‘You’ve accomplished major things’: Hoover class of 2017 ends school year on a high note
After years of taking standardized tests with acronyms like STAR, CAASPP and SAT, more than 350 Hoover High School seniors gathered on campus Thursday evening for the culmination of that work — graduation.
As families and friends watched from the bleachers on the school’s Ferguson Field, Jennifer Earl, the school’s principal, praised members of the Class of 2017 for their awesomeness.
“Awesome means impressive, magnificent, amazing, inspiring, wonderful and, when I look out at each of you, I think of many of these words,” she said.
Earl praised the graduating seniors for their individuality and initiative, saying that they have faced many challenges in the last year.
She touched on how the students came together as a community after the death of their classmate Eric Sarokhanian, a 16-year-old who lost his life in October after his motorcycle collided with a sedan.
“By coming together and being your magnificent, amazing selves, you’ve accomplished major things,” Earl said.
For many of the students, graduation was both a bittersweet and joyous occasion, with many saying they’ll miss the friends they have made over the years and the memories they’ve made on campus.
“I’m finally graduating, but I’m also leaving behind 12 years of memories,” 18-year-old Diego Preciado said. “There are people I’ve known all my life, people I’ve met this year, and I deeply care about all of them.”
Preciado plans to head to Pasadena City College this fall, but hasn’t decided on a major yet. He said he’s interested in becoming a writer, focusing on teen fiction. He added that he is influenced by authors such as Neil Gaiman and Rick Riordan.
Kianna Martinez, 17, said she’ll miss the “Beat Glendale Days,” where Hoover’s football team plays against its rival at Glendale High School. She said she’ll also miss playing on the school’s softball team.
Martinez also plans to attend Pasadena City College in the fall before hopefully transferring to UCLA, where she intends to major in radio broadcasting.
“I sit in the car, and there’s a bunch of commercials, and the music gets repetitive,” she said. “I’d rather bring it back old school a little bit and play some classics, educate the youth.”
For Elmer Moreno, the lead-up to graduation has been a whirlwind of activity. The 17-year-old said he was on the verge of not graduating and spent the past few weeks making up missing credits.
“The last two weeks, I barely got any sleep, I kid you not — 30 minutes of sleep,” he said. “Just day and night, pushing and finishing work, online and in the classroom. I was going to class from eight in the morning to 9 p.m. at night.”
Moreno plans to head off to the U.S. Marine Corps this fall. He said joining the military will help him out later in life when pursuing a career.
For now, he said he’s happy that the big day finally arrived.
“We made it,” Moreno said.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
