Collegiate High School Commencement 2021

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] good evening ladies and gentlemen [Music] [Music] welcome to our 2021 commencement ceremony for collegiate high school [Applause] i am dr tracy rodriguez the proud principal of collegiate high school and it is my pleasure to present to you this particular class that has experienced so much in a very untraditional year thank you for being here thank you all to our virtual viewers you may be seated once again welcome welcome to you those who are physically here and welcome to you those out in virtual land thank you for joining us or tuning in our seniors sitting before you today represent many many innumerable awards and recognitions these honors are the achievements that bring great credit to you personally to your families to our school to this community and to all of the teachers and individuals who have supported your path all along the way i know i will now ask that everyone please stand for the presentation of colors and the pledge of allegiance our national anthem and our welcome address our pledge allegiance and welcome will be led by ariel florentino saldana if you could please give attention to our color guard provided by ray high school right colors i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all please welcome my friend and classmate jamie solis to lead our national anthem collegiate high school hosts many talents amongst our students tonight you will witness one of our talents in which it is that will be showcased oh [Music] yes [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey [Music] [Music] [Music] hey [Applause] you [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you jamie face you all may be seated hi everybody my it's my pleasure to welcome all the loving families the dedicated students and our staff to the class of 2021 graduation ceremony tonight we will be witnessing a milestone and will be a part of it as well despite all the hardships we've gone through but despite these struggles i'm glad to finally say that we've made it thank you ariel at this time i want to recognize our distinguished guests who are joining us this evening for this special ceremony please stand as i call your name and remain standing we ask that you hold your applause until all guests have been introduced we'll start representing our corpus christi isd board of trustees president mrs janey bell secretary ms alice upshaw hawkins assistant secretary dr tony diaz trustee mr don clark and trustee mrs dawley gonzalez trolley representing corpus christi independent school district administration our superintendent of schools dr roland hernandez our deputy superintendent of business and support services mrs karen griffith our deputy superintendent of curriculum instruction mrs kimberly james representing an important partner to our school del mar college administration mrs patricia benavides dominguez our dean of student outreach and enrollment services in addition other special people that represent ccisd central office administration and all the help and support that we've received today if you could please stand to be recognized at this time i want to recognize some special people who are closest to the work and that is our staff the administration and the collegiate high school counselors teachers deans accelerate auxiliary staff are the ones who are the guides on the sides that are with the students majority of the time although this year has been a little different we may not been physically at their side but certainly virtually at their side we had fewer than we had over 95 of our seniors in the virtual world this year and with that credit the teachers who stayed connected with them all the zoom sessions all the text messages all the wake up calls all the parent calls are the are you okay checking on one another all credits to our teachers and our staff if you can please stand to be recognized thank you for your service and keeping the beating heart beating strong i would like to invite our board of trustee president janie bill for opening greetings we're not doing this next year okay good evening everyone on behalf of the corpus christi independence district school district's board of trustees i congratulate you on earning your high school diploma we are delighted to celebrate you and we look forward to greeting you as you cross the stage i want to take a moment to tell you how very proud we are that you persevered through a pandemic our world changed abruptly in march 2020 yet while everyone was a bit scared and a bit uncertain everyone kept going and you our students remain focused on your goal it is so important you understand what an achievement this is you overcame any obstacles you may have had prior to the pandemic you completed the many assignments projects exams and quizzes that you had during high school you finished your junior year and you conquered your senior year amid the many challenges of covid19 and now as we begin to see the signs of everything turning back beginning to look like normal again so too becomes the next steps of your the phase of your life as you cross the stage and after you enjoy a well-deserved celebration with your family and friends we the board of trustees know that you will take the next steps to board your new goals excuse me the ones you have that will help you build the life you dreamed of to be certain whether your next steps are college the military or the workforce you have hard work ahead of you the dedication to succeed however will come from the grit you have shown throughout your education thus far especially during this very difficult stretch as you proceed remember to sustain your courage by reminding yourself you have prevailed during a pandemic you can do anything we always remind our graduates to stay in touch we mean we'd love for you to stay in our community to be involved in our city it is a wonderful time to live and work in corpus christi and a great place to raise a family and we hope you will give back to our area through your work and through volunteer and encouraging other future classes of students to make education a priority once again on behalf of the full board i offer congratulations on the accomplishment on your accomplishment and our very best wishes as you take your next steps we are so very proud of each and every single one of you and we will continue to cheer you on thank you the corpus christi independent school district and collegiate high school are extremely delighted to recognize some special seniors tonight i'd like to bring all attention on the students let's start with those students who are joining our armed forces if you could please stand to be recognized congratulations we are super proud of you for serving our country you may be seated let us also recognize recognize this student listen to this one students that have worked or interned while attending school this year even in virtual land if you could please stand if you've worked or interned congratulations for mastering multitasking you may be seated next let us honor the students who are not only graduating high school tonight but are also graduated from del mar college last friday will those students please stand we are proud of your accomplishment i am also pleased to recognize the honor graduates for the 2021 school year these names are listed in your program in alphabetical order they're wearing a gold cord and a medallion received in honor of their accomplishment would you students please stand to be recognized in isuma kuma magna laude [Music] great job [Applause] i am also proud to announce our top 10 collegiate high school graduates as i call your name please stand and remain standing until all names have been recognized sochi torres [Music] shamika cobb eileen chen sarah valdez jocelyn perez torres alexis diaz eric jaramillo damian elizondo jr perez sacedo and ashley silva mendez what a commendable accomplishment heartfelt congratulations for all of your hard work it certainly paid off and lastly for those graduates that are super special that represent the first in their family to graduate from high school will you please stand to be recognized what a great honor and may you be the examples for those who follow you thank you i am extremely delighted to recognize two very special seniors tonight honored for a very special recognition to begin i'm going to start with a student who maintained a grade point average of 113.6 and is committed to education her peers and definitely her community she completed an associate's degree in liberal arts at del mar college she's been involved in extracurricular activities such as national english honor society moafa theta the key club extreme dance club and others shamika also spent she also spent many honors volunteering community at driscoll middle school as a mentor in metro prep middle school she plans to continue her education at the texas a m corpus christi university majoring in theater arts with hopes in becoming a theater arts instructor at this time i would like to ask shamika cove to please come forward if i could have her parent mrs kamika cobb please stand to be recognized sorry i'm sorry we're not used to this okay all right words cannot begin to describe the number of emotions i am feeling right now i am grateful for collegiate high school and i am sad that this journey is over i am proud to be the first in my family to graduate from high school and college finally i never expected to be the salutatorian of my graduating class and i am honored to be up here representing the class of 2021 i'm not going to say it was easy because i would be lying and you all would know it however the mental breakdowns the restless nights and the constant frustration have led me here today and i think it was 100 worth it attending collegiate and del mar college was difficult for a lot of us several several of us faced the challenge of juggling both high school and college work along with the hardships at home no one in my home had the opportunity to graduate from high school when i didn't understand something it was my self-resilience that pushed me to solve the problems or to figure out what to do even transportation was an issue getting from home to school and back again was a challenge for me and my family because we never had a vehicle and relied on the city bus to get us around this meant we had a lot of restrictions on where how and when we could travel it was a challenge to participate in school clubs and attend after school activities and events because i had to be able to catch the last bus home however when i we made the decision to attend collegiate high school we also made the decision to not let those challenges define us challenges did not stop me and others from becoming first in the family to graduate high school they did not stop me from being the first in my family to get a college degree and they did not stop me from becoming the salutatorian of my class as the middle child these challenges allow me to be the first one in my family to walk across the stage which has thrown open the door so that my little brother can walk through them hopefully with less burdens i carry those burdens for him and became the model for my family i encourage all my classmates to see their accomplishments and challenges as opportunities to become great and to serve as a model for greatness for those around you take advantage of the challenges life throws at you and use them to fuel your success use them to achieve the greatness that god has intended for you as i conclude it would be inconsiderate of me to not take time to thank the very special people that have graciously helped me these past four years mom i love you so much i cannot explain how grateful and thankful i am to have you as a mother without you i would not have been able oh without you i would not have been able to do any of this thank you for always taking me to school every day and constantly reminding me that i am smart and beautiful i am happy to share this very special moment with you oh god um ryan you are my everything just take the breath don't go fast okay ryan you are my everything you have been there for me when i needed you the most and i never thought that i could love someone as much as i love you to my very special friends who have been there for me for the entire four years you know you are i love you guys and finally i want to thank all the teachers and counselors and administrators you have mentored me and you have mentored all of us and helped us to meet our challenges and become great thank you for everything you have done for us remember class of 2021 use life challenges to fuel your successes do not let obstacles be your excuses but your reasons thank you beautiful let's give her a big big round of applause thank you shamika we love your heart and spirits our next student's high school career can be summed up in one word a little busy maintaining a grade point average of 114.9 she too completed her associate's degree in liberal arts and has been involved in her school and community in short over the past four years she has served in many organizations served as president of the national english honor society class of 2021 senior council a member of muafa theta red cross club speech and debate mock trial and our recreational volleyball team she plans to continue her education at the university of texas at arlington where she plans to major in theater and broadcast journalism at this time i would like to invite our 2021 valedictorian sochi torres to the state to this podium [Applause] while she's doing that i would like her parents i told you it wasn't just me mr eduardo torres and marilina rodmidas please stand to be recognized [Applause] good evening everyone and thank you all for being here today for those of you watching this live we miss you and thank you for taking the time to set up your phone computer or television to experience this momentous occasion with us tonight we have one common purpose to celebrate we are here to congratulate to look towards the future wish each other well and to look back on our time spent together i would like to begin by saying i would like to begin by saying that being the valedictorian of our graduate reading class is a tremendous honor i would like to thank god without whom i would not have had the motivation and determination i needed to be standing here today at the same time i would like to thank my entire family for everything that they've done for me and all the support and love they've given me throughout the years without them i wouldn't be who i am today i love you all and thank you every for everything you've done for me at the same time i want to thank my mom specifically for displaying what true sacrifice is and reminding me the importance of education and my sister for all the unconditional love she'll say she doesn't have for me i also want to thank my friends who made high school all the more bearable and better with their jokes advice and companionship you all are all truly special to me and quote the broadway musical wicked whatever way our stories end i know you have ruined mine by being my friend on behalf of my entire class i would also like to thank our teachers for teaching us guiding us and assisting in preparing us for the world i get to see another school who teaches match the compassion and acceptance i've experienced here now to my fellow graduates well here we are the moment we've all been waiting four years three cheating scandals two hurricanes a 16 paragraph essay and a literal pandemic form graduation a day given the circumstances many of us felt would never come now i know this is not how we expected our senior year to go but at the expen at the expense of sounding cliche we made it a bit beaten and run down but still here something i hope fills you with pride i want to congratulate each of you not only for all the hard work you have done during these past years but also for the immense perseverance you each have shown through these shared experiences the personal battles some of you may have had with your minds and bodies and disheartening events you may have experienced to reach this milestone i can't say that we are the class that will change the world but i do see the potential each of you has to take it on and make it and make a difference if anyone can learn from the mistakes of the past and strive to be better it's us remember do or do not there is no try and if this year has taught us anything it is that the world can truly change in an instant so on your journey to becoming the world's future healers innovators influencers educators and protectors i want to remind you all to continue living in the now appreciating all that you have and making the best out of life ensuring that it doesn't pass you by we've already we've already missed so much with that i sincerely hope you all achieve the life you strive for and find the happiness you each deserve thank you all again and good night thank you soji for your inspiring words let's give her one more round of applause i appreciate all your advice good job y'all want to join your classmates okay seniors please stand dr hernandez if you could please come forward dr hernandez i present to you this graduating class of 2021 for certification i hereby declare that they have met the requirements for graduation as established by the texas education agency and our local school board dr rodriguez platform guests parents friends and relatives of our 2021 graduates by the authority vested in me by the board of trustees of the corpus christi independent school district and upon assurance from dr rodriguez the principal at collegiate high school and her faculty that this class has completed the requirements for graduation prescribed by the texas education agency and the corpus christi independent school district it becomes my privilege to certify the 2020-2021 graduating class of collegiate high school it is with pleasure that i recommend that the 2021 graduating class of collegiate high school be awarded their diplomas at this time we're so proud of you congratulations oh okay seniors you can please be seated except the first row actually the first two rows if you can stay standing we will be presenting your diplomas as you come up you will take a photograph with one of our designated guests in which it is then you will exit out through the back of the stage we're joined by mrs jimenez our college and career counselor and she will also be joined with by mr anza dua our lead counselor as it is we move through the diploma presentations texas a m kingsville magna laude araceli yvette aldanya school of visual arts new york city summa laude jonathan richard aleman texas a m corpus christi laude ferris kamal ashwar texas a m kingsville magna humlati [Applause] genevieve justine ayala concordia university irvine california summa laude chelsea mamerto balbaran texas a m corpus christi suma kumlati es sebio juan benavides texas tech university amorous faith bitty stephen f austin state university victoria lee binnick del mar college summa pumlati gabriel jaden brooks [Applause] texas a m corpus christi magna laude winsley emmett carl iv texas a m corpus christi luke ryan carrillo [Applause] texas a m corpus christi suma cumlati amy cervantes texas a m corpus christi suma cumlati eileen lorraine chen texas a m corpus christi summa cumlati finn clark del mar college magna laude texas a m corpus christi summa laude collegiate high school class of 2021 [Applause] salutatorian coleman texas a m corpus christi laude jacob alonso cruz jr del mar college magna laude texas a m corpus christi summa laude alexis and diaz texas a m corpus christi suma cumlati alexis ann diaz [Applause] austin dylan dominguez [Music] texas a m kingsville suma cumlati damien elizondo junior texas a m college station summa laude genevieve keegan elliott del mar college magna laude angel manuel espindola texas a m corpus christi summa laude myra elizabeth esquivel university of north texas summa laude ariela marie florentino saldana of texas san antonio summa laude alana nicole flores stephen f austin state university laude rebecca kathleen flynn delmar del mar college lottie nicole and gallegos texas a m corpus christi suma cumlati donovan marie zavrin garcia texas a m kingsville laude [Music] eric garcia oliva texas a m corpus christi lottie melanie garza del mar college summa laude mariah lynn garza university of houston summa laude ashanti luis gonzalez texas state university summa lottie [Music] jennifer janette grimaldo texas a m corpus christi suma laude jaylen nicole gutierrez del mar college magna laude loretta and haley texas a m university san antonio summa laude cassandra lisette hernandez del mar college eva ramirez hernandez texas a m kingsville suma laude jezebel sky hernandez texas a m corpus christi zuma lottie all right jose angel hernandez jr mar college magna laude texas a m corpus christi antonio inohosa iv del mar college magna laude lauren page hutchinson texas a m corpus christi summa laude isabel iso del mar college summa laude stephanie lee hymas f austin state university summa laude [Music] angelina jean hello mar college [Applause] [Music] eric hot o'meal baylor university summa laude christian davis ladwig del mar college magna laude sandy lamb [Applause] texas a m corpus christi suma cumlati armando richard leach flores texas a m corpus christi suma laude jeremiah del mar college jonathan matthew lemon texas a m corpus christi magna laude roman jordan longoria texas a m kingsville summa laude kirsten jacqueline maria del mar college magna laude olga elizabeth garcia texas a m corpus christi summa laude benjamin danny martinez jr texas a m corpus christi zuma laude zachariah mohammed del mar college magna laude shane antonio moreno united states air [Applause] force catherine grace millenix texas a m college station summa laude jorge ortiz texas a m corpus christi summa laude jose alonso ortiz university of texas at san antonio zumari abigail celeste texas a m kingsville magna laude ariana naomi pena baylor university laude josh simon perez del mar college jocelyn perez torres texas a m corpus christi suma laude texas a m corpus christi summa laude ariana marie quintero united states navy [Applause] eduardo ramirez texas a m kingsville [Applause] summer [Music] [Applause] texas a m corpus christi juan carlos rios del mar college sienna marie rivera texas a m corpus christi suma laude kalina rochelle rodriguez united states air force [Music] [Applause] serenity nicole rodriguez united states navy magna laude [Applause] sheila rodriguez chacha texas a m corpus christi [Applause] [Applause] tristan james ross texas a m corpus christi [Applause] stephanie reese texas a m corpus christi khumbladi del mar college [Applause] chula elena salinas del mar college magna laude foreign levi sarah white del mar college magna laude jasmine rose saterwhite university of houston zuma laude paris angel salzero university of texas at dallas [Applause] university of texas at san antonio zuma ashley silva mendes texas a m corpus christi suma laude cassandra nicole silvas university of texas rgb lady nathan isaiah smithwick university of texas at san antonio magna laude jamie lee solis texas a m corpus christi magna laude joseph adrian terrine texas a m kingsville summer miguel angel torres texas a m corpus christi magma laude university of texas at arlington summa laude collegiate high school class of 2021 valedictorian [Applause] briellen kennedy town texas a m corpus christi summa laude mike dang tran texas a m kingsville summer larissa and revigno united states navy josh david tully third coast captain school corpus christi magna laude sarah michelle valadez university of texas at san antonio braylon michaela vasquez texas a m corpus christi lottie vasquez del mar college summa laude emily lauren vedica del mar college magna laude [Applause] claire elise wood texas a m corpus christi [Applause] liba zaman university of texas at austin zuma kumari [Applause] okay graduates will you please stand at this time to make it official you may move your tassel from right to the left signifying the official declaration of completion congratulations to the 2021 graduating class [Applause] you may be seated i'd like to invite miss ashley silva mendes to please come forward to give the closing address followed by our royal promise as well as our senior song good good evening everybody so as today's ceremony comes to an end i'd like to again thank everyone for joining us today this class has truly proved to be resilient despite the difficulty of our current troubles and on this day that once seemed so distant let's reflect on these past four years but especially celebrate our future so without further ado good luck good health and congratulations to the class of 2021. so at this time please turn your attention to your graduation program one of these on page six and read along with me as i recite the collegiate high school royal promise promise yourself to be strong to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind to talk health happiness and prosperity to every person you meet to make all of your friends feel that there is something in them to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true to think only for the best to work only for the best and to expect only the best to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own to forget the mistakes of the past and the present on and press on the greater achievements of the future to wear a cheerful continent at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile to give so much to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others to be too large for worry too noble for anger too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble to think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world not in loud words but in great deeds to live in faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you thank you so as we continue to grow traditions at collegiate high school each of the senior class every single year always chooses a song that represents their years in high school and it's not particularly about the genre it's more about the words and the experience and so i'd like to ask all of the seniors to stand and remain standing for at least the beginning in the portion of what the song represents history i think you've heard that tonight you survived a year of uncertainty even though life is not always going to be perfect don't lose sight of your history always remember where you come from what you've learned what you've been told and the team of positive people that support you so you stay strong and continue to make history thank you to the graduating class of 2021 as the students prepare to recess i would like i would also like to remind the audience in observance of social distancing and set guidelines to please remain in your seats until the completion of the graduate recessional the grand tier is going to exit from the back the orchestra left is going to exit to my left the orchestra right is going to exit to my right as soon as the graduates get through you can meet your graduate in the water garden or outdoor in the plaza again to the graduating class please keep in touch and please keep us posted on what it is you continue to accomplish thank you god bless have a good evening [Music] you

Channel: Corpus Christi ISD

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Id: EF7EVH78F1M

Length: 81min 6sec (4866 seconds)

Published: Fri May 21 2021