Wahluke Class of 2016
Members of the class of 2016 toss their caps into the air in celebration of their victory.
MATTAWA – Wahluke High School’s 2016 valedictorian is brilliant. She’s also charming, honest and humble. And humorous.
“I didn’t know the definition of being the valedictorian until weeks ago,” Guadalupe Abarca told the graduation audience Friday night.
Abarca said she hadn’t thought about the designation until she was being asked by a newspaper reporter.
“I thought about it for a moment, but I didn’t know,” Abarca said. “I just answered, ‘Being valedictorian means that I’ve worked hard.’”
Abarca went home and looked up the word in a dictionary. She developed this thought: For me, the valedictorian is a person that is both passionate about learning and willing to do what it takes to one day be crossing the stage to receive their diploma.
“I’m not the best student. Neither can I write, read or speak as well as my classmates do. I don’t have the best imagination or the most creativity,” Abarca said.
“Many people were saying I wasn’t enrolled in AP English or other advanced classes,” she added. “That made me feel I wasn’t the right person to be standing here today. If you’re dressed with your cap and gown, then congratulations. . . You are also a valedictorian.”
Abarca reminded everyone that, even though success is a human pursuit and endeavor, there is always a mighty supernatural hand influencing the outcome.
“I want to give the honor and glory to the only one that has blessed me so much more than I deserve, the one that has made me the person I am today, and that’s my Father, my Savior Jesus Christ,” she said.
Abarca was one of 142 graduates, the largest class in WHS history. Also speaking were salutatorians Stephanie Juarez and Caren Padilla. They took their classmates through a fanciful, playful recitation of the history of their young lives.
Class President Rafael Tapia bid adieu to his classmates by saying: “Each and everyone of you has the potential to change the world.”
Abarca shared thoughts about what is now her home town. She thought she was going to live in a big city like Los Angeles. She learned differently when her driver stopped for the last time.
“Luckily, I wanted to live in a small town,” she said.
“If you don’t know what you’re doing, someone else does,” she added.
Abarca loves Mattawa for many reasons, the most precious being that it taught here what it means to live in the United States.
“Living in Mattawa taught me that living in the USA is not a synonym for wealthiness, living a good life or having a good job,” she said. “The people in Mattawa have proved to me that living in the United States is a synonym for hard work, struggles, sacrifices, loneliness, courage, survivorship and, sometimes, it means being humiliated and rejected by others.
“Mattawa has taught me that life is not fair, but it’s still good. . . Mattawa is our parents, our brothers and sisters. Mattawa is our aunts and uncle. Mattawa is our friends and teachers. Mattawa is me, and Mattawa is you.”
Abarca went on to say: “Class of 2016, now is the time for us to become the people we always dreamed of being. This is the time to try your wings and see what lies beyond.
“I encourage you to go out there and do whatever makes you feel happy. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.”