May 31, 2019
By Kelli Gile, WVUSD Office of Community Resources
WALNUT, CA—Over 1,400 Walnut Valley USD seniors proudly donned caps and gowns ready to pursue their dreams on May 30.
During Diamond Bar High’s 36thannual commencement, a sea of purple and gold, 749 graduates in total, filed into the stadium waving to families and friends.
The Thundering Herd band played Pomp and Circumstance during the processional as each Class of 2019 member took their place on the field.
“I’m so excited today!” said Stanford-bound senior Amy Mihayara moments before the ceremony began.
“These four years went by really fast!”
“All my teachers were amazing in their own ways, and I was fortunately always surrounded by peers who always pushed me to try my hardest,” commented Austin Hyun who heads to Dartmouth College in the fall.
The teens soon settled into their seats for the 7 p.m. ceremony ready to listen to parting words from school leaders and peers before taking the stage to receive diplomas.
“I’m excited to encourage you to focus your thoughts on the wonderful possibilities, Class of 2019,” said Principal Dr. Reuben Jones.
“Don’t be distracted by negativity, instead continue to break records, continue to break barriers, and follow in the footsteps of our Brahma alumnus Alex Morgan, by being the next Brahma to be on the cover of Timemagazine!”
“When we step off this campus today, our lives are in our own hands,” said Marissa Singh in her commencement address.
She encouraged fellow grads to “breathe in the moment” by living mindfully and taking in the world around them as they begin college and adulthood.
“From this point forward, it is now your choice in choosing how you want to live your life. It’s not just about what you accomplish, but it’s how you get there.”
Melody Lee addressed classmates who now “stand at the cusp of possibilities” in her student body president’s message.
“I hope all of you live the rest of your lives thankful for each moment, appreciating every experience for better or worse.”
“Let’s all smile because it happened - because we did it!”
Rather than sharing an inspirational or cliché quote, Class President Megan Young offered fellow Brahmas a line from a popular Charlie Puth song during her closing speech.
“We’ve come a long way from where we’ve began, I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again,” she recited.
“Thank you for the memories we’ve made and I can’t wait for more memories to come!”
The graduates marked their final moments together by turning tassels and tossing caps in the air as fireworks filled the sky.
Valedictoriansachieved academic perfection by earning an “A” in every class. Congratulations to the following students graduating with highest honors: Jasmin Antuna, Victor Chai, Lauren Chang, Brandon Cheng, Bryan Chung, Queena Deng, Shirley Dong, Julia Hong, Samantha Hong, Iris Hsu, Austin Hyun, Seohyun Jeong, Ariel Kim, Haein Kim, Joanne Kim, Tae Hee Kim, Elisa Kolek, Allyson Lee, Maggie Li, Chris Lok, Shiqi Lu, Patrick Ma, Daniel Mansour, Abigail Nakaishi, Jodi Nguyen, Isaac No, Marissa Singh, Carter Sun, Alice Wang, Jenna Maree Wong, Nathaniel Wong, Meghan Xiang, Timothy Yeh, Megan Young, Angela Zhang, Catherine Zhang, Karen Zhang, Christine Zhou.
Nine International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Candidates completed the rigorous academic program: Hamzah Daud, Jeremy Gan, Adam Gonzales, Nicholas Hwang, Deala Rustom, Calvin Tang, Wesley Tsai, Alvin Wang, Salina Xia.
At Walnut High, 660 Mustangs participated in a 6 p.m. commencement ceremony at the Ken Gunn Stadium.
Congratulations to Valedictorians: Jiayue Chen, Leo Lee, Russell Mac Leith, Alrik Pan, Christopher Yang, Alice Zhang, Alfred Zhuang.
IB Diploma Candidates:Lauren Blair, Angela Cao, Tiffany Chang, Edward Chen, Yi Jie Chien, Winnie Fei, Haixin Guo, Lauren Lau, Siyu Lin, Karen Liu, Amy Lo, Ammar Marvi, Morgan Ng, Shannon Quach, Tyler Russell, Precious Saelee, Tiffany Yeh, Alice Zhang, Vivian Zhang.
IB Career-Related Program Project Lead the Way (IBCC-PLTW) Candidates: Nikhil Bhakta, Naomi Cayaban, Yu Wei Chang, Kaitlyn Choi, Malena Damian, --Coby Fan, Angel Ko, Jaslynn Lugo, Jocelyn Sagahon-Ramirez, Sarah Stevenson-Cunday, Iris Yang, Aaron Zhao, Olivia Zhou.
Shown:
Diamond Bar High grads receive diplomas during May 30 commencement.
Looking to the future! Diamond Bar High Class of 2019 members stream into stadium.
Milestone Moment! Diamond Bar High grads receive diplomas during May 30 commencement.
Diamond Bar High Class of 2019 graduates enjoy speeches during ceremony.
Brahma Pride! Diamond Bar High valedictorians are recognized with gold medallions during the ceremony.
Senior speaker Marissa Singh delivers commencement address message to classmates.
Diamond Bar High Class of 2019 grads watch fireworks at culmination of ceremony.
Senior class president Megan Young delivers closing speech.
Social Chair Kyle Lew leads Pledge of Allegiance during Diamond Bar High commencement.