Othello High School seniors ride off into the sunset

OTHELLO — Friday night at Huskie Stadium in Othello was a night of lasts. The last graduation for Othello School District Superintendent George Juarez, the last graduation for Othello High School Principal Carlos Gonzalez Jr. and the last time that Othello High School’s class of 2016 was gathered together before parting ways.

It was an emotional night to say the least, but the tone of the night was overwhelmingly one of joy and relief.

It only seemed fitting that the class of 2016's motto is, “there are many roads we have crossed, many hills we have climbed, and so many dreams we have yet to realize,” and in one of the more powerful moments from class speaker Luis Aceves’ speech he declared, “remember this guys, you are never too old to set another goal and never too old to dream another dream.”

Goals and dreams. Those two words were brought up a lot at Friday night’s proceedings. The class of 2016 at OHS certainly dreamed big and set high goals when it came to their academic performance, as this year’s graduating class received $449,281 in scholarships outside of the Othello area, a new record. In addition, the class received $75,700 in local scholarships.

Students receiving special recognition for their four years of hard work included; the Service award to Rudy Mendez Jr., the Citizenship award to Olivia Giles, the Activities award to Abby Christensen, the Female Athlete award to Hadassi Valdez and the Male Athlete award to Anthony Ruiz. Other students receiving special recognition were those who decided to enlist in the U.S. military and the class’s foreign exchange student.

There was perhaps no better two people to encapsulate setting high goals and dreaming big than valedictorian Ricardo Maria and salutatorian Aubrie Stevens. Through hard work and determination Maria maintained a 4.0 GPA through his tenure at OHS and will be studying electrical engineering at the University of Washington. Stevens also maintained a 4.0 GPA and will be attending Brigham Young University, in hopes of one day becoming a speech pathologist.

Maria reminded his fellow classmates that success in whatever career choice they decide upon shouldn’t be measured solely in dollars and cents.

“I used to think that success was measured by the amount of money, fame, or awards that someone has. Today I know that I was wrong. You see, real success is measured in the many great people you get to meet in your life,” Maria stated. “It is measured by the memories you share with others. With that said, I consider my life a real success because I got to spend it with all of you.”