DIPLOMAS AHOY
Muzetta Thrower Adult School kicks off Vacaville graduation season
Graduation season officially kicked off Wednesday in Vacaville Unified School District. While many students taking the first step toward a new chapter this season are teens who worked hard over the course of four years to receive their diplomas, Wednesday's ceremony was dedicated to another age group that worked just as hard and often for longer: adults.
The Muzetta Thrower Adult Education Ceremony hosted a graduation ceremony at Will C. Wood High School's Wildcat Stadium to honor the 27 students who persevered, often through hardships, to receive diplomas, GEDs and other important documents. In addition to the Class of 2022, some students who graduated in midyear 2021 were also honored.
It was the second time a Thrower graduation ceremony had been held at a stadium, as it was held at Vacaville High School last year following years of taking place at Will C. Wood's Catwalk Theatre.
The Bella Vista Road campus provides classes to students 18 and older in a variety of programs. Students can enroll in a diploma program consisting of required high school courses, a GED program to prepare students for taking the General Education Development tests, a workforce preparation class, a program for adults with disabilities, an English as a Second Language program for students who want to learn English or prepare for a citizenship test, and a community education program offering such classes as conversational Spanish, ethnic studies and basic computers in the workplace.
Principal Tiffany Donohue said the school was special within the district.
“You are the hidden gems of the district that are often forgotten, but tonight, you shine like stars,” she said. “Standing proud in black robes representing your strong will and determina
tion, you are not afraid to go after what you wanted and with the combination of white stoles, you carry on that timeless legacy for new beginnings.”
Donohue kicked off with the first of what she hopes to turn into an annual tradition: the “Alumni Moment,” where a former student delivers a speech. On Wednesday, that moment belonged to Karla Valdez, a 2003 graduate of what was then called Vacaville Adult School who has come back to serve the school in a variety of roles, including assisting with ESL registrations and leading the school's first Spanish computer class this year.
In May, Valdez graduated from Sacramento State with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and will continue to pursue a master's degree in teaching and single subject credential at Sac State in the fall.
In a speech delivered in English and Spanish, Valdez recalled sitting on the stage at Vacaville Cultural Center at her 2003 graduation and wondering what would come next.
“Here I am, standing before you as a first-generation college graduate and preparing for the fall with a substitute teaching permit and starting my master and teaching program,” she said. “I did it, and so can you.”
Valdez associated this year's graduating class with the following words: courage, triumph and transformation.
“We are the picture of what success looks like,” she said. “We turn our imperfections to perfections.”
The first class speaker was Janette Brown, who finally got her high school diploma at age 60.
“I am proof that you can do it if you set your mind to it,” she said. “I am happy and thankful that I accomplished my goal, and I am so glad that I finally made it to this point in my life that I've been praying for.”
Simon Perez, 26, delivered timeless messages of never giving up and continuing to push harder.
“Sometimes I reminisce just as a young kid when I used to walk the hallways up here at Wood by the stairs while meeting up with my older brother during passing period,” he said. “I can now say with a passion that's what made me a better man today. To be honest, I'm blessed to say I've learned some sense from my past, and from all of my relatives, of course.”
Perez's goal is to become a firefighter within the Bay Area. He is employed in the Public Works Department in Oakland.
“It's in my blood to help others where I was born in the Bay,” he said.
Jennifer Victoria said when she was approached by Donohue to write a speech for the ceremony, her immediate thought was, “She must be crazy and out of her mind to think that I'm brave enough to stand in front of all those people or smart enough to find the perfect words to say.”
Victoria initially planned to decline the offer, but before she replied, she mulled it over.
“She's asking me to do this because she believes in me, so why don't I believe in myself?” she said. “If I had said no, I was giving into my fears and insecurities. I promised myself I was gonna change that mindset, so here I am today taking that first step.”
Victoria recalled how the last time she attended school, it was when she was pregnant with her first daughter at 20.
“I fell asleep in class because I was so tired, or I simply didn't show up,” she said. “I ended up failing all my classes.”
Victoria said the fear of failure held her back from returning to school. She only returned after her wife signed her up at Vacaville Adult School.
She again had some negative thoughts about not testing high enough, being the oldest person at the school, and failing all over again. She tested well and was not the oldest person on campus, but most important, “I didn't fail, and I actually gained confidence in myself.”
“And guess what?” she said. “I finally finished after all these years.”
“Now my thoughts are: I actually did it, I am smart enough, you're never too old to start again and what else can I accomplish?” she added.
Victoria plans to enroll in college and become involved in social work, “furthering my education and doing my small part in saving the world.”
The 2021 and 2022 Muzetta Thrower Adult Education Center graduates are:
Kevin Barcala, Nathalie Bernal, Janette Brown, Charles Lebard-Bruce, Elaine Colombo, Maria Garcia, Hazel Garcia, Jenah Gow, Maria Gonzalez, Cristina Guzman, Jaqueline Guzman, Natalie Kimbrough, Natlia Leong, Brian Lewis, Jessica Mata, Jasmine Meza, Irma Perez, Simon Perez, Anil Rai, Julissa Sandoval, Jami Lynn Shermer, Deanna Standford, Vincent Supilanas, Jacqueline Tern, Ivan Valdez, Jennifer Victoria, Seth Williams.