As Hollister resident Aaron Tobia stood next to the stars and stripes of the American flag minutes before he marched it into the hall for his high school graduation, his thoughts were on the future.
In two months, the young man who graduated from San Andreas Continuation School Thursday will be joining the Army.
“I was dropped out of high school for six to eight months and then I came (back) to school in January and graduated on time,” said Tobia, 17. “I just thought school wasn’t for me and then I wanted to do the military and I figured out you had to have a high school diploma.”
To do this, Tobia took three online courses. He was one of many San Andreas students honored for their perseverance and ability to overcome life’s obstacles in a one hour commencement ceremony Thursday afternoon at the Veterans’ Memorial Building in downtown Hollister.
Classmates Daesha Matuck and Isabella Fajardo, both 18, were other students who had trouble at San Benito High School and moved to San Andreas where they finished high school.
“We caught up on our credits so much we graduated six months early,” Matuck said.
“And we’re best friends to top it off,” Fajardo said. “We did it all together.”
Fajardo plans to pursue a career as an ultrasound technician but for the moment she is “ready to move on in life, that’s for sure,” she said.
The friends mentioned the teachers at the continuation school were much different than those at the traditional high school and made more of an effort to get to know them as individuals.
“We’re going to see these teachers in 20 years and they’re going to remember our names,” said classmate “DJ” Amendt, 17, as he waited to enter the hall for the ceremony.
The packed gym held the typical flowers and balloons but also Ted Baraan, the head of county’s probation office, two of the department officers and a sheriff.
The commencement started on a somber note with Teacher Nick Lust remembering guidance technician Rosalinda Rojas, who had passed away.
“This past year was one of the toughest we have ever had,” Lust said. “There was a lot of tragedy.”
As part of recognizing Rojas, who had battled diabetes since she was 12 years old, Lust asked students to honor her with a moment of applause instead of silence. The students gave a standing ovation.
County Superintendent Krystal Lomanto, the former principal of San Benito High School, offered her own words of wisdom about believing in success. Lomanto was the first in her family to go to college. Mitchell Dabo, the vice president of the county board of education, also spoke about the importance of not quitting on things that count before students addressed the crowd.
Graduate Angelica Plaza offered a heartfelt speech that highlighted her journey to the commencement ceremony.
“My name is Angelica Plaza and let me tell you I never thought I’d have a chance to speak at my graduation,” she said.
Plaza and classmates Johnny DeLeon and Abigail Cervantes also talked to the crowd. While each spoke about slightly different topics, the three thanked family and teachers for helping them get this far.
Outside the veterans’ building, students were all smiles as they hugged family and friends.
“It means everything,” said Tamie Kiger, of her son, Aaron Tobia’s graduation. “He picked the Army and once he set that goal, he was off and running.
Tobia’s older brother, Austin, 18, graduated from the county’s Pinnacles Community Schools last year.
“I didn’t think he was going to do it,” he said. “He didn’t think he was going to do it and then he pushed through.”
