Gateway bid farewell to the Class of 2022 on Saturday, June 4, in a joyful commencement celebrating both the incredible accomplishments of this cohort of resilient and driven students and the close of a truly historic school year.
More than 95% of GHS seniors are college bound, with 82% headed directly to a four-year school, 13% enrolling in community college, and five percent pursuing different plans (a gap year, trade school, etc.). While these young alumni are headed to schools all across the country (and world!), the most popular destinations are San Francisco State, UC Davis, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; 67% will be receiving financial aid, and more than 24% will be the first in their family to attend college.
Families and friends gathered once again in the GHS auditorium and were treated to live music from the Music Club and graduate Tea Vaughn. Erin Willard addressed the graduating class as faculty speaker, and seniors Tatiana Jaimes and Yu Xin Berson gave remarks on behalf of the student body.
“With the hope taught to me by my family, friends, and Gateway community, I was able to find my way in the darkness of the pandemic and regain motivation and focus toward my goal of college,” said Tatiana, who will be attending Pomona College in the fall.
As in previous years, a major highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of awards designed to honor students who embody Gateway’s highest values. This year’s honorees are:
The Respect for Differences Award: Yu Xin Berson and Xavier Braxton
The Community Leader Award: Amina Fuller
The Advocacy in Learning Award: Jacob Lei
The Model of Integrity Award: Jordan Felder
The Mission Award: Tatiana Jaimes
The Resilience Award: Dana Ott
Seniors also receive awards celebrating academic achievement. The Highest Academic Award was awarded to Yu Xin Berson and the High Academic Award went to Aisling Brady, traditional recognitions for the graduating seniors with the highest and second highest GPAs, respectively. In addition, Gateway faculty distribute several awards for excellence in specific academic disciplines, awarded this year to:
Science - Physical: Maia Arriola
Science - Life: Vanessa Perez
Pure Mathematics: Nick Campbell
Applied Mathematics: Sarangoo Otgonbaatar
Humanities- Passion & Progress: Natalie Tigerino
Humanities- Powerhouse: Mack Tucker
Visual Arts: Anna Polednik
Performing Arts: Dorothy Holdt
Spanish Language: Viviana Alfaro Venegas
Heritage Spanish: Victor Torres
Congratulations to all of the outstanding graduates! We cannot wait to see what these incredible young people accomplish as they begin their next chapter.