Riverdale High School Class of 2022 leaves a litany of impressive successes
.JPG "Riverdale High School class salutatorians Giovanni Roa, left, Leona Phillips, center, and Iván Ibarra, right, take a class selfie during the graduation ceremony Friday night (June 10) at Cowboys Stadium Jack King Field.")
If you ask Riverdale High School principal David Simpson to tell you about the Class of 2022, he will say that its members “have experienced many unique changes in their world, and also within themselves” during their four years in high school.
“Just four years ago, the class of 2022 entered the doors of Riverdale High School with a variety of emotions ranging from fear, excitement, uncertainty, and anxiety,” said Simpson during the commencement ceremony Friday night (June 10) at Cowboys Stadium Jack King Field.
“Bigger than all of these emotions was the realization that each of these young men and women had goals and dreams,” Simpson said, adding that “they have achieved some of their dreams as they prepare to reach beyond and obtain those mini goals that are still ahead.”
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Simpson said the Class of 2022’s attitudes, pathways and ambitions leave the mark of many impressive successes for these young adults sharing some of the “amazing things that they have done and who they have become.”
▪ In academics, 47 of the 116 completed at least one advanced placement course.
▪ 70 completed one or more ROP CTE vocational education classes.
▪ 19 students participated in the AVID program, with many of them continuing their education at a college or university next year.
▪ 40 students have received the Golden State Seal of merit for their diploma.
▪ 18 students have received the California State Seal of Biliteracy.
▪ 30 were awarded the Presidential pin as recognized by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for academic excellence for overall grade point average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale.
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▪ 34 students received the honor Cup by maintaining a 3.5 GPA while taking at least 36 A through G college courses, maintaining a B or higher throughout their high school career.
▪ 10 students earned CSF lifetime membership.
▪ 10 students earned their state FFA degree.
▪ Of the 116 graduates, 85% will continue their education after high school in some capacity.
▪ Two are enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
“The accomplishments of this class are profound, impressive and inspiring,” Simpson said
Riverdale High School valedictorian Isabela González will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall to major in psychology and go into family marriage counseling.
“It feels exciting and it’s like a little bit bittersweet, a little sad to see everyone go,” said González, who is a first-generation college student, about graduating from high school.
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Not only did González graduate top of her class, but she also received the seal of biliteracy, the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma, and the Presidential pin, and the CSF lifetime membership pin and cord as well as the AVID cord.
In her speech, González gave a piece of advice, “It’s OK to not know what you’re doing. It is okay to be afraid, because I know we all are afraid. We are about to step into the real world, and it’s intimidating. But we should not let fear stop us from pursuing whatever we want.”
In his salutatorian speech Giovanni Roa, said that even though their time at Riverdale High School was cut short by the pandemic, once school eventually resumed there were bright spots, and they will never forget the memories they made with each other.
“It was truly amazing to watch us grow into the people we are today. We actually started taking steps to becoming adults, pursuing the careers that we have worked hard to begin,” Roa said. “The possibilities are endless, even after the circumstances of these past few years.
Salutatorian Iván Ibarra gave a special shout out to his mom, dad, and siblings during his speech.
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“When my father migrated to the to the United States, he knew that one day he would have children. For this very reason. He pushed us hard every day, whether we complained or not. He didn’t want us to live the same life he did. He wanted to give us the guidance he never had,” said Ibarra of his dad, Juan Ibarra, who is an eighth-grade math teacher who grew up in México and whose father died when he was 10 years old.
To his classmates, Ibarra said “we all have goals. To achieve them, we need to work hard and never give up on our dreams.”
Riverdale High School
June 10, 2022
Cowboys Stadium Jack King Field / Riverdale
Latino enrollment: 88.0 %
Latino valedictorian: Isabela González
Latino Salutatorians: Iván Ibarra, Giovanni Roa
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Highlight: This year Riverdale High School brought back the tradition of inviting friends and families at the beginning of the ceremony to the field to join the graduates for an opportunity for pictures, hugs, a brief celebration that lasted no more than 10 minutes before everyone returned to their seats to continue the ceremony.
Quote: “The Class of 2022 is composed of extraordinarily talented scholars, artists, performers, athletes, leaders, and so much more. You have persevered through challenging times and have arrived at this moment. You graduates will move forward to make your mark on our world,” Jeff Percell, Riverdale Unified School District Superintendent.
Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 10 de junio de 2022, 11:49 p. m..
