Glendale High graduates look to next chapter

Flight was a recurring theme during the commencement ceremony at Glendale High School, with the north end of the football field inside Moyse Stadium serving as the symbolic launch pad for the future of the more than 650 students who received their diplomas Wednesday night.

Choirs sang renditions of “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Wings,” and from the stands spectators cheered, many of them clutching bouquets of helium-filled balloons. At one point, an airplane buzzed a few aerial laps over the stadium, pulling a banner congratulating one of the seniors.

However, many of the speakers warned the graduates that for as high as they may wish to fly, they will also likely encounter turbulence along the way.

Class valedictorian Ani Khachatryan noted that the event marked the beginning of an exciting chapter in the graduates’ lives, assuring them “nothing is beyond your reach.” But she also said that failures happen and encouraged her classmates to bounce back when it does and take advantage of new opportunities.

She also said that their success will be measured not in how high they reach, but in the impact they have on others and the legacy they leave behind.

“Be a hero — you don’t have to wear a red cape or a mask,” she said, adding that heroes are those that help others, “build the path for change” and stand up to bullies.

Principal Monica Makiewicz touted what the seniors had already accomplished — more than 130 had passed tests of their language abilities in Japanese, Russian and Arabic, among others, more than 80 had grade-point averages of 3.5 to 3.99 and nearly 50 were graduating with a 4.0 or better. Collectively the class had performed 30,000 hours of volunteer service.

Khachatryan is heading to UCLA. She was “neck-a-neck” all year with salutatorian Grace Park, Makiewicz said, and both finished with better than 4.44 grade-point averages. Park is headed to Smith College.

In her speech, Park warned her classmates that, though they may have dreams and goals, things don’t always work out. She advised them that instead of seeking momentary highs, they should strive to find unity with those around them and work so that they can “feel that our life as a whole was worth living.”

Christopher Kedjejian is one of five graduates enlisting in the Marine Corps. Following the ceremony, after posing for a picture with his Marine Corps recruiter and saluting him, he said he chose the Marines because “it’s the best branch there is.”

“I always wanted to serve my country and do something great with my life,” Kedjejian said.