Willow Glen Resident

Letters & Opinions

Why we publish a special graduation section

By Moryt Milo

When you open this week's issue of the newspaper, you will find a special section dedicated to this year's high school graduates.

Every year as we work on this issue, we continue to be surprised by the stories that emerge. They are tales about triumph over adversity. They are stories about young teens maturing into young adults, and they are stories about the next generation's hopes and dreams.

Our graduation section fulfills an important role in our local community. It highlights the good things that many of these teenagers have accomplished, and what they plan to strive for as they venture out into the world.

Too often we hear about the problem teenagers--oh, they are certainly out there--but what about all the others and their achievements? Those are stories that certainly deserve to be told.

At Willow Glen High School, Fredy Martinez is one of those stories. He will attend UCLA in the fall and plans to focus on medicine, perhaps in the field of epidemiology. This is a young man who fled Honduras with his mother after Hurricane Mitch destroyed his homeland. Mitch was that country's Katrina.

The mother-son duo came to the United States, and Fredy had to learn a new language and a new lifestyle. He could have given up. He admits he was frustrated in the beginning. It must have been difficult having to start all over while entering middle school. Those are tumultuous times for any child.

Fredy persevered and found his way. He became an AP student, part of the high school student government and a swimmer. He has a maturity beyond his years and a positive attitude about life. This is a young man who took a bucket full of lemons and turned it into lemonade.

So did Cory Kingston. His enrollment at Willow Glen High is not as dramatic as Fredy. He didn't flee his homeland, but he was strong enough to leave his mother to come live with his father, because his mother was unable to walk away from an abusive relationship.

Cory's family life was one big roller coaster ride that became more erratic as he grew older. He struggled as he tried to find balance within himself. Cory was able to conquer both when he could have easily allowed himself to fall through the cracks and become a failure.

Sports and writing became his salvation, along with a high school teacher who took the time to care and lend an ear. Now he will attend California State University at Chico in the fall and consider a career in law enforcement.

There were also stories about teens who chose a completely different path. One Willow Glen teenager, Kyle Tuttle, decided on West Point instead of a traditional college after he graduated from Bellarmine. He was not an individual who had to overcome adversity to attain this goal. Instead, adversity may be knocking on his doorstep in four years. But it takes courage and plenty of guts to make that choice. It's a decision that requires a hefty dose of self-confidence and a strong desire to be a leader.

And what about Lauren Careccia who graduated from Presentation and was accepted into the elite University of Southern California film school? She plans to major in interactive entertainment. To get there she had to be extremely focused and dedicated throughout her four years of high school. She maintained exceptional grades, played music in two bands and nurtured a passion for video game design and programming. Her interest and talent landed her one of a handful of spots in the USC school.

All of these students, no matter what their background or ethnicity, are a part of our country's and community's future. These are young adults with good hearts and positive attitudes. They see a bright future ahead and are taking the necessary steps to make a positive impact on society.

We believe there are many teens like them, and it's why we want to share their stories with our readers.

Moryt Milo is the editor of the Willow Glen Resident. She can be reached at mmilo@community-newspapers.com.