BETHEL GRADUATES `BLOOM' IN TOUGH CONDITIONS
Over 300 students get diplomas in sweltering heat
As they sat on chairs at Corbus Field with temperatures reaching triple digits Friday afternoon, there was something that 334 Jesse Bethel High School students wearing black and gold robes wanted more than anything in the world. Shade.
There was't much help available on the weather front, but another wish — diplomas — came to fruition in front of family, friends and teachers.
The Bethel High Class of 2022 celebrated their resilience in completing four years of high school during a worldwide pandemic, filled with days behind a camera rather than in a classroom. It was the 22nd class to graduate at Bethel since its opening in 1999.
Benicia High principal Kirsten Wollennweber quoted the late rapper Tupac Shakur when she called the Class of 2022 “the rose that bloomed out
of the concrete.”
“I refer to the pandemic as the concrete. The concrete that came on so quick and hard and so fast over our community, our nation and the world,” Wollenweber said. “The concrete that has felt so heavy at times and has been hard to break through and overcome. But you continued to persevere. You took the nutrients given to you by your family, your friends and your loved ones and you continued to grow. You took the nutrients by your teachers, coaches, your mentors and your community and you continued to grow. You kept pushing and pushing and today you become beautiful roses.”
Also speaking in front of a full and rowdy crowd was Bethel valedictorian Faith Niyi Awolesi.
“I was told to give some advice today, but I realized I still don't know what I'm doing so I'll share some great memories,” Awolesi said. “All my memories that I cherish would not be memorable without the people I shared them with. As you leave here today remember all that you accomplished. Look to the future with optimism and hope. Obstacles are sure to come your way but what matters is you persevere and learn from them. We got this Class of 2022!”
Awolesi was one of 35 Bethel students to graduate Summa Cum Laude — having a grade point average between 4.0 and 4.5.
Another member of that club was salutatorian Alina Pham.
“What we overcame this past few years was not an easy task,
but we did it,” Pham told the crowd. “And now we'll walk this stage with our heads held high knowing that we are the strongest graduating class of Jesse Bethel.”
Wollenweber encouraged the Bethel students to continue the excellent work in the future, no matter where that will be.
“No matter what your next move is remember you are unstoppable. You will be in the history books for years to come, “I encourage you as you leave on your next journey to continue to make history. Continue to grow and continue to amaze. Be the change in the world that you want to see.”