Bullard High valedictorian speaker Cecilia Reyes: “We are still kids on the inside.”

Of the 541 graduates who took part in the 65th commencement for Bullard High School, it was one of the quietest voices that spoke for the Class of 2022 Wednesday evening at the Save Mart Center.

Cecilia Reyes – one of Bullard High’s 90 valedictorians and one of two student speakers at Wednesday’s graduation ceremony at the Save Mart Center – thanked the teachers and other educators for preparing the graduates for their transition.

But, Reyes pointed out that the students did their part as well.

“People looking in on our lives tend to overlook the fact that we are still kids on the inside, wishing that time would stop for us to take a breath,” said Reyes.

“Those of us working jobs, those of us who take care of our families, or those of us with personal struggles on top of what we were confronted with at school … we’ve all had different obstacles, and we will no longer be overlooked.”

The applause she received from the graduates and crowd proved she struck a chord.

Reyes closed her 4-minute talk by stressing that “unforgettable life lessons” shaped them “whether it was through long talks with the people we trusted the most or through arguments we wish we never had.”

“As we each open new doors, we will live a life of our own choosing, dismissing any expectation of who people think we are and embracing what makes us happy,” she said.

Trustee Terry Slatic addressed the class of 2022 for about 3 minutes, but he did spend most of it talking about his time as a U.S. Marine in Afghanistan encountering pit vipers and scorpions.

“If you have arachnophobia – fear of spiders – don’t Google image the Afghanistan camel spider,” said Slatic. “Be advised that you may develop arachnophobia.”

Slatic said his time in Iraq and Afghanistan “provided countless other challenges, but out of consideration for your desire to get done with this, we’ll skip those.”

Slatic then said that “adversity reveals character.”

“On March 13, 2020, all of your lives changed. The routines that all of you had developed by that point in high school, your classes and practice clubs, sports, friends, and so many more all changed,” he said. “And you had to improvise, adapt, overcome.”

Slatic said the graduates overcame the adversity of COVID-19 and “gained a substantial benefit.”

Bullard High School

June 8, 2022

Save Mart Center / Fresno

Latino enrollment: 55.3%

Latino valedictorians: Janessa García, Raquel Navarro, Stephanie Cota Rubio, Madilyn Flores, Briana Jacuinde, Hermelinda Jiménez Rojas, Jasmine Ortigoza-Vásquez, Alyssa Parra, Edgar Quintana, Cecilia Reyes, Alyssa Bre’Ríos, Anela Salceda, Ángela Aceves, Hermoine Aguilar, Kaitlin Fernández, Gabriela García, Liliana García, Michelle Garza, Gabrielle Gonzales, Dominic Guerriero, Jocelyn López, Alianna Pasillas, Matthew Pulido, Arly Romero, Paulina Ruiz Magaña, Valeria Sias Saldana

Highlight of ceremony: Valedictorian Matthew Pulido was chosen as the marshal, the person in charge of getting the rows of graduates to stand up and make their way to the stage to get their diploma. He also led the changing of the tassels.

Quote: “We used whatever grit we had inside of us to grind through the days of virtual learning, mask wearing and sticking swabs in our nose to only scratch your brain and pray that you tested negative. We really soldiered on and came out stronger and better,” said principal Armen Torigian.