The Star is profiling Southern Arizona high school athletes whose seasons were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Each high school was asked to nominate an exceptional spring sport athlete who exemplifies greatness on and off the field, court or track.
Bryan Cruz joined Amphitheater High School’s boys volleyball team in the spring of 2018. It didn’t take long for him to make an impression.
Cruz was new to the school and team that year, a transfer student out of Cucurpe, Sonora. Cruz was born in Tucson, but moved to his family’s ranch in Mexico as a child. He returned to Tucson as a sophomore and enrolled at Amphi.
Cruz’s caring nature captured his coach’s attention almost immediately, and his skill on the court was soon apparent. Cruz was named player of the match during the Panthers’ second game of the season, and earned it six more times over the next few seasons before the coronavirus halted play in early March.
“First and foremost, he is a true student-athlete,” said Amphi volleyball coach Mike Frederick, who believes Cruz is one of the best volleyball players in the region. “He may be the most underappreciated player in the city. … But to us, he is everything. Not only is he our leader on the court but off the court as well.”
Cruz has been a Class 5A Southern Region honorable mention selection the last two years. Frederick says given the outside hitter’s quality of play, that wasn’t enough.
And while Cruz is an exceptional player, his coach says he’s an even better human being.
“I have known Bryan for three years and I can say without a doubt, he is the nicest, most compassionate student I know,” Frederick said. “As our team captain, Bryan epitomizes the meaning of ‘be kind.’ As a coach, I could not be prouder of Bryan. He is the perfect role model for our team, school and community.”
Cruz had no idea that Amphi’s 3-0 loss to rival Flowing Wells on March 11 would be his last of the season. Or with his team, or even the last competitive game he’d likely play.
Bryan Cruz was a 5A Southern Region honorable mention selection twice.
Cruz is headed to the UA in the fall to study engineering, but has no immediate plans to play volleyball at the school.
“I want to join a club, but it’s expensive,” Cruz said. “I’ve been playing volleyball since I was like 6 years old, but I didn’t actually start really practicing until I was 14.”
Cruz admits it will be tough to step away. But it might not be entirely over just yet.
"We're tough as saguaros," editorial cartoonist David Fitzsimmons says. He says he saw a video made for the people of Detroit and became inspired to do his own take for Tucson.
“Every year we organize a tournament here in my town,” Cruz said. “It’s not a big tournament, but we play just for fun.”
Cruz returned to his family’s ranch in Cucurpe in mid-March after the state suspended — and then canceled — the rest of the school year. Since then, Cruz has been under coronavirus-related restrictions similar to those in Tucson, with Cucurpe regulating large gatherings and nonessential travel.
“I can’t go out and have a reunion with my friends,” Cruz said, adding that Cucurpe was also not allowing people to come and go frequently.
Cruz returned to Tucson on Monday to graduate. Amphi separated the senior class into smaller groups and held ceremonies over the course of four evenings.
Cruz was grateful for the opportunity to walk at graduation, but still missed out on a traditional graduation — along with prom and his volleyball team’s senior night.
“And all the other memories that we can make together,” Cruz said.
Still, he’s been making the most of his time off, and enjoying some extra time with his family before he returns to Tucson in the fall.
“I’m working out every day,” Cruz said. “I do my homework online and help my mom with all the ranch stuff.”
Cucurpe feeds his family’s cows, horses and chickens. It’s a very different lifestyle than he’ll experience in the fall, when he’s hitting the books to prepare for his career in engineering.
Coach Mike Frederick says Cruz “may be the most underappreciated player in the city.”
Cruz says he’s grateful for the opportunity, and to everyone who’s played a role along the way.
“I love Amphi High School because it helps its students,” Cruz said. “Especially students from other countries.”
Spring Stars: Some of Southern Arizona's best high school athletes, 2019-2020
Rachael Fox
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Sahuarita High School senior Rachael Fox, posing for a photo, April 18, 2020, Sahuarita, Ariz. She maintained a winning record for all four years of high school. Before school and sports were cancelled in March, Fox was the Mustangs' top player with an undefeated record.
Dakota Crabtree
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Academy of Tucson's Dakota Crabtree, posing for a photo, April 16, 2020, Tucson, Ariz., In four years at AOT, 18-year-old Crabtree has managed to break several school records, starting with the long jump. He set the school record one during the opening meet of his sophomore season, and has gone onto break it every year since.
Leo and Ivan Villa
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Leo Villa, left, and twin brother Ivan, senior baseball players at Walden Grove High School in Sahuarita. Ivan Villa is hoping to attend the University of Arizona next year and major in civil engineering. Leo hopes to major in architectural engineering, academics could win out when it comes time to make the choice.
Isabel Cordova
Track and Field senior at Empire High school Isabel Cordova poses for a portrait at Empire High School, 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, in Tucson, Ariz., on April 21, 2020. Last year, she took second place in state for javelin (her favorite event) with a throwing distance of nearly 115 feet.
Refugio "Kito" Del Cid
Baseball senior at Desert View High school Refugio "Kito" Del Cid poses for a portrait at Jacobs Park, 3300 N. Fairview Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 21, 2020. With the quarantine in effect, Del Cid's been pitching and hitting ground balls against the wall in his back yard in an effort to stay in playing shape and keep baseball alive in his life. He says his teammates and this season– even in its shortened state– were his favorite part of high school.
Cheyenne Hudson and Laneya Wright
Marana softball players Cheyenne Hudson (pitcher and shortstop) and Laneya Wright (centerfielder) stand for a portrait at Marana Heritage River Park, on April 24, 2020. Laneya Wright and Cheyenne Hudson started playing softball on the same club team a decade ago as little girls, growing up together on the fields.
Ethan Lee
Rincon/University High School junior tennis player Ethan Lee on April 26, 2020. A member of Rincon's tennis team for the past three years, Lee was state champion last year for men's singles, after taking the runner-up spot his freshman year. Always one for a challenge, Lee was considering pursuing a state championship in doubles tennis this spring, before the season was cut short.
Kaitlyn Rendon
Flowing Wells High School junior Kaitlyn Rendon at Jacobs Park in Tucson, Ariz., on April 26, 2020. Rendon plays on FWHS's soccer, track and field and cross country teams as well as on FWHS ROTC rifle team. She has a 3.9 unweighted GPA and is ranked 10th in her class. She's also president of her school's Interact Club, and a member of several others, including National Honor Society.
Preston Gibbons
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Mountain View High School senior volleyball outside hitter Preston Gibbons on May 1, 2020. Gibbons is ranked seventh in his class at Mountain View and will be attending the University of Arizona in the fall.
Alyssa Lopez
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Canyon del Oro High School senior Alyssa Lopez, shown on April 29, 2020, was the school's No.1 tennis player. Several months ago, Lopez started working as a gymnastics coach for kids at Heart and Soul Gymnastics. While the gym is closed because of COVID-19, Lopez has been creating at-home workout videos for the kids.
Kristiana Watson
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Amphitheater High School senior Kristiana Watson says the things she misses most about the season cancellation are losing a chance to play with her cousin and her final year of being coached by her mother on the Panthers’ softball team.
Jesse Avina
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Sierra Vista Buena High School javelin thrower Jesse Avina is planning to join the Air Force after he earns his four-year degree. He’ll start this fall by enrolling at Paradise Valley Community College. He will be on the Paradise Valley track and field team.
Amya Legarra
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Canyon del Oro senior pitcher Amya Legarra was 8-0 with a 2.39 ERA and three complete games when the season was halted. She plans to move to Logan, Utah, this summer, and will soon be majoring in human movement science and playing softball for Utah State University.
Candice Pocase
Santa Rita High School junior track athlete Candice Pocase on April 24, 2020. "In my 20 years of coaching, Candice is one of the most hardworking, dedicated, coachable and fun athletes that I have had the honor to coach," said Luis Blanco, who is also Pocase's track coach. "The words 'no' and 'can't' are not in her athletic vocabulary.
Emily Flowers
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Emily Flowers, a sophomore at Catalina Foothills High School, won a state championship last year and hopes to play at a Division I school someday. Before the coronavirus hit, Flowers was training six days a week at the Smith-Perry Tennis Academy and an academy run by UA tennis coaches. She’s trying to ensure that her game is impacted as little as possible by the change in routine.
Briana Garcilazo
Briana Garcilazo, a senior at Rio Rico High School. Softball is something of a family tradition, as both of her sisters also play. Garcilazo, a pitcher, first baseman and outfielder on Rio Rico’s team, will be continuing her career in college, signing on to play with Mesa Community College next year.
Leo Felix
Leo Felix, senior at Douglas High School, poses for a portrait at 15th Street Park, E. 15th st., in Douglas, Ariz., on May 5, 2020. Felix, outfielder for the Douglas High School Baseball team, is graduating in the top 10% of his class and plans to continue his baseball career in college. "I'm definitely going to try to play somewhere, and I'm going to continue my studies in college," said Felix, adding that he plans to major in business.
Abigail Russell
Salpointe Catholic’s Abigail Russell will next compete for the UA beach volleyball team. She also played the indoor version for the Lancers. When Russell was 10, she discovered volleyball and fell in love. Her brief flirtation with track, dancing and everything else was over.
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Emmanuel Corral, 18, is looking forward to running for Pima College in the fall.
Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage
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Softball player Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage poses for a portrait at Salpointe Catholic High School on May 7, 2020. Arizona’s 2019 All State Catcher and Defensive Player of the Year, Aguilar-Beaucage plans to continue her softball career at Grand Canyon University like her older sister.
Ryan Zuniga
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Ryan Zuniga is hoping to follow his cousin’s footsteps and earn a college scholarship. Keith Zuniga played at Bethune-Cookman and was a 35th-round selection of the Miami Marlins, though he did not sign.
Shelby Thompson
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Softball player Shelby Thompson of Ironwood Ridge High School on May 12, 2020.
"Shelby... took giant steps from a freshman year, when she pitched less than 10 innings, to her senior year when was expecting to pitch in her third straight State Championship game," said softball coach David Martinez. "Shelby worked extremely hard on improving her whole person, from her mental toughness to her physical strength. Shelby is our leader and has been incredible in that role."
Gabrianna Gonzalez
Gabrianna Gonzalez, 18, is a discus thrower on the track and field team at Cholla High School. She plans to attend the University of Arizona in the Fall. May 14, 2020.
Gonzalez is one of Cholla's few three-sport female athletes. She also competed in volleyball and basketball.
Of the three sports, track is her favorite. So much so that she passed up on the opportunity to graduate early in order to make a run at state.
061321-tuc-spt-springstars-p7
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Former Sabino High School standout Sydney Gray played at Nebraska as a true freshman before suffering a knee injury that required surgery. She has been rehabbing daily ever since.
Bryan Cruz
Bryan Cruz joined the Amphitheater High School volleyball team in 2018 after moving back to Tucson from Cucurpe, Sonora.
“First and foremost, he is a true student-athlete,” said Amphi volleyball coach Mike Frederick, who believes Cruz is one of the best volleyball players in the region. “He may be the most underappreciated player in the city. … But to us, he is everything. Not only is he our leader on the court but off the court as well.”
Angel Addleman
Senior basketball and track and field athlete Angel Addleman at Palo Verde High School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, in Tucson, Ariz. on May 19, 2020. Addleman will play basketball at Pima Community College.
With the track season halted early and Addleman's brief musical career behind her — she spent two years performing in the folk group Copper Wren with her sisters and some friends — Addleman found herself with some time to fill during the quarantine. But unlike some athletes who require specialty equipment or teammates to train, Addleman was able to wing it.
Blaise Biringer
Blaise Biringer, 18, on the softball field at Cienega High School on May 11, 2020. Biringer plans to attend the University of Mississippi on a softball scholarship.
Prior to the shutdown, Biringer was selected to play for the Mexican National team this summer in the inaugural Triple Crown International Challenge. She was also selected by Premier Gold Fastpitch to represent the Mountain Region as an All-American (on a roster that includes fellow Spring Stars Anjolle Aguilar-Beaucage, Sydney Gray, Amya Legarra, Carlie Scupin and Kristiana Watson.)
Cameron Fimbres
Cameron Fimbres, Pueblo High School senior volleyball player, at Silverbell Crossroads Park, on May 15, 2020. Fimbres will be going to McKendree University in southern Illinois.
"My favorite memory of high school would have to be volleyball," Fimbres said. "It's either my escape from stress and stuff or where I could show off to friends, but sophomore year was also very fun. I got to play with my brother before he graduated and it was probably my team's best year."
Gerardo Grijalva
Gerardo Grijalva, 17, plays pitcher and first base for the Sunnyside High School baseball team. He will be returning to Sunnyside in the Fall as a senior.
While Grijalva would love to play college in baseball after he graduates, preferably at University of Arizona or UCLA, he's also focused on his future career as a robotic engineer.
"I heard that robotic engineering has a lot of math in it, and most people don’t like math, but that’s one of my best subjects in school," Grijalva said. "Right now, really don’t have an idea of where I might go, but I for sure know that I really want to play baseball in college at the next level."
High School Senior voices
Sophia, Cienega
UpdatedMy senior year started off as any other normal school year, I got to know my teachers and what type of teacher they were, I made new friends and met up with old ones and it was great. When it was fall break everything went downhill because of the virus. I wanted to have prom, be able to do my senior walk, participate in all of the “last time” things before going off into the real world, and of course graduate. Graduation means to me that I accomplished something that was very difficult and I can do it. Not having a graduation has been hard. I have been trying to stay positive and hope that everything in the future will be great and get a lot better.
Daniela Molina, Sunnyside High School
I would have never thought my senior year would have been cut short. It’s still a shock to me, and I’m still needing time to process everything. During this school closure, it has made me realize how much attending school makes a difference in my life. One thing I am missing the most is being around my peers and finishing our last months together. Now I won’t be able to say goodbye to these people who I have been with since elementary school. I won’t get the chance to wish them luck in person. Having my friends by my side through high school has been another motivation for me. Our motivation was to get to walk across that stage together. To be able to share our last moments together. I have lost that motivation. On May 20, there won’t be a stage to walk across. We won’t be able to celebrate our accomplishments together. My friends and I have been through so much in high school together and the fact that we can’t share our last moments with each other truly hurts. 2020 will be a year I will always remember. It’s the year where our senior year was taken away from us. It’s the year where we weren’t able to celebrate our big day together. I thank my friends and families for being with me throughout my high school years. Without the support that I had, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all the things I accomplished. I’m scared but excited to see what my future holds. Thank you class of 2020 for the best past four years.
Daniela Molina, Sunnyside High School
Jessica Guzman, Sunnyside High School
There are various opportunities offered in school, one of which is hands-on learning. However, due to this pandemic with COVID-19, those experiences have been cut short. When doing hands-on learning, it usually is around the end of the school year when the most advanced learning is done. Due to this sudden need for school at home, the chances for such learning were taken away. All the labs or assignments meant for the end of the school year are experiences that have been stripped from students.
For example, most JTED students learn through a lot of hands-on learning. However, this pandemic has taken away chances for them to test everything they are learning from home. The Veterinary Science students are learning all sorts of laboratory tests to do in veterinary clinics. Students are learning from home now though, so all the labs they are learning can’t be practiced at the moment. The students are gaining the knowledge but they are not gaining the experience. As well, there are CTE courses offered at school that also include hands-on learning. One of which is bioscience, where the students learn about the topic and then do a lab where they learn based on the lab about the content. The lab is done by the students and thus they gain experience about working in a lab and learning about the topic firsthand as well. Learning from home has caused the rest of the class to be changed. As the students can’t work in a lab anymore now they must just learn about the topics through online sources. The COVID-19 pandemic has stripped all these hands-on experiences from the students of the class of 2020.
Jessica Guzman, Sunnyside High School
Ricardo Caro, Sunnyside High School
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School being closed has impacted many of our lives. It hasn’t been easy for many students and teachers with this new online schooling. It’s been hard for me to be able to finish the school year online. What I have lost with the school closure is the guidance I need for college. It’s harder to reach out to my counselors to figure out what I need to do in order to be set for college. Our teachers and staff have their own families; that doesn’t make them as available as they were at school. It is completely understandable, but losing the guidance for college really has affected me. I am not able to show them what I need help on. This has really made me lose my motivation to complete my next steps toward college. My counselor has helped me to stay on track all my years in high school. That extra support is what has kept me going, to get me across that stage. This time really has made me realize a lot and has taken a lot from me. I now have to prepare for my future on my own, with less guidance. I have to continue to strive to do the best and continue to make the next steps for my college career. Losing the guidance I had will be hard, but I still need to push on to make my counselor proud. I need to continue to move forward to make everyone who has supported me all these years proud.
Ricardo Caro, Sunnyside High School
Valerie Flores, Sunnyside High School
Due to the virus, life has become strange, not to adults but to those in school. The way life used to be has become a sort of dream. Every student has their own life outside of school, their own routine, their own hobbies. In most cases, school was their only space of getting work done, getting their hobbies done, doing their routine. The year of 2020 brought a pandemic striking every country hard, especially the United States. Restaurants, stores, parks and schools have shut down for as long as this virus is around in the U.S. Most of the students have been in work of some sort and most students have become essential workers. While those students will be working, many of their parents lost their jobs. Having to work full time. Some students are even having to be deemed the breadwinner of the house, with many mouths to feed and will continue to be the breadwinner for as long as this pandemic goes on. Even if the student is not deemed an essential worker, their school lives were an escape from life at home. It was a place to have peace, a place to have friends, a place to do work. Schools have been closed for over a month and a half, leaving students in a difficult place mentally. The virus has cost those students’ families financially, thus making it harder to find the time to do their school work. This virus has not been easy on any person on Earth and that includes high school students.
Valerie Flores, Sunnyside High School
Enrique Carlos, Sunnyside High School
Today, since the beginning, it has just felt like the world is in chaos. People threatening each other for toilet paper and a lady almost beaten for an order of pizza. This is not how things should be. The world makes it seem like the end of the world, but it’s not. This has happened many times before and we have come back from it.
And for those who want to end the quarantine, they have never had a loved one lost to it. I have. If they knew what it was like losing a loved one to the virus, they wouldn’t be speaking. Just follow the rules, they are there to keep us safe. They are there to ensure that another major outbreak doesn’t happen again and we lose more people. Only go out when you absolutely need to, I’ve been to some Walmarts where it is packed with people. Get what you need and go back home. If people want to get out of this so badly, follow the rules now. The longer we stay secluded, the faster we can end all this. We are modern day people, not Stone Age barbarians. We have better advanced technology that could help us stop it. Yes, it may take a while, but it is better than losing half the population and not be able to do anything about it. Stay home, bond with your family. With the amount of time people spend at work or at school, you need it. Learn a new language, develop a new skill, anything that could help pass the time so that we may get out of this soon.
Enrique Carlos, Sunnyside High School
Quiriat Rosas, Desert View High School
I go to my pantry wanting to eat everything. I see a bag of Cheetos, some peanut butter and cereal. I choose to not eat. And I’m a huge food lover. I entered my senior year of high school at about 4 feet, 11 inches tall and weighing about 130 pounds, but with this quarantine, I’m starting to feel more like the chunky baby I was 18 years ago. Come quarantine, there are days that I may only eat once a day or days that I’m constantly eating.
Sometimes I feel like these eating patterns that I’m showing are not only out of boredom but out of a form of anxiety. I feel like I’m trying to eat this feeling of desperation, this feeling of not knowing when my graduation is going to be, this feeling of not knowing when my life is going to find a new normal. I log onto my social media accounts and I’ll see that many of my friends are also wondering what they should eat. We’re all trying to adjust to our new lives. I feel like it’s something that’s become relatively normal now. It’s a truly terrifying feeling not knowing what is going to become of the world you once knew. And I know this just doesn’t apply to the class of 2020, it also applies to everybody else who is actually doing their fair share of staying at home during this pandemic.
Quiriat Rosas, Desert View High School
Jaylen Pallanes, Desert View High School
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No one expects something like a pandemic to hit in real life. As a senior, it’s especially confusing. You’re not sure whether to be grateful that school got cut short and you’re at less risk of catching the virus and contaminating others, or upset because you’ll miss some of the crucial moments of your young life. I understand others are upset because of this situation. But for me, I am not upset about it because there’s nothing more in the world I want more than to keep those around me safe. So if it means missing out on my high school graduation so that they can see me for years to come, then I’m thankful.
Since the pandemic, I have experienced nothing but constant care and love. Our teachers have been there every step of the way for us by asking what we need and filling us in on information on what is to come. My senior class has also been nothing but supportive. We have a senior Facebook page full of uplifting posts so we don’t feel alone. Not only has school been uplifting, but my community is as well. My stepdad, who works in the medical field, always comes home with a smile on his face because he got a free meal or a discount.
Also, my friend and I recently went to pass out toys, and there is no greater feeling seeing someone with a smile plastered from ear to ear. It wasn’t just the kids getting toys who smiled, but the parents who were happy to get to go home and give their kid something during these trying times. We couldn’t donate without help from the Victoria Teresa Arias Memorial Foundation, which gave us the inspiration to do something kind for our community. All around Tucson, there’s selflessness and bravery among us.
Jaylen Pallanes, Desert View High School
Jenifer Maldonado, Desert View High School
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Friday, March 13, was the day my senior year disappeared. I went home not knowing that would be my last day of school. Many of us were scared of our administration canceling prom, but luckily it didn’t and the next day I went to prom and had such an amazing, memorable night. It seems crazy that those were our last moments together. We danced all night, laughed and took pictures. It was our night and it was special.
Then I woke up to find we weren’t going back to school. I remember going to the living room with my parents and crying, knowing my senior year was gone. I prayed for a miracle, hoping this would pass and we could go back, but sadly that didn’t happen.
Now I just try to complete all my assignments, but it’s hard. It’s hard knowing that I won’t return to those classrooms that I dreaded going to, or running in after the bell because I decided an iced coffee from McDonald’s was more important than being a few minutes late. If I’ve learned anything from this, it’s to not take those moments for granted. You never really realize what you had until it’s gone. We all learn that lesson eventually, but I wish that it would have been a little less painful. Now I’ll be going to college soon, and I’ll make every moment count.
So to the seniors out there reading this, I just want to say we did it! As hard as this is, we are special, and we did accomplish a lot. We will have a graduation, and it will be something unique that will never be forgotten.
Jenifer Maldonado, Desert View High School
Veronica Reyna-Fierro, Desert View High School
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As I take my first big steps into going to Grand Canyon University in the fall, I sit in my room, reminiscing about my high school experience. I remember being nervous on the first day of freshman year. I remember sophomore year and how badly I wanted to try folklorico. I remember how stressful junior year was because of my advanced placement class and trying to pass my ACT and SAT tests. I remember the beginning of senior year, when I planned to have the best year of my life before college. I had so many good and bad memories at Desert View. But throughout high school, I was focused on passing our classes, going to extracurricular activities or just making memories. I somehow took for granted the friendships and relationships I had made.I never got to thank the incredible teachers that helped me graduate. I never got to say goodbye to the kind staff at Desert View. I never got to say thank you to my close friends for loving me as I was. Most importantly, I never got to say thank you to everyone that made my life a living hell in high school. Because of you, I would have never become the person I am today. I would like to thank everyone at Desert View. Thank you for making these past four years memorable. I greatly appreciate you and I know that one day, the class of 2020, will come back and properly thank you in person.
Veronica Reyna-Fierro, Desert View High School
Samantha Hawkins, Desert View High School
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This year I was chosen to be the wing commander for the Air Force Junior ROTC at my high school. In AFJROTC we had many events that we looked forward to. Field Day, the Veterans Day Parade, Military Ball, awards night, and this year, the giant headquarter inspection we had been waiting for since freshman year. We knocked it out of the park and celebrated at the Military Ball, but little did we know that was going to be the last memory we have together as a Wing. ROTC isn’t just a class where we got to learn military principles; it became home to many of us. A place of refuge and a place where we could be us. Although our year was cut short because of COVID-19, we will forever hold on to the memories we created. We fondly remember the time when Major made us run on Valentine’s Day, the holiday celebration, the times we did community service with our friends, and the time where we celebrated with one another when we heard that we passed the inspection after long, hard months of work.We will miss our beloved instructors; Maj. McOmber, the instructor who will always help you in order for your future to be successful. Master Sgt. Brandt, the instructor who was always ready to help a cadet with a big smile, and Chief Frederick, the instructor who would make you laugh and take you down a rabbit hole of common sense and make you wonder how in the world is he this smart. AFJROTC will always be a part of who we are. The invisible enemy cut it short, but we will forever remember this chapter of our lives as we begin a new one.
Samantha Hawkins, Desert View High School
Ysenia Dorame, Desert View High School
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How do you say goodbye to a place you’ve called home for the last three years? How do you say goodbye to friends who have become family? How do you let go of all your hopes and plans for the last few months of your senior year? The last few memories and milestones that kept you going?
While we will remain Jaguars for the rest of our lives, we had the last day of our senior year without even knowing it. When we said “see you later” to our friends, none of us knew it might be the last time we saw them until the “to-be-determined” graduation date.
For the last three years, I’ve spent countless nights awake studying and doing homework. Every assignment was supposed to lead to this moment. Thirteen years of schoolwork and every day of my senior year has been aimed at receiving my diploma and being able to walk across that stage with my friends and say, “I did it.” As part of the National Honors Society, I have waited for the day I can sit in the front row at graduation wearing my gold sash and looking for my family in the audience. I have waited for the day I can proudly wear my cap and gown. I have waited for the day I lift my tassel from right to left with my diploma in hand. I have waited and will continue to wait.
Ysenia Dorame, Desert View High School
Michelle Villegas, Amphitheater High School
UpdatedGraduation is an event every incoming freshman looks forward to, an event where all our hard work proves to be worth it. We gather up and celebrate an accomplishment with all our family, friends and the teachers who helped us get there. The seniors of 2020 are having that taken from them. Due to the circumstances our families and teachers are doing the best they can to fill that empty feeling all seniors are feeling around the world. As a graduating senior from Amphitheater High School here is my story.
Graduation has always been very important to me and my parents. In our Hispanic family I can’t say there are many high school graduates, throughout my whole four years of high school I kept reminding myself I wasn’t only doing it for my future, but for my family, and to prove all stereotypes wrong. Despite our ceremony being short and limited to family members, I’m entirely grateful my family is well. Sure, it might not be the graduation I dreamed about or the celebration, but no one can take away the late nights, the hard studying, the early morning drives, the laughs, the stress, that lead to my well-earned diploma. At the end of the day I made my mark along with all my classmates.
This pandemic has taken many lives. Many people were taken away from their families. I honor them. It might not be much, but I dedicate my diploma to all the families who have suffered a loss during the pandemic, my diploma goes to all the children who passed in past school shootings and during the pandemic, who were not only robbed from their future graduation, but from their families and life.
Rebekah Shumway, Cienega High School
UpdatedGraduation to me is a time of reflection, a great milestone in one’s life. In this time of reflection, one can see how or what they have become, the growth and hardships they have endured. Graduation can mean changing your lifestyle and preparing you for the world.
We are graduating in a pandemic, many are going through hard times, I believe that this has become a positive thing for students.
Graduation has become overlooked. Due to this pandemic, students are able to feel more appreciative of all their hard work as well as a knowledge of how to handle things when they feel out of control.
I am now celebrating graduation by enjoying the extra time I get to spend with my family.
My hope is to attend BYU for the fall semester. I am thinking about going into nursing.
As a young adult I am also planning on gaining more independence, and paying rent, as a way to help me transition into the world.
COVID-19 has brought sadness to many. However this was God’s plan, and “… he shall prepare a way for them …” (1 Nephi 3:7).
Olivia Holloway, Mountain View High School
UpdatedAlthough this pandemic did cancel events I was looking forward to and kept family members from visiting, I have learned to stay positive. My school decided to have each student come in at a particular time to receive their diploma and have five minutes on a well-crafted stage to take photos. I am still able to work during this time and I am truly grateful for that. What I want people to learn from this experience is that perspective is everything. Looking at the downside will not make this time any easier. As do many things, this will soon pass.
Sienna Benitez, Amphitheater High School
I’m a graduating senior in the class of toilet paper shortages, quarantine and unprecedented loss.
When I was younger, I would always brag how I would graduate in the class of 2020, the first year in the new decade, a new era. It was something amazing to me, so imagine my disappointment when it was put to a halt when a devastating pandemic hit our country. Each graduating senior and myself included have worked our entire lives to get to this point, the point where we get to walk across the stage with our family and friends and celebrate 12 years of hard work. During these unsure times, it is easy to become pessimistic, however, more than ever we have seen our country come together to provide, conquer and love. While the future is still uncertain, I can say that I am hopeful. I’m hopeful that we will be stronger and more united than ever.
As a country, we’ve seen people celebrate. Celebrate our front-line workers, survivors and yes, even our graduating seniors. Teachers and staffs nationwide have come together to try and fill the setback with small things such as yard signs and small acts, which mean a great deal to students and their families. While we may be separate, we don’t have to feel alone. We did it! We seniors can choose to be sad or optimistic. We can say that we missed out, or that we are making history. It’s our choice.
Congratulations to the class of 2020!
Sienna Benitez, Amphitheater High School
Ayla Clare, Marana High School
I was excited to say my proper farewells to my classmates and teachers at little old Marana. I was thrilled to dance with my friends at our senior prom, ditch school on senior ditch day, dress absurdly during senior spirit week, try and hold back my tears at graduation, and stay up all night during grad night.
I wanted to have that feeling of contentment after knowing that it was my last real high school class ever. I was looking forward to celebrating the completion of endless amounts of homework for AP classes. I wanted to throw my cap in the air feeling unified with my senior classmates. But these things won’t happen the way they were supposed to. It is upsetting that I didn’t get to have happy memories be the last memories of high school.
It’s terrible, but I have hope for the future. I have hope that our world will become stronger.
I have learned to live like the rest of my exciting year might get canceled. I have learned to love others like they might be lost tomorrow. I am grateful for my high school experience even though it was cut short.
Ayla Clare, Marana High School
Mariela Arroyo, Cienega High School
With only two weeks left for the new version of graduation, we prepare for one of the greatest transitions of our lives. Twelve years of our lives dedicated to hard work, commitment and for some procrastination. Regardless, we are almost at the finish line.
Growing up, people always told me left and right that high school was going to: 1) not be easy; and 2) be the most important four years of our lives. I would have never thought that I would be saying this, but they were absolutely right. For me, high school was never easy. I had my dark times when I was being bullied and had to transfer schools. It caused me to lose seven credits. A lot of teachers stayed assuming that I was slacking off, and like I heard every day, “You are not going to walk that stage, because you are not trying hard enough.” Not knowing that I put my blood, sweat and tears into my high school journey, for this very day — graduation. I did have about five teachers that I consider my saving grace, my angels. These were the teachers that were meant to change our future, and that future was mine! With those teachers telling me I could do it, even when I was falling asleep in class or missed assignments because of how long I had stayed up the night before. It was a battle they were not going to let me lose. For that I am so very thankful! I remember working at the age of 15, which was the first time I joined a very big school like Cienega. I was encouraged to fight my anxiety and join performing arts. Something I always dreamed of doing. As overwhelming as the thoughts were, I went into class confident that I had memorized my script. But I broke down and forgot my lines. Luckily I still got in! We began with rehearsals every week until show day. I feared that with work, I would not be able to memorize my lines. But my co-workers and I practiced my scripts every day during break. When show day finally came, the audience was huge. We closed the scenes and did excellent! I was so proud of the work I had done.
This was my time to shine, I joined AP, honors and “zero hour” classes. Nothing was easy. But I stayed true to myself. Even though I was an emotional wreck. I ended up quitting my job to focus on school, which was one of the hardest things I had ever done, because I loved working. But it allowed me to focus on what needed to be done. When senior year came, during our senior final, our English teacher left. It was tough writing a paper and doing a presentation of something I was passionate about, but had no clue how to format my paper. Yet teachers still said, “Oh, you’ll be OK.” That was always the response, but I stayed teaching myself. Not even a month later, we are hit with a pandemic. Right when a good teacher came in. It’s been disaster after disaster, waiting for another terrible thing to happen. Regardless, I kept doing my work, making me officially caught up with my credits and basically already graduated! If you remain hopeful and let a good “you can’t” turn you into a “I can and I did it!” then you are set in life! I learned that anyone and everyone can shut a door in your face. Luckily I had family, one friend that stayed true to me, and my five amazing teachers to help me through the struggles. My advice to the next graduating class is that regardless of you trying to explain to people who you are, you will never change their opinion on you, this is why it is crucial that you do your very best for YOU and YOU only! And that concludes my story. Thank You.
Mariela Arroyo, Cienega High School
Nayeli Ramirez, Cienega High School
Graduating in a pandemic is certainly a unique way of graduating, just how our class has always been. Since we first started school, our teachers told us that we were a very special class, there was no other class like us. I wouldn’t change my class for anything. My goals in the future are to become a licensed physical therapy assistant for children. The way I am celebrating is having a graduation party with my parents and siblings. What graduation means to me is walking across that stage to the next chapter of our lives, saying farewell to all who we grew up with and saying how proud we are for helping each other go through 12 years of school. Having our senior year in a pandemic isn’t what we wanted or imagined at all, we are mad and sad that it was taking from us.
We won’t ever get a chance to have those final moments we dreamed about or saw with classes before us.
Here’s to the Class Of 2020!
Nayeli Ramirez, Cienega High School
Samiya Howard, Cienega High School
UpdatedDuring my time at Cienega I was a football manager as well as a link crew leader and also president of the diversity alliance club for two years and Cienega’s first-year girls rugby team co-captain. My senior year of high school didn’t go as planned, but while it lasted I enjoyed the company of my friends and all our crazy adventures through our senior year.
Although I didn’t get my senior prom or graduation, I can say that Cienega has done so much to help my family during the pandemic as well as the staff making sure the seniors leave with a bang. In September of 2013 I suffered the loss of my 5-year-old brother due to asthma. I have been back and forth in the care of my mother and my grandmother. So when my mother wasn’t able to I was with my grandmother who had raised me and installed the wisdom and faith I have as well as my mother did.
Being in Arizona has clarified what I wanted to do after high school. And that goal is following my acceptance to Pima Community College. I will begin my studies to become an emergency medical technician and claim my certifications to accomplish my goal and make my grandmother and mother proud.
Brianna Morgan, Cienega High School
Updated
To me, it felt as if my high school life has just begun as much as it just ended and everything that I worked so hard to accomplished has not been thrown away, but pushed back. Those cheerful moments that a person would get when the last day of being in a closed-door space and test handed out has come to an end and you can really take that deep breath of relief. Everything feels different now when it comes to finishing those last moments stuck in your house and working behind a screen. Toward the end, I was pushing myself to work my butt off so that when I got up on that stage and got my high school diploma I would not have any regrets of not trying my best, but now most of that thrive is gone and was replaced with doubtfulness and I don’t have that thrive as willing as I did before. With the last months and days before the big day comes, all the work that was ever given just didn’t seem important to me anymore. Even though it was an amazing opportunity that any student in all grades should take, I felt that I was picking at the assignments as if I would do with food. I never gave up on the thought of doing my best so I tried to keep up with as much as I could handle.
Now that this event has taken place, I wish for all the times that I was ever late to class or missed a day of school, but now I can truly understand that old phrase “You will only appreciate something more once it’s gone.”
I would go back and do a lot of things differently if I were given the opportunity to, but I know that I’m not the only person that feels like this, so I keep my head up and hope for the better days.
I don’t know what the future will bring, but I will do my best to keep hope when it comes to college next year. I wish to not stop my goals of becoming a successful and young, smart and intelligent woman. With all the time I have on my hands, I will be studying and preparing for the next steps I will be taking in life.
Brianna Morgan, Cienega High School
Octavio Robledo, Marana High School
Graduating in a pandemic sucks just because I never noticed how beautiful Arizona was and being outside was, even in the heat. Graduating and walking across the stage is almost like a rite of passage into adulthood. The graduating class doesn’t get to feel that accomplishment of walking across the stage and shaking the hand of the principal. I believe that is the biggest thing about graduating during a pandemic that will we truly miss out on — being able to walk across the stage.
Octavio Robledo, Marana High School
Xander Lyions, Marana High School
Updated
The official last day of school is quickly approaching and so is the day we should be walking across the stage and receiving our diplomas we have worked so hard for. This year, God had different plans. Like my Mom always says, when God puts a roadblock up it’s because He’s steering you toward something greater! We WILL get through this. We WILL survive, and we WILL be stronger for it. Keep your heads up, my dudes!
Xander Lyions, Marana High School
Vanessa Silva, Sunnyside High School
Updated
Before the COVID-19 spread, I worked an average of 20 hours per week while also being able to balance my high school life perfectly. I live with my grandparents, so a large percentage of my pay always went to them. Once the illness spread all over Tucson, my grandma wasn’t able to continue her job. My company increased my hours dramatically. I’ve been struggling to maintain a balance with my online classes, but even then these extra hours have been catching up to me. I go home exhausted every night but continue on with the same routine because the extra hours I get paid help make up for the loss of income my grandma used to make. This full-time job has made me envious of most of my peers, who seem to be treating this school closure as if it’s an early summer. Yes, the weather is extremely warm, but this season is far from being the relaxing summer I used to remember. Despite this month being my last of my high school years, I have so little time, yet so much to do, that I don’t even look forward to my own graduation. Even though I am exhausting myself with my job and my schoolwork, I continue working because it means my grandparents don’t have to struggle with rent nor do they have to look for work that will only lead them to exposing themselves during this risky time. I understand school comes first above all else, but I love my family, and bills need to get paid. Just like any other person, I want this quarantine to be over and everything to go back to normal.
Vanessa Silva, Sunnyside High School
Jessica Vasquez Espinoza, Sunnyside High School
Updated
Senior year was running smoothly, and all the students were excited for the last weeks of our senior year. During our spring break, as were all were enjoying some time off, a world pandemic arose. This pandemic has changed society and has abruptly ended the class of 2020’s senior year. As the pandemic escalated, our school district has worked very hard to let us continue the last few weeks of high school education. We are all trying our best to adjust to our stay-at-home situations and trying to motivate ourselves to persevere through this situation. One of the challenges I believe everyone has experienced while transitioning to online school is being able to concentrate. When we are at home, we are trying to separate our work from school and from home. It has been challenging having to find time to do any schoolwork and nonetheless being able to concentrate at home. Our homes don’t stop functioning because the world has been in a halt. In our homes we still have chores and roles to play and being home those roles have increased. We all have to help out more in our homes because we are at home every day now, and it has been especially difficult to find time to concentrate and get schoolwork done.
Jessica Vasquez Espinoza, Sunnyside High School
Amelia Rico, Sunnyside High School
UpdatedDuring this quarantine a lot has changed. Education is one of the things that has changed the most. Many students — soon-to-be-graduates — are stressing out because of the assignments being sent to them via Google Classroom. The teaching format has changed because usually in class you are present, ready to learn and have specific time to finish an assignment. But at home you feel like you have all the time. In reality you end up more stressed because you didn’t use time wisely. Many students don’t understand the topic or the assignments given by teachers, some teachers don’t specify what they expect in each assignment, and it makes it harder for students to succeed. We hope that we go back to school and that the COVID-19 situation goes away. Being at home and doing schoolwork at the same time is hard for many students due to laziness. At school students would at least try, but now most of them decide not to. Everyone is stressed because they can’t go anywhere and they are stuck at home. It is up to all of us to contribute so that this ends and we return to school. If we continue without following the guidelines, the quarantine will be extended. It has been a very frustrating time for everyone, students and teachers especially. If we all try to contribute with everything, it can be an easier task for teachers to continue with the lessons and for students to learn.
Hannia Paez, Sunnyside High School
Being a senior in high school is both exciting and stressful. If you add a quarantine because of a virus, it becomes hectic and draining. Transitioning to online learning because of social distancing precautions has been extremely difficult for us, the class of 2020. However, there are many positives that come from this form of isolation. When this first started, it was frustrating and exhausting for many of us who struggle with mental health issues, however, it became easier as the days passed by. Turns out being isolated offers lots of time that is especially beneficial for those of us who have huge decisions that need to be made. During quarantine, I have gotten to understand myself better in so many ways. Now, I know what I need when I am feeling anxious or stressed. I understand the decisions that I need to make in order to become a better me and the consequences that come with every choice, whether they are good or bad. I have been able to reconnect with myself and I learned to be at peace with my thoughts. I have also found interest in new activities that make my days more productive and that allow me to reconnect with my spirit and look forward with eagerness. As a proud senior of the class of 2020, I wish others to also find the bright moments throughout these dark times. Everyone should begin to look at this means of isolation through a different perspective, a more positive perspective.
Hannia Paez, Sunnyside High School
Valeria Mendoza, Sunnyside High School
Last times are unforgettable. If only we knew it was the last time, we would have the privilege to enjoy it more. Everyone anxiously waiting for the last day of school, no more homework, vacays are coming, saying goodbye to your friends, hoping to see them the next school year. But this wasn’t our case. One day, March 13, we all walked out of school so excited to leave because it was spring break, hoping to come back in a week, without a clue that it was actually our last day of high school. Looking back at it, I will speak for many: We wish we knew it was our last day of high school. We wish we would have a chance to say bye to our loved ones, teachers and at least make that one last high school memory that would stay with us forever. It’s so sad and devastating to realize we might never see some of the people from school ever again. Who would’ve thought that day was our last day of high school? So many plans for the last few weeks of school. So many outfits that are left unworn. So many desires that we wanted to accomplish before our last day of school that are never going to be fulfilled. We waited 12 years to become seniors and it ended without us even being aware of it. None of us knew at the time that we’d never go back to school, see our classmates and teachers ever again. We didn’t know that we were saying goodbye.
Valeria Mendoza, Sunnyside High School
Yesenia Meraz, Sunnyside High School
Updated
Being a senior in high school is exciting yet terrifying because you are moments away from starting your life. Now try adding a pandemic into the mix. The world is currently suffering a pandemic which has caused a halt in our everyday lives. All over the world, people’s lives have been heavily impacted by COVID-19, including the graduating class of 2020. As a senior, I can personally say this pandemic ruined many things I was looking forward to and added unnecessary stress to our last year. What this pandemic has ruined for me was a family vacation and graduation trip to Puerto Peñasco. For spring break my family and I were supposed to travel to San Antonio, Texas, with my extended family, but with the coronavirus outbreak we decided to cancel the trip due to the fear of catching the virus. This trip was a big deal to me because this was going to be the last big family vacation for a while due to the fact that my cousin and I are going to be attending the U of A this coming fall and we will have busy schedules. With me starting my life and receiving an education, it’s going to be difficult to plan a big family trip. My graduation celebration is a trip to Peñasco with my immediate family and closest friends. This trip to Peñasco was going to be a celebration for my 12 years of attending school. This was going to be my last trip for the summer because I am attending New Start and getting a job. These two trips were one of the many things coronavirus has ruined for me and many others. But we will rise from this pandemic stronger than we were. Now hopefully more people will value their time.
Yesenia Meraz, Sunnyside High School
Anakaren Lugo, Sunnyside High School
The second semester of my senior year has been quite the journey. This all started shortly after COVID-19 hit the United States, it struck just about every educational institution in America in a matter of days. I did not expect my senior year to end like this even to the slightest. I know most of my fellow classmates expected to spend our last days together, doing our senior activities and enjoying our free time that we’ve worked for all these years. In a time like this, it’s so easy to be consumed by the uncertainty. That’s exactly why I haven’t let myself be completely consumed. While COVID-19 has been extremely devastating to many people across many countries. I know I am in a place of privilege because I can stay inside. While inside, COVID-19 has allowed me to get new hobbies. I feel like right now is the perfect time to pick new things to do. After COVID-19 is over, reform will come to many institutions and industries. I believe it’s good to bring something new to this upcoming age, especially as I am going to college next year. As for my hobbies, I have learned a bit of beginner Mandarin. Another hobby I have discovered is ice cream making. I did a little bit of splurging and got myself an ice cream machine. So every week I make a batch of ice cream, usually with my mom. This is a special activity close to my heart as she used to do this with her mother. I want to remind everyone, as helpless as the situation may seem, we all need some positives in our lives.
Anakaren Lugo, Sunnyside High School
Cesar Lopez, Sunnyside High School
Updated
Everything was great until spring break started and the classes seemed to pause for a week. It’s been more than a month and nothing seems to get better. As a student, I thought, “Great! More vacations,” and those vacations aren’t over yet. Here is where I’m having that feeling of loneliness from friends from school (social distancing). At least I’m with my family, but having in mind that the school year is over is disappointing because no one told me that I was not coming back to school after spring break. I did not have a chance to say goodbye to my classmates, teachers, or the school in general. Quarantine is the name the government applies to the social distancing between the people of the entire world and all for a good reason. This distancing affects many people. It affects me most in the sense of the social part because I can only be with my school friends and classmates when we are in the same period or lunch, but outside those moments, we don’t communicate at all. Why? Well, I suppose it’s automatic when a group of people want to add another person to their group. They ask that person for their social media or a way to communicate. That didn’t happen in my situation, giving up all my possibilities of having someone to talk to during this hard time. Some other people in the same situation as me would be going crazy about not having someone to talk to, but I’m relaxed and having fun with my family, which is my priority.
Cesar Lopez, Sunnyside High School
Hattie Judd, Sunnyside High School
UpdatedThe abrupt end to the school year has a huge impact on its students, especially seniors. Many end-of-the-year opportunities and events are lost and can not be rescheduled. Time goes on and we will not be seniors again. This is quite upsetting to think about. Essential everyday things such as twice-daily meals are ended as well. I understand some schools give out meals, but not everyone has the transportation to go and get those items. School was the only option for me and others for a healthy breakfast and lunch. They are definitely not gourmet-style meals but it is much better than the food that is offered at home. At home, I do not have the luxury of choices such as fresh fruit or fresh food as the food I end up eating is microwave dinners. When I would go to school I would have time set in my schedule to eat breakfast and lunch. At home it is all up to me. Living in a single-parent household where the parent works long hours is tough, but while others have the option to not work during the COVID-19 outbreak, my dad does not. He ends up working longer hours than before. It then gets hard to go to the grocery store to buy food that would last for at least a month’s supply.
Genesis Jimenez, Sunnyside High School
Sunnyside High School’s last day of school was March 13, before spring break. Halfway through spring break, the announcement was made: School would be closed for only two weeks. It eventually progressed to a bigger announcement: All Arizona schools will be closed for the remainder of the school year. As a senior in high school, it is devastating that my last day of school was not like the final day of any other graduate. Not only that, I was unable to spend my last year of high school, and any of the other years, without going to prom. Prom is one of the biggest aspects of being in high school. It makes memories, connections. I planned on going to prom only in my senior year with my best friend. We did not go during our freshman, sophomore and junior years to make our senior and last prom memorable. This was taken away from us by the coronavirus. I am devastated to say that I was not able to spend my last year of high school without going to prom with my best friend. I, and other seniors like my best friend, have never had the experience of going to prom and spending the night that other seniors had the chance to experience. My senior year perspective has been completely changed. We are the year that got our graduation taken away, our last few months taken away and a most memorable time in our lives taken away. We seniors went to school for 12 years thinking of this moment.
Genesis Jimenez, Sunnyside High School
Daniel Garcia, Sunnyside High School
Updated
Becoming an adult. Passing from only going to school to doing school and work. It is hard to say that we as seniors in high school will pass this phase more quickly than other generations ever. Previous senior students were confident in knowing that students who were them for almost five years would be with them until graduation. We lost our last half of our second semester of high school. But realizing you are an adult is what really hurts, realizing how big the world is. We as teenagers used to think we had our own little world. Feeling anxious in not knowing if we are doing the right things. The little 15- and 16-year-olds I started high school with turning 18 or 19 years old. The physical changes we all had through the years, but how sad is knowing that maybe the last day of school was the last time you would see that stranger who you always wanted to talk to, or any friend, teacher, staff, cafeteria lady who you made a connection with. It is part of life growing up and understanding new things, but we seniors took a shortcut right to real life because of the pandemic. I know my generation will always be remembered as the one that lost everything because of the virus, but I would prefer to be remembered as strong students who did not let the pandemic or any global issue stand in the way of graduation and accomplishing everything we had in mind. It is necessary to stay positive even when it feels like your life is falling apart.
Daniel Garcia, Sunnyside High School
Evelyn Franco, Sunnyside High School
The mental health of students with the current situation of COVID-19 came so suddenly. Students weren’t prepared to have important events and school canceled. For myself, it has affected me in the way I interact with people because at stores you start doubting if someone in the room has it. Students start missing the interaction with their friends and family because since we were in a young age, we got used to having people around. Students might not admit that we missed school but I miss having the support of the teacher in the class. Classes online have been hard to get used to because you start losing motivation. I lost motivation because I had to switch my classrooms for my house. We got technology to communicate but technology doesn’t beat interaction in person. The quarantine has good things because students get to relax more and spend more time with their family. My mother still has to work so I don’t get to see her that much but I’m grateful I get to spend more time with my brother and that my family has been in great health. While I’m trying to quarantine without any stress, I can’t because the news on TV most of the time is talking about COVID-19. I get they are trying to inform the country about the virus. The people I don’t get are people that are giving fake information about the virus or people using the virus to their advantages. This is the moment that every human being needs to be united.
Evelyn Franco, Sunnyside High School
Mylin Fleming, Sunnyside High School
Each year, I have always looked forward to seeing seniors walk down the stage and get diplomas, knowing that one day I would be experiencing that moment as well. Hearing that the class of 2020 might not have a traditional graduation ceremony this year took a toll on me because I was always sure I would experience graduating with my class that has been with me in person since day one. Being a member of the Sunnyside band for all four years allowed me to watch all my senior friends experience this once-in-a-lifetime experience as we play “Pomp and Circumstance” just for them. Each time a graduating senior who was part of the band gets their name announced on stage, the whole band always screams for them. These memories I have cherished for so long, waiting patiently that one day it will be me, it hurts. All our hard work that we all worked toward has been shot down. Then again, it’s crazy to think that 30 years from now we’ll be telling our stories of how we were the class of 2020 who graduated in the middle of a whole pandemic. This is an experience no other generation will ever experience similarly. We made it through. We are the class of 2020! I am glad that they canceled all big events like graduation to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to save people’s lives. But all this just happened so unexpectedly and so quickly. All that I am wishing for is that people are safe at home and following social distancing procedures accordingly to prevent anyone else’s lives from being endangered.
Mylin Fleming, Sunnyside High School
Keila Connor, Sunnyside High School
“We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how about you?” Those are the words that every senior chanted at the top of their lungs during our spirited pep assemblies. Those are the words that I didn’t get to chant at my last pep assembly of my high school experience. When I started my senior year, I kept myself motivated by looking forward to senior activities. Senior activities at Sunnyside High School were usually done more toward the end of the year. As we reached the end of March, the senior activities were about to begin before the pandemic began to take place. The first missed senior activity that was being planned by my fellow student council members was a movie night at Harkins Theatres in which the entire theatre room was rented out for Sunnyside seniors only. Another senior activity that was in the works was a field day for seniors. The field day was a reward for us because we had reached the goal percentage to fill out our FAFSA. The canceled activity that left me most disappointed was prom. Prom was a night that I personally looked forward to months prior to the date. My school keeps the prom theme and date a secret to build excitement and suspense and this year’s theme was “The Great Gatsby” and was supposed to be held May 6. I was already planning the dress I was going to buy, the makeup and hair I was going to do and the nails I wanted. This event was my only chance of a senior prom and I will never get to experience it ever again. These activities truly meant a lot to me, so for them to be stripped away, I was devastated.
Keila Connor, Sunnyside High School
Clarissa Moraga, Sunnyside High School
As a senior in high school, you look forward to prom, graduation and senior activities. But what I was looking forward to was my last weeks of high school. I always thought that I was going to be able to spend time with my friends and create new memories. I was looking forward to spending time with my classmates because I know that I may never see some of them again. I thought that during these last weeks of high school I would be excited and anxious about my graduation day. I thought that I would be taking my senior pictures and crying because one chapter of my life was closing. I wanted to thank my teachers because they have put up with and shaped the person I am today. I wanted to spend the last few moments I had left with my friends. I wanted to enjoy the last moments I had of my carefree world. I wanted to treasure the time I had with my friends, classmates and teachers because once graduation comes, everything will be different. I thought my last weeks of high school were going to be fun and crazy. But most importantly I was looking forward to saying goodbye to high school, to my friends and to such an amazing time in my life. Unfortunately, I was not able to do these things and I have had a hard time going through all of this. I felt like my senior year was taken away from me and that I never really got to the fun part. But I know that this whole experience will make me stronger and I will make it through.
Clarissa Moraga, Sunnyside High School
Angelina Sinohui, Sunnyside High School
As a senior in the year 2020 during the coronavirus global pandemic, I have been faced with many new challenges and feelings. From fearing for my family’s health and safety to worrying if I’m going to need to get a job to support my family, all while striving to graduate, has been a new experience, one I am learning from and trying to make the best of. My senior year has not been what I expected it to be. I expected my year to go as smooth, fast and amazing as they make it look in the movies. But reality hit when school was canceled for the remainder of the year. And just like that, my cliche perfect senior year was gone. Gone just like senior prom, hearing your name called and getting to walk across the stage and finally graduate, senior nights for athletes and final performances. All would-be memories for the class of 2020 are now just what-ifs and nothing. I won’t ever be able to participate in all the normal senior activities that generations have experienced before me and like the ones future generations will experience. What a bad time to be a part of the class of 2020. Although my senior year is not the one I envisioned for myself it is a unique one and a year I am never going to forget. I’m at peace now with the situation at hand. I realized early on and accepted that I wasn’t going to return to Sunnyside High School.
Angelina Sinohui, Sunnyside High School
Mary Drake, Cienega High School
By the 12th store I went to lacking essential supplies, I had a sinking feeling that my senior year was quickly headed in a downward spiral. However, I learned many valuable lessons during quarantine.
I learned to take advantage of every moment with loved ones because a conversation with them might be the last. The reality of almost losing a parent was devastating enough, but then I was not allowed to visit in the hospital. I know many have it worse, and I pray for their healing and peace.
I learned how dedicated and loving my educators are, as well as the strength of my family’s unwavering faith.
I completed every educational opportunity because no virus is going to stop me from pursuing my interests and passions. Next year, I will be attending the University of Arizona to earn a major in pre-pharmaceutical sciences.
Graduation is a major accomplishment. This is the hour to reward us for all the late nights spent completing homework and studying for tests while balancing extracurricular activities.
The class of 2020 was born amidst 9/11 and will graduate during a worldwide pandemic. This only makes us stronger. We will overcome, and together, we shall prevail!
Mary Drake, Cienega High School
