Monterey High grads celebrate each other

After the Monterey High School graduates had turned their tassels and processed out of the auditorium at R.L. Stevenson Elementary on Wednesday evening, they gathered in the fading sunlight outside to hug, take photos and celebrate.

Even though she’d met the requirements to graduate six months ago, Ariahna Lewis was there with 60 of her peers and several family members. Between posing for selfies with siblings, Lewis said she plans to attend Los Angeles Mission College and then to become an FBI agent, because “I’ve always had a thing for justice.”

PHOTOS: Monterey High School Class of 2015 graduates

The students of Monterey High School, Burbank Unified’s alternative campus, form a close-knit group, said Gerardo Marquez, 17, who said it felt good not only to graduate, but to see his peers finish with him. He plans to “live it up” this summer, before going to school to become an automotive technician.

Nearby, Charleston Lim Jr. clutched a bouquet of helium-filled balloons emblazoned with the words “Congratulations Graduate” under an image of a cap and diploma.

“I’m finally free,” he said.

Free of the stuffy auditorium and free to begin the next chapter of his life — to “raise my empire” — Lim said. The 17-year-old’s plans for the near future are to “make money, get a car and continue school.”

In her speech to the graduates, Principal Ann Brooks spoke of the importance of expectations, what she called “the ‘Ex’ Factor,” to highlight the importance of goal-setting and planning in their future.

“It isn’t just going to happen — they need to make it happen,” she said later outside the school. “You really do have to have some goal, some plan.”

Students come to Monterey after falling behind at traditional high schools such as Burroughs or Burbank due to poor choices or factors beyond their control. There, they’re able to make up credits and get back on the path to graduate.

The school allows the students more flexibility and independence in terms of what classes they take and when, Brooks said, and more than half had completed the required credits before December.

“They get with the program and they just take off,” she added.

For example, she said, Celin Gharabigi was sent to Monterey because she simply wasn’t attending classes at Burbank High. At Monterey, however, she hardly missed a class and was able to make up for lost time. Not only that, she was one of two students recognized with the Rising Star Award and a recipient of a scholarship from the Magnolia Park Optimist Club.

Emmanuel Solis was the other Rising Star recipient. Brianna Garcia and Manuel Sandoval were each awarded Student of the Year honors.

Lewis said that what stood out for her at the ceremony was that Brooks teared up when giving her speech, a sign of her bond with the students.

“She’s really one with all her students,” Lewis said. “She really connects with each and every one of them.”

Lewis’ father, a Marine Corps veteran, said he teared up during the ceremony, too. He said it was bittersweet to witness his daughter cross the stage.

“She’s overcome a lot to get here,” Mario Lewis said, but he added that he wasn’t worried about her plans to pursue a law-enforcement career.

“She’ll be all right,” he said. “She’s a tough cookie.”