SOLEDAD — Soledad High School handed out diplomas to 332 students during the graduation ceremony June 10 for the Class of 2017.
The students and their families gathered at the Gene Martin Stadium early in the morning on Saturday in purple caps and gowns and dressed in their celebration gear. It was a sunny day in Soledad, marking the Class of 2017’s last day as high school students with the notorious Soledad wind.
The graduates walked into the football stadium and took their seats before the Soledad High School NJROTC members presented the colors, and graduate Andrea Esparza sang the National Anthem.
“Well, we did it,” ASB President Christopher Mandujano said. “We all accomplished one of the major earliest milestones of our life, high school graduation. This is a major step in the journey of our lives.”
The Class of 2017’s Salutatorian was Maribel Ramirez.
“I told people to achieve success, happiness and the courage to reach your goals and pursue your dreams,” Ramirez said.
The Valedictorian of the Class of 2017 was Edmond Zieber.
“I remember when we first started here at Soledad High School as freshmen,” Zieber said. “We were so excited and so full of ourselves, yet many of us couldn’t even find the right classrooms. I would like to encourage all of you to use what you have learned here at Soledad High School to help you in years to come.”
The graduates of the Class of 2017 will be attending colleges and universities from the University of California Davis to University of California Los Angeles and Hartnell College.
“I’m starting off small and going to finish my general ed classes at Hartnell Community College,” said graduate Kayla Sanchez. “Hopefully, I’ll graduate in three years and then move onto a four-year college and move into the study of psychology.”
