UHS Grads Look Forward to Life After High School

On Saturday, 67 Umatilla students turned their tassels and became high school graduates. While it was a day of celebration, the students recognized it as a beginning, rather than an ending.

“It’s unreal,” Abigail Ames said. “We’ve been working for it, and now it’s finally here. It’s very emotional, but they’re happy tears. High School… I think high school graduation is the beginning of your whole life.” Ames plans to attend Blue Mountain Community College this fall and sang the national anthem during the ceremony.

She is also graduating with 22 college credits, and she is in good company: 44 of the 67 seniors graduating Umatilla High School earned 12 or more college credits: a total of 974 credits, enough for 65 full-time terms at a college or university, 16 associate degrees or eight bachelor’s degrees.

Class valedictorian Edgar Magana will have 36 credits in hand when he attends Boise State University this fall with a plan to earn a medical degree and become a doctor.

The class of 2014 is the first to graduate with four years instruction in a proficiency-based model, where passing a class requires proving proficiency in the subject, not just attendance. Students also graduated with learning in common core standards and had to pass state tests despite differences between instruction and evaluation between the Oregon standards monitored on the Oregon Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (OAKS) test. This year, Umatilla High School also required students to complete an exit interview instead of the long-standing senior project.

Most students agreed with the things they would not miss, like homework and taking tests, but whether they attended Umatilla for 12 years or seven months, they all identified the same things they would miss when they moved on: friends, classmates, and family. A few even admitted they would miss some of their teachers, with John Malgesini taking the “favorite” class title by a landslide.

“I’ll miss the environment, being with my friends,” Jimmy Radillo said, admitting graduation made him both nervous and excited. “The struggle was real. Sure, there were times I didn’t think I’d make it (to graduation).”

After graduation, Radillo said he will take life “one day at a time” but would like to become a mechanic. The “one day at a time” mantra was repeated by another student as well, Victor Gonzalez.

“The future is unpredictable,” Gonzalez said. “I really want to study to become an architect, but we’ll see.”

Gonzalez also highlighted the idea of high school as a beginning and said no one is ever prepared for life after graduation.
“You learn, you deal with things, and that’s what you do the rest of your life. I don’t think anyone is prepared when they graduate high school. You have to live it,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to do now. We’re going to live life.”

For future graduates, the Class of 2014 had common advice: Don’t procrastinate, try your hardest, and never give up.

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