and i ended up at gilbert high school it hurt me to have my family worry about me so i took summer break before senior year to build myself again to replenish my energy and replace all the negativity with better memories i returned to social media and reconnected with my friends and spent the rest of vacation bonding with my family before starting my senior year at gilbert i've only been at gilbert for this year and i've never once set foot in an actual campus in an actual classroom on campus but i can generally say that i'm proud to be able to graduate from
020here as cliche as it may seem if i didn't have the support of my friends family and teachers this year i would have been extremely lost throughout this year there were many more hardships in december my family contracted cover 19. i was really worried although i was struggling with school and stressing out about my future i wanted my family to know that everything would be okay my aunt and uncle who are second parents to me were sick with kovid in addition to that my mom was feeling even more sick she had been my dad's full-time caretaker for years so i worry that the virus virus would leave them bedridden despite the amount of stress from school i pulled it together to help in my own way i prepared washed and cut bowls of fruit for
021them to eat i would help them with getting small things they needed around the house since most of my family members were sick i also had to step in to help my sister take care of her baby balancing life at school work wasn't easy we couldn't celebrate the holidays together either as everyone had to self quarantine i felt the year was going to come to an end on a rather gloomy note that it got even worse on new year's my brother's birthday my dad suddenly passed away life seemed so unfair the very thing i dreaded since i became conscious that life was short happened i was so mad at myself for limiting my interactions with my dad over fear of losing him then he was gone and my world literally stopped abruptly i was forced
022to find a way to continue i logged back into my classes and acted the same way as before cheery giving my teachers my usual grading fooling myself into believing everything was okay it took me weeks to finally tell one of my teachers what happened on the vacation with all the support i received i was able to make it through and stand before you all and tell my story i am truly grateful to all the teachers and staff who have helped me throughout the year without your support i might not be here today delivering the speech i like to especially thank mr cowan for bringing light to my days with his unique teaching and youthful personality mrs mason for being understanding encouraging and willing to help when i needed it most mrs schofield for listening to
023my story and giving me resources that i could refer to and mr shane for checking in with me on a daily basis and making sure that everyone in class was given the support they needed all of you helped me in achieving my goal of graduating thank you most of all i'd like to thank my mom for staying strong despite how hard life has been thank you for giving me strength to keep going by setting an example as for papa i hope you hear this up in heaven your big baby is graduating now and although i'm scared and nervous about speaking today both of you are the reason i push myself and worked really hard i really want you both to see me graduate i hope you have a good view papa i love and miss
024you until we meet again to my graduating class of 2021 we can now officially say that we made it look at all of us with our blue caps and gowns on all of us who carry with us our own circumstances stories and burdens we all we made it and i'm so proud of us for getting here remember the lessons you learned along the way life will never be easy and there are bound to be many more bumps down the road this is just the beginning of our adulthood there may be times you feel alone but believe me you must continue to persist and keep going your future is important and no one will know what's best for you except you remember to use your past experiences as lessons to further improve yourself and don't let
025your insecurities or anxiety hold you back like it did to me learn to be kind to yourself about mistakes you make we need to make mistakes in order to develop and grow keep pushing yourself but also care for yourself like you do your friends and family and it's okay to be unsure of what you want to do in your future it's okay to learn at a sort of pace than others we all learn differently and baby steps are still improvement before i finish and we all go our separate ways i want to wish all of you good luck whether your plan is to go straight to college or university start working immediately or take some time to figure everything out we all got this congratulations again everyone and thank you for listening thank you janelle
026for all those who grew up chasing dreams and lost hope reaching for the stars for those who have felt the cold breeze hit the warm tears on your face for our friends and families who lifted us up and gave us strength to keep going for our teachers who enlightened us and gave us something to look forward to every day for the amazing and beautiful gilbert high school in the class of 2021 i give you this poem written by my fellow graduate guadalupe urutia every time i climb on a swing i close my eyes and dream the wildest dreams i dream of what life can be every time i swing on a swing the motion fills my heart with joy i take back the air as i soar higher and higher i kick my feet and
027open my eyes to the beauty of trees i look up to the sky and it seems that time can't pass me by for a second life freezes and i remember how it feels to be free my soul seems to lift with the wind and a peaceful hum fills me within every time i swing on a swing i close my eyes and dream my wildest dreams congratulations class of 2021 here's to achieving one amazing wild dream and now please welcome to the podium miss katrina callaway good afternoon parents students and staff welcome to the gilbert and auhsd independent studies commencement ceremony for the class of 2021. my name is katrina callaway and i am the coordinator of alternative ed and i have the privilege of being principals of both schools i would like to take a
028moment to thank mr matsuda superintendent the anaheim union high school district board of trustees and cabinet for the opportunity to recognize our graduating seniors i would also like to take a moment to recognize the parents of our graduating class who have supported and advocated for their students over the course of the past four years and especially this last leg of their journey as they have navigated virtual learning thank you i would also like to take just a moment to recognize the men and women in black on the field who are our faculty and staff who are here supporting our students and have been supporting them throughout the course of this year we also have additional staff who have been supporting with the logistics prior to and will be continuing to support after today's graduation and
029we thank them as well as i prepared for the ceremony there were so many thoughts that i wanted to express however yesterday after rehearsal after having an opportunity to preview the speeches you all just heard i had to rethink what i wanted to say because quite honestly our student speakers have done such an excellent job of expressing the sentiments of all of our graduates so well so thank you because of that my comments will be very brief i am pretty sure that when our students started out their freshman year of high school no one could have imagined that your senior year would look like this as each of you began with excitement and curiosity you knew that your senior year would be nothing but the best throughout your four years of high school you have
030been taught how to communicate collaborate think critically demonstrate character and compassion and how to be creative over the course of the past four years you have used those skills but this past year those skills were put to the test you are the class that has navigated your entire senior year through virtual sessions and online tutorials you have learned to communicate in ways you never thought you would be asked to before to navigate learning platforms and schoology pages to complete your work you've taught yourself to advocate and i hope and i know that your staff here today has encouraged you as you've done so you not only overcame these unexpected changes you mastered them and what we must acknowledge and we all recognize that there has been losses of experience throughout this pandemic you have taken
031those challenges and turned them to success during the past year we have all been reminded of what truly matters and how to cherish the little things you are the class that never let challenges great or small stand in your way and you have continued to move forward and conquered the goals you've set for yourself booker t washington once said success is not to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome each of you have a story and this year you have added new pages and new chapters you have overcome many obstacles and you have succeeded i speak on behalf of our entire faculty and staff to say we have been privileged and honored to work with you throughout either this year
032or the past two years we have enjoyed hearing your stories seeing your successes helping you get up when things were challenging and witnessing your resilience we could not be more proud of the way you have responded to the situation and that we are able to celebrate with you today someone once said always remember that your present situation is not your final destination and the best is yet to come congratulations class of 21 2021 you did it graduates and family we have arrived at the moment you have all been waiting for i would like to once again introduce our dignitaries who will be presenting diplomas to our graduates students please prepare to receive your diplomas i would like to introduce al jabbar and ann marie randall trejo who will be presenting your diplomas will the graduates
033please stand it gives me great honor to present this class of 2021 to our board of trustees member al jabar for certification mr jabbar here we go [Music] okay yes i need janelle and anthony first [Music] is he didn't give me choy joseph farmer anthony tony atallah elijah benitez julio guevara ariana alfaro crystal murillo [Music] perez jennifer lopez lina ramirez caleb roberts gabriella ramirez roslyn acosta melanie ramos paloma torres [Applause] angie amager michelle amezcua raul alvear jordan apple hannah avalos chris ayala diego ayala brandon barbosa adrian bautista [Music] benjamin bonilla [Music] juan camacho gonzalez nathan carbajal angel castillo david cervantes sylvia chavarria jack daniel cortes cindy cruz eric damasio nicolas davila sean diamesis destiny takashian [Applause] julian elias hermione and cecil celia yes there ashton ferner arturo garcia [Applause] aidan figueroa vince garcia jd garcia
034[Music] isaiah gracian stephanie gonzalez torres daniel gutierrez you name her i'm sorry amberly gutierrez jacob hendrickson emily gutierrez [Music] crystal hernandez alonso hernandez jose hernandez eric hernandez jose javier hernandez maria hernandez nicolas hernandez leilani hernandez monica hernandez rodriguez juan herrera jordan hill [Music] ashley lagunas [Applause] jimenez eric lopez miguel lopez lopez i say a lot [Music] lucero isaiah luna adrian martinez lizzie martin ibarra jorge martinez [Music] [Applause] sebastian martinez christian moreno brandi montes [Music] melanie orantes cadena [Music] orophasa daniel osegada thank you so much brandon ortiz [Music] jose angel pena samantha ramirez jordi prado eduardo puentes moreno [Music] nolan reinhardt brian rodriguez osmar rico [Music] giovanni roque rodriguez mark salinas edwin romero [Applause] alexia santes sanchez franco daniel rosales jacob silva kenneth sanchez pedro sanchez magana sims jessica toscano dante spencer edgar urietta derek valencia
035[Music] alexander matthew valdez calvi and vanabong [Applause] thank you jennifer vargas [Music] [Applause] emily vergara the name's gonna pop up angelo satello okay we will do this will all graduates please stand it gives me great honor to present the class of 2021 to the board of trustees member aljabar for certification all right as a trustee for anaheim union high school district it is my honor and privilege to officially certify the students present here today for the class of 2021 have all duly met the requirements of the state of california and have completed the prescribed courses of study established by the anaheim union high school district students you may now move your tassel from right to left congratulations [Applause] ladies and gentlemen i present to you the class of 2021 gilbert high school at auhsd independent
036studies thank you for attending our 2021 commencement ceremony today families and friends please remain seated until all graduates have recessed out of the stadium and until dismissed by security from your seating section please know that current health guidelines restrict us from gathering in large groups seniors were notified earlier to meet you at your vehicles remember to take all of your items with you as you exit the stadium and please enjoy the rest of your day celebrating with your graduates thank you for coming and congratulations class of 2021 [Music] so [Music] foreign [Music] uh you