Throughout the entirety of every young and aspiring individual’s childhood, senior year is a concept glorified as an unimaginable and far off fantasy incomparable to that of any other school experience. For many students, it seems like the day will never come where they will take their first apprehensive steps into adulthood, have full independence, pave their individual paths, and create their own destiny. For others, however, the day of putting on the cap and gown and receiving their well-earned high school diploma came far too soon, and the overall experience could be bittersweet above anything else. Nevertheless, graduation day has finally come for the class of 2019, and it is fair to say they have left a generational impact and legacy on a school with a tremendous history that speaks for itself.

The class of 2019, as a whole, is one of the most remarkable and outstanding classes of students to ever walk through the Gables hallways. Since their freshman year, the class of 2019 has been decorated with many awards, scholarships, and first-place finishes earning them all unparalleled recognition on and off campus. While it was no secret that the class of 2019 was one to leave their mark on Gables for the years that would follow them, it became even more evident following college acceptances.

This year, Gables had a number of students receive acceptances into Ivy League schools, including Angie Lopez to Brown University, Nikita Leus-Oliva to Columbia University, Alfredo Wolfermann to University of Pennsylvania, Keyshawn Felton to Princeton University, and Natalia Torres to Yale University. Additionally, Gables also had students accepted into Stanford University, Notre Dame University, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Florida. To say that the class of 2019 was elite in every definable way is a tremendous understatement and it was clearly demonstrated at their graduation.

“This year, I collected a lot of the seniors’ ID lanyards and I wore them all to graduation specifically to commemorate the senior class as a whole during their graduation,” junior Alex Cobas said.

This year’s event on May 29 began with the introduction of some of the most influential people in these seniors’ lives- the administration of Gables, as well as the principals of the feeder pattern schools. Senior Nikita Leus-Olivia recited the pledge of allegiance, and Jade Roman sang the national anthem. Principal Costa addressed the senior class, sharing the immense pride he felt about leading this group of students and inspiring them to continue on to even greater things. Costa congratulated the entire senior class, and gave special recognition to scholarship winners, future Ivy League students, and those entering the armed forces.

The podium was then turned over to school board member Mari Tere-Rojas, who congratulated the  outstanding senior class, wishing them the best in their future endeavors. She welcomed to the stage Thomas Harley, the Student Council President who spoke to the seniors about his memorable time at Gables, thanking them for the many memories that they shared and encouraging them to keep on pursuing their passions throughout the future. This speech made many emotional, and the waterworks continued as Senior Class President Alfredo Wolfermann spoke. He told the senior class that although it would be difficult, putting 100% effort into their futures would pay off in the long run, and that it is crucial that the senior class as a whole continues to use their drive to achieve greatness.

“Although it was the first high school graduation I’d attended, this year’s was notably organized. Having worked the event, I was able to take heed of the advice of Alfredo Wolfermann and Thomas Harley shared in their Senior Class and Student Council President addresses respectively. They urged the Class of 2019 to take advantage of life’s opportunities, both in and outside the classroom. Thankfully, I’ll be able to apply that to my time left here at Gables.It goes without saying that having the seniors at school for the last few days was saddening, but I’m really proud of who they’ve become and what they’ve come to represent while they’re away at college,” sophomore Aya Hamza said.

As their names were called, the students proceeded to go up onto the stage and receive their diplomas. Some were in tears, while others smiled widely while walking across the stage. It is clear that this was a moving moment for all in the Watsco Center, as the crowd cheered on the entire senior class as they moved their tassels from right to left, entering the next chapter of their lives. The dozens of accolades that these students have received do not begin to describe the success that the graduating class of 2019 has had throughout their four years at Gables. Our seniors are onto bigger things, but they will always be Cavaliers at heart.