Sharyland ISD Graduation Edition
Recognizing Excellence In Education
CAMPUS CHRONICLE
SA3’s first senior cohort strive to push themselves
The Sharyland Advanced Academic Academy will reach a major milestone as it graduates its first senior cohort. A total of 93 students will graduate from the academy, making them the first graduating class to have been at the academy since it first
opened four years ago. For the top three ranking students of SA3’s 2018 graduating class, the academy represented a chance to push themselves to be the very best they can be. Valedictorian Jennifer Zheng, daughter of Daji
Zheng and Wen Wang, said most of her time in the last few years was devoted to schoolwork, participating in extracurricular activities, or doing community service. “There was a lot of late nights and tons of coffee in the morning,” Zheng said. “I
received motivation from my teachers and parents to strive for the best in everything that I do. From the beginning of freshman year, they told me to start off strong and not procrastinate. I took their ad-
See SA3 TOP THREE Pg. 2C
Jennifer Zheng
Issac Rosa
Sally Peña
Valedictorian
Salutatorian
3rd Ranking Student
Sharyland High School Top 3 Grateful for Leadership Experience
As Graduation Day approaches and the school year comes to an end, graduating seniors are given their final GPAs and rankings. Melissa Vaughn, Karla De La Fuente, and Raul Lopez secured their spot as their class’s top three students.
Vaughn, De La Fuente, and Lopez focused diligently on their school work throughout their four years but did not hesitate to dedicate a grand amount of time to after school clubs and organizations. On top of focusing on their studies these
students took it upon themselves to become the leaders of the numerous clubs they were a part of and found what it is to have a perfect balance between school and extracurriculars. All three learned what it is to practice time management and the
importance of sacrifice. Raul, who is the NHS president, earned the top 3rd spot. “I just had to set a schedule for myself. I would make a list of most important things I had to do that day
See SHS TOP THREE Pg. 11C
SISD Superintendent’s message 2018 Seniors, your journey is about to begin. Congratulations on graduating from Sharyland ISD. Some of you will go on to colleges and universities or military service and others might choose to go straight into the work force. Ian Brennan-creator of the television show “Glee”-once said, “You can’t control how smart you are, how funny you are, how good-looking you are. The one thing you can control in your life is how hard you work.” Always give the task in front of you your best effort, and wherever life takes you, I am sure you will shine. I can’t promise you that life will be easy; in fact I can almost guarantee that you will be faced with many challenges. But you ultimately will decide how you handle the challenges in your life. Will you quit the first time you fail at a task, or will you stand tall and try again? Will you react in anger when someone treats you unfairly, or will you forgive them and treat them with respect? Learn from each challenge, and you will become stronger and wiser. The choice of who you become is yours. Yes, you can make your dreams come true. You are amazing! Stay true to who you are. You are unique, God only made one of you. In closing, I’ll remind you that family is the one true constant in life. Take care of your family relationships. Through the good times and the bad times more than likely you will have a family member by your side. Take time to thank them for their support and appreciate them. Life is a great journey. Sooner or later you realize that there is no final destination, no final goal to accomplish and everyday matters. The true joy of life is the trip. I wish you nothing but the best in your life journey.
Dr. Rob O’Connor Superintendent, Sharyland ISD
Sharyland Advanced Academic Academy graduates receive associate degree
Melissa Vaughan Valedictorian
Karla de la Fuente Salutatorian
Raul Lopez 3rd Ranking Student
Pioneer High School’s top 3 find key to success
One plans to become a dermatologist. The other hopes to pursue a study in the field of biomedical sciences to become a developmental pediatrician. The third student plans to become an engineer. These are the top three
ranked students of the 2018 graduating class at Sharyland Pioneer High School. Though their career paths are different, all three say they gained the passion and skills needed to excel in their careers thanks to their extracurricular work on campus.
Pioneer High School’s Valedictorian, Brittany Landavazo, is the daughter of Nora Landavazo. Brittany has always had a passion for math and science and will be attending Texas A&M University in College Station to major in biomedical scienc-
es.
After completing her undergraduate studies, she says she hopes to become a developmental pediatrician to diagnose and treat children with developmental and ge-
See SPHS TOP THREE Pg. 5C
Brittany Landavazo
Ariana D. Salinas
Andrew C. Moss
Valedictorian
Salutatorian
3rd Ranking Student
With more than 3,800 students receiving a diploma from South Texas College last week, 86 students from Sharyland Advanced Academic Academy were among those who graduated. Those 86 students, according to Advanced Academy Principal Ivan Karr, are part of the academy’s 2018 graduating class and received their associate degree-a degree handed to a college student after a two-year program-Friday, May 11 at the State Farm Arena. These students received their degree as part of a spring commencement ceremony for Dual Credit students-those who are taking college courses while in high school. “They’ve already completed their college basics with us and will get their bachelors in a couple of years,” Karr explained. “I’m extremely proud of them, it’s like being a parent. I’ve seen them grow up from freshmen to driven seniors who are successful at the college level, so the maturity and growth I’ve seen in these students is amazing.” Karr added that the 86 students were part of the 93 students that will graduate from the Academy next month. With 90 percent of those students graduating with an associate degree, this makes the 2018 graduating class at the Academy the class with the highest rate of graduating students with an associate degree. “We’re excited about that,” Karr said.
Sharing the excitement with Karr is the Academy’s Senior Class President Fatima Salinas. She was among the 86 in her class who received an associate degree. Her degree is in interdisciplinary studies, she said. “It’s kind of crazy thinking to actually be graduating with an associate degree before a high school degree,” Salinas said. “I never would have thought this would happen before.” Salinas will attend the University of Texas at Austin to double major in government and law. “This day has been hectic,” Salinas said of the graduation. “It’s huge but we’re going to have to do it again for our high school graduation in a few weeks, but this graduation feels like practice for it.” Salinas’ classmate, Jakelyn Arely Salinas-Gonzales, also received an associate degree in interdisciplinary studies. She was ecstatic at the thought of receiving her associate degree. “I can’t believe this is happening. I’m nervous, I’m excited, I want to cry,” she said. “I’m the first in my family to graduate in an associate’s program while in high school and all of my family are super excited and proud of me.” Salinas-Gonzales said she will attend the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to pursue a degree in engineering. She credits the Academy for preparing her for college as the Academy offers inter-
See RECEIVE ASSOCIATE Pg. 2C