More than 700 Alameda Unified School District [1] (AUSD) students graduated last week in ceremonies that included whoops of joy, tears, music, jokes, awards, flowers, balloons, and heartfelt advice from adult and student speakers alike.
[2]Alameda High School [3] graduated 423 students; Encinal High School [4] graduated 199 students; ASTI [5] graduated 29 students; Island High School [6] graduated 37 students; and Alameda Adult School [7] graduated 20 students.
Due to the pandemic, this class of students attended their first semester of classes and emerged with abilities to persevere and connect through hard times. “In my opinion, the magic ingredient each of you possesses is grit,” teacher Amy Haines said in her comments at the Island High School graduation [8].
[9]The graduates go on now to community colleges, California State Universities, Universities of California, public universities in other states, private colleges across the country, the military, and jobs. ASTI is an Early College; this year two-thirds of the graduates have also earned their AA degrees from the Peralta Community Colleges.
[10]Nearly two dozen students received scholarships and awards from local community members and organizations, as follows:
- Lou Allen Scholarship ($500): Dolores (Lola) Whalen (Encinal)
- Susan Scott Scholarship ($1,000): Jada Solis (Encinal)
- Florinda Bartalini Scholarship ($1,000): Siyena Hines (AHS)
- Paul Hardy Parker Scholarship ($5,000): Hanna Norrbin (Encinal)
- Paul Hardy Parker Scholarship ($5,000): Layla Robinson (AHS)
- Marlene and Steve Kofman Scholarship ($3,000): Olivia Iskander (AHS)
- Abraham and Sarah Kofman Scholarship ($500): Izellah Thach (Encinal)
- Abraham and Sarah Kofman Scholarship ($500): Hoang Bao Chau Nguyen (AHS)
- Cox/Hollywood Scholarship ($500): Jiajie Luo (AHS)
- Steven Sizer Scholarship ($1,000): Mikaela Fitz (AHS)
- Sally Gallagher Scholarship ($1,500): Muzhgan Khanzada (AHS)
- Beatrice B. Barrett Scholarship ($1,000): Siyena Hines (AHS)
- Faculty Choice Award ($200): Joshua Roman Salvador (IHS)
- Kathy Duncan Memorial Art Award ($200): Alexa Lorraine Navidad (IHS)
- Larry Church Award ($200):Isabella (Bella) Cristales David (IHS)
- Rey Cruz Award ($200): Kevin Cole (IHS)
- Ted Anderson Award ($200): Tasahni D. Rochell (IHS)
- Alameda Chamber Foundation Scholarships [11] ($1,000): Ziqing Zhen (ASTI); Caitlin Tran, Allen Liao, Mateo Delgado, Kathy Le, Sean Lee Phu (Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School); Siyena Hines (Alameda High School).
Eric Lowy, who teaches Spanish at Alameda High (and is chair of the World Languages Department) received the $1,000 Irene Wyman MacDonald Award for Teaching Excellence.
AUSD is grateful to the many organizations and community members who support our students as they leave our district for this next stage of their life journeys, and we can’t wait to hear what our graduates go on to do.
Susan Davis is the Senior Manager of Community Affairs for the Alameda Unified School District. Reach her at [email protected] [12].