Seniors at La Jolla High School (LJHS) were clad in black graduation gowns on Thursday, with parents and faculty filling Gene Edwards Stadium. More than 280 graduates filed onto the stadium football field outside of the second-oldest campus in the San Diego Unified School District.
La Jolla High principal Charles Podhorsky, Ed.D., opened the graduation ceremony following a performance of the “Star-Spangled Banner” by the LJHS Band and Orchestra.
Podhorsky beamed over the class of 2026. “These past four years have been absolutely the biggest joy for our entire staff.”
“We have seen our students excel academically, on the stage, on the athletic fields and in rigorous academic competitions across the country,” he remarked.
Opened in 1922, La Jolla High has been named as a California Distinguished School and the first school in the West to receive a chapter in the Cum Laude Society.
Class Valedictorian Denver Harris, clad in a red robe, recalls the valuable lessons he found in friendship:
“I would not have been wearing the red robe and be where I am today without my friends. There’s obviously a lot of challenges in high school, and it’s really important to have that support group and that group of friends who are going to support you and help you through those tough times.”
Harris continues, “More than anything else, you need to work hard for what you want to achieve, but having those people who are around you to help you and support you is immensely valuable in my opinion.”
Harris spoke highly of La Jolla High’s biomed program, which is unique to the district, and recommended taking a class with Ms. Lobato, a science teacher who makes the difficult subject entertaining.
Harris will attend UCLA next year, double majoring in math and biology with a concentration in pre-med.
Class Salutatorian, the second-highest ranked student, Maggie Hou, said she enjoyed balancing academics with creative outlets such as sports photography and ceramics classes, which La Jolla High provides.
“It’s important to enjoy it, and enjoy the process too,” Hou said. “Just have fun while working hard.”
Hou will row Division I at UCLA next year and plans to study biology in hopes of attending medical school in the future.
This year’s senior song was “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus and was performed by seniors Caroline Gamez and Mee Muldoon, with keyboard accompaniment.
Passionate speeches were given on the field by three graduates: Allison Hawthorne, Mia Rees-Gomez and Rex Mehran.
Rees-Gomez delivered a powerful speech about an individual’s true moment:
“Your moment isn’t captured in an Instagram post, a trophy or even a diploma. It’s so much bigger than that,” she said. “One day, maybe decades from now, you’ll look back at this moment. Not just at the stage or the ceremony, but you’ll look back at the life you built after it. And in that moment – when you realize that every choice, every risk, every late night, every failure and every decision you made helped shape the person you wanted to become, when you realized that you had the power to choose your path all along – that is your moment.”
Following student speeches, Podhorsky thanked La Jolla High staff: teachers, custodians, board members and even the sound crew running the ceremony.
A farewell and round of applause were given to Holly Eaton, a retiring teacher who spent over 30 years educating generations of students at the school.
Reception of the Class of 2026 was provided by Board Trustee, Cody Petterson, in a speech celebrating the momentous occasion of life itself.
“Remember that there is something sacred within you,” he said, “I encourage you, amidst all this chaos, to keep a part of your mind on the ultimate things.”
“Your parents, your family, your caregivers, your teachers, your friends, your community hands this world to you,” said Petterson.
“Buckle up- you’re about to go over the falls to pass the threshold into adulthood,” he said in closing.
Congratulations class of 2026– Go Vikes!
