Baldwin Park Unified School District celebrated its Class of 2021 with in-person ceremonies and drive-thru events for Baldwin Park, Sierra Vista and North Park Continuation high schools on June 2 and 3.
Health and safety measures were enforced during the events, including limited capacity and the requirement for face coverings and social distancing.
Baldwin Park High School recognized seniors in small cohorts during traditional ceremonies on June 2 and 3. The Braves Class of 2021 was led by valedictorian Isis Kohle Jackson and salutatorian Juliane Dimasupil Victolero.
Jackson, a 2020-21 student board member and varsity captain of the Braves tennis team, will study biology, art and graphic design at Stanford University in the fall. Victolero, a recipient of the Mark Daniel Flores Music Foundation Scholarship, will attend Cal Poly Pomona to study mechanical engineering.
North Park Continuation High School held in-person celebrations on June 2, featuring pre-recorded speeches from senior class representatives John Ramos and Lily Trevino. North Park also commemorated the milestone for seniors with a special commencement video and a drive-thru celebration on June 3.
Sierra Vista High School graduates were cheered on by their families as they accepted their diplomas in two separate ceremonies on June 3. The Dons graduating class boasted three valedictorians who finished with GPAs of 4.667: Joana Fang, Megan Huynh and Thuy Pham. They were joined by two salutatorians, Allan Garcia and Edward Ng.
Fang and Huynh will go on to study at UCLA and Pham will study at California Institute of Technology College.
More than 65 students from Baldwin Park and Sierra Vista high schools graduated with valedictory honors, holding GPAs of 4.0 or higher.
Seniors from both schools were also recognized for graduating with the highest honors – a GPA of 3.8 to 3.99 – and with honors, holding a GPA of 3.5 to 3.79.
This year, students were awarded thousands of dollars in local and national scholarships, including a Dell Scholarship.
Dons senior Jesus Medina was named the 2021 Dell Scholar and will use the $20,000 scholarship to support his career goals. Medina will attend UC Merced in the fall and study secondary education and psychology, with the goal of teaching high school students in low-income communities.
Fang also received the Ramona Burnham Foundation Scholarship from the Ramona Burnham Foundation, named in honor of the long-time BPUSD educator.
“We are so proud of our dedicated and talented seniors who overcame so many obstacles in this last year alone to achieve their academic, professional and personal goals,” Superintendent Dr. Froilan N. Mendoza said. “I want to extend my gratitude to our team of educators, faculty and administrators for going above and beyond for our students.”
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BPHS_GRAD_2021: Baldwin Park High School honored graduates with in-person commencement ceremonies on June 2 and 3.
SVHS_GRAD_2021: Sierra Vista High School celebrated its Class of 2021 with intimate graduations on June 3.