Class of 2020: Gateway High School
Alternative Ed: Gateway High School, Enterprise Independent Study, Clovis Community Day School 2020 Graduation Speeches
Speaker: Hannah Vigil, Gateway
Welcome graduates, families and friends of graduates, and our Gateway family.
The story of my senior year does not begin at Gateway… My dad and I met with a counselor at a different high school to talk about my grades. As we sat there, the counselor told me that it didn’t look like I was going to make it. That I wouldn’t pass. That I wouldn’t graduate with my class. It felt like she was telling me that I wasn’t smart enough… and I returned home that day in tears.
I remember praying that night and asking God to help me through the school year and to prove her wrong. To prove not only to her, but also to myself, that somehow I would graduate.
Then I miraculously found Gateway High School. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Gateway has been known as having a certain reputation, but the time I spent there has been nothing but amazing.
The teachers at Gateway had faith in me and told me that I could do anything, despite the obstacles thrown at me. They made me believe in myself and what I could accomplish. They were patient and kind to me, and they pushed me until I reached my full potential. Because of their dedication and academic support, I am standing here today. I want to thank Mrs. Buchanan, Mrs. Martucci, Mrs. Bonsell, Mr. Waer, Mrs. Rigby, Mrs. Niehoff, and Ms. Sandifer.
Not only did my teachers encourage me to succeed, but so did my counselor, Ms. Lederach. She had the biggest impact on me during this school year. She always stayed in contact with me, not only to check on my grades, but also just to see how I was doing personally. Throughout my years in high school, I never had a counselor show me that they truly cared about me more than she did.
And for my fellow graduates, we are here today because we worked hard to make it happen, despite what anyone has ever told us. We have made it through all the challenges sent our way throughout high school. And not every graduating class can say that they made it through a pandemic! But we have, so we can do anything!
Let’s continue to push forward through all obstacles that come before us and make our future the best it can be!
Speaker: Desire Mendoza, Gateway
Welcome families and the Class of 2020!
What a wild journey this year has been! I speak for my class when I say how proud and excited we are to receive our diplomas tonight!
We did it! We accomplished one of the early milestones of our lives, and not even the coronavirus could stop us! We are champions for that!
I have had a lifetime of challenges and ups and downs on my high school path, but when I started my senior year at Gateway, things started to get better for me.
I remember the first day of school like it was yesterday. Every teacher and staff member welcomed every student by name, and I was shocked. It was amazing how everyone knew you. They knew the good kids, too, and not just the “challenging” kids. Teachers were not judgmental. They treated everyone equally, and I don’t think that happens many other places. I felt like I was home.
From the moment I got to Gateway, I started working on my missing credits. I was way behind… Thank God I had a wonderful counselor, Ms. Lederach, who made sure my goal of graduating was within reach. And thank God she paired me with the most amazing teachers in the world, who also made it possible for me to graduate.
I want to thank Mr. Curtis, Mrs. Martucci, Mrs. Jones, Mr. Waer, Mr. Verduzco, and Mr. Hayashi… They distracted me from my worries and helped me get busy to catch up.
I took advantage of everything Gateway had to offer. I played sports and joined what clubs I could. I was getting closer and closer to my goal without even realizing it, and I was so excited because I was going to prove wrong anyone who thought I couldn’t make it.
But look at me now! I did it! Here I am up on stage, speaking to the Class of 2020!
So as we look back, we remember our friends and our Gateway family. We also remember that we lost one of our dearest friends, and we will keep him forever in our memories. When we walk across the stage to receive our diplomas, we will also walk with our brother, Jack Schwass.
As we look forward, beyond Gateway, we know that we will continue to hit walls on our paths, but we will stay strong and have faith in ourselves because we know that anything is possible. We will show the world how strong we are and be proud to say that we are graduates of Gateway High School.
Thank you for sharing this historic moment with us!
Speaker: Jordan Singh, Gateway
Welcome Class of 2020.
My name is Jordan Singh. I came to Fresno when I was 16 years old, barely any education and to a group home. I was on probation and pregnant. I did not trust anybody. I had been on the streets in Sacramento and kicked out of my home. I did not talk to anybody, and I was angry.
\u0009Some teachers at Gateway were scared of me, except for Mr. Fisher. He made sure to get that nose ring out my nose and no, Mr. Fisher, there is not one in my nose right now. It took me a while to get used to everybody around me, for some reason I always thought everyone was against me.
The more I was at school, I started to realize that teachers and staff did genuinely care about me and my education. On top of that, when my son was attending day care they made sure he was well taken care of. Shout to Ms. Delk because she wasn’t just there for my son, she was there for ME as a mother and kept me on my feet.
Over time, I have learned to put my trust in Gateway High. Teachers and faculty have really worked with me to graduate and pursue a higher education. I would have never imagined walking across the stage and receiving a diploma, let alone being able to speak for graduation or attending Folsom College in the fall.
Classmates at Gateway were always positive and kept smiles on their faces even though many of them had their own struggles. We are a class like no other and, man, we came out of this stronger than ever.
Now I am happy to say WE have overcome so many obstacles and WE are ready to overcome more. We have to remember what we learned here and from each other:
There are people we can trust.
We just have to surround ourselves with people who believe in us.
We have to remember that at some point, we all need help and we all have to give help.
No matter what we have been through it does not define us, we are meant to overcome it. And look where we are now, standing as the Class of 2020.
Speaker: Yesenia Santillanes, Clovis Community Day School
I am Yesenia Santillanes a student at Clovis Community Day School, and this is my story. I started high school at Clovis East High School… I struggled… I felt like I didn’t fit in. I couldn’t make friends and felt pretty lonely and lone my freshman year. I couldn’t make friends with most of the students there, so I turned to the students who were making poor choices and getting into trouble. They were the students who were using drugs. My grades started to drop…I stopped going to school every day and just wanted to get high all the time. I wanted to fit in and have friends, so I started doing drugs and got kicked out of Clovis East.
I got sent to Gateway High School. At the beginning of my junior year, I again chose to hang out with the wrong crowd; using drugs and eventually dropping out of Gateway to try and figure out what to do with my life. I came back to Gateway my senior year, and my mind set was totally different. I didn’t want to fail anymore and disappoint my parents. I knew I had a drug problem and had to take a drug education class, so, I attended the Winners Group at the Access Team Office. I learned I was not alone. I found out other students were struggling with their drug use. They shared their stories and how they stopped using… it helped me to make better choices in my life. It gave me HOPE.
One day when I was sitting in the office with my counselor at my senior meeting, I was told that I would most likely not graduate because I was a semester behind in credits. I told myself that I was going to graduate on time. I wanted that diploma and to be able to graduate with my Class of 2020. I started working as much as I could on credit recovery and was making up credits as fast as possible. By the spring semester, I found that I was on track to graduate in June 2020. I was so relieved and excited. Then the COVID 19 came into our lives.
The COVID 19 situation sent us all home, losing contact with our friends. We aren’t able to have a real graduation, or do the activities most graduates get to do because we cannot get the proper end of high school we all wanted. We have all stayed positive throughout this journey. So, I want to say thank you. Thank you to my parents for helping me get back on my feet every time I made a mistake. Thank you to all the teachers and staff for providing a place of education that worked for us. Congrats to the Class of 2020! Through all these challenges, we did it!
Speaker: Annissa Burgett, Gateway High
Good evening friends, family, faculty and staff, and other distinguished members of the community. Thank you for joining us on this very special night.
If you would have asked me about my plans after high school when I was a freshman at Clovis High, I probably would have laughed it off and replied with something like, “I don’t know.” Not because I was unsure, but because I didn’t even see myself living that long. For most of my life, I’ve struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts, and other issues. At a young age I watched my family be destroyed by drug addiction and divorce, and my dad was mostly absent after that. I was depressed, I started failing classes, and not showing up for school. I felt lost and alone and most of the time, I struggled to get out of bed.
It wasn’t until I enrolled at Gateway, that I received the overwhelming love and support that I needed to succeed. One of the biggest things I learned during my time here is that it’s okay to ask for help. A lot of people struggle in life and you’re not alone. Many amazing people have helped me get to where I am now, but a few influential women have left a particularly large mark on my heart; I want to thank Mrs. Niehoff, Mrs. Sandifer, and Mrs. Mammen in particular. They were beyond supportive to me and I am grateful to know that no matter what I need, I always have great people on my team. They listened to me vent about ridiculous teenage things for hours, helped connect me to support groups, and other things. My teachers were determined to not only help me succeed, but they helped me to grow into a young woman. Along with my support system at school, my mom, my brother, and sister were the only things keeping me going and I am beyond grateful for them.
Before my grandpa passed away, his last words to me were, “Stupid ain’t pretty, so hit those books.” So here I am, doing it. I’m so grateful for everyone who’s helped me get here and I can’t wait to take this next step in my life.
On behalf of all the Gateway High School seniors, I want to thank our teachers and staff for caring so much about us and helping us succeed. I also want to congratulate the entire Class of 2020 on this huge accomplishment. High school was a long journey and we couldn’t have done it without each other. I’m beyond proud to say that we made it!
Principal’s note
Hello, Gateway High School Graduates!
As a Gateway Eagle in the year 2020, you experienced a school year like none other. We were all gaining positive momentum toward finishing another productive school year, when suddenly, the Coronavirus infiltrated our existence and changed our daily lives and routines forever. After March 13, your days became filled with Google classroom, independent study packets, Zoom meetings and dropping off completed packets of schoolwork to people wearing masks and gloves, only to pick up ANOTHER packet of schoolwork! You persevered through it all and now you stand proud as a high school graduate! At this unique time in our history, it is vital that you Take Care of Yourself and more importantly, Take Care of Each Other!
Congratulations Gateway High School Graduates!
Steve Pagani
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 12:00 AM.