Clark Magnet celebrates its largest graduating class
The keynote speaker at Clark Magnet High School’s graduation Wednesday evening did not sugarcoat the issues that might lie ahead for the new graduates.
David Gevorkyan, who was one of the first students to graduate from Clark in 2001, told his now fellow alumni that the world they live in is much different now.
He said there are shootings occurring across the country almost every other month, the ethics and privacy of technology are becoming more of a concern, homelessness is on the rise and there are still people in the world who go to sleep hungry.
However, Gevorkyan said he is confident the 274 graduates in the class of 2018 — the largest class to graduate from Clark since its opening in 1998 — have been given the tools to continue their education and be a part of the generation that will have the responsibility to solve these issues.
“Because of the experience and education you have received at Clark Magnet High School, you are more than ready and capable to solve these local, national and global problems,” Gevorkyan said.
Graduate Sofia Yeremian, who expects to attend UCLA in the fall and major in biology, said before the ceremony that she has learned about leadership and thinks that she has become a stronger, more independent and intelligent person during her four years at Clark.
“I’ve become so independent and so knowledgeable about different things that I think I will be able to excel based on what I’ve learned in these last four years,” she said.
Yeremian, who is hoping to pursue a medical degree, said she wants to help people who are in need, adding that she would like to work for an organization such as Doctors Without Borders.
During the commencement, graduate Jasmine Mirbasoo gave a speech about her four years at the high school and how life is similar to an electronic device.
She said one needs three things to properly operate an electrical mechanism — a power source, a signal and a ground. Even if a device is highly engineered with the most technological equipment, Mirbasoo said it can only run if it has those three items at its core.
The power source gives the device the energy needed to function, the signal is what tells the device what to do, and the ground serves as a return path or reference point in which other power sources are measured, Mirbasoo said.
“Without these three components, it doesn’t matter how complex or innovative your system is, it’s bound to fail,” she said.
The graduate explained that life has the same three requirements. Individuals need a power source or the aspirations they have within themselves. The signal could be compared to the teachers and counselors a person has in their lifetime who give them direction. Lastly, family and friends act as a ground that keeps a person in check and reminds them of what is important.
“Life is just a series of wires, cluttered and twisted up together,” Mirbasoo said. “As you continue to search for the right connection, keep looking for your power source, figure out where and who your outlets are, plug yourself into any community you want to be a part of and never forget your three requirements of any circuit. Because for only when combined, a power source, signal and ground can come together to form something greater than the sum of its parts.”
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
