The graduates of GOAL High School faced many challenges but ultimately were able to find success. A commencement ceremony for the school’s northeast region was held Wednesday at Northeastern Junior College, with 47 graduates walking across the stage to receive their diplomas and 248 graduates total recognized.
The ceremony started with the graduates proceeding into the Bank of Colorado Event Center to the traditional “Pomp and Circ*mstance.” Once inside, Dustin Seger recognized staff, parents, family members and supporters of the students, as well as past, current and future military service members, and there was a performance of the “National Anthem.”
Next, Cameron McLaughlin, principal for GOAL’s northeast region, gave remarks.
“Each day I am honored and humbled by the amazing students and staff we have. The dedication and perseverance of each of the students here today is truly remarkable. Each one of these students before you have overcome challenges and persevered through challenging times to find success. Their success is what we are here today to celebrate. Class of 2024, welcome to your last high school experience, we are all very proud of you,” he said.
While GOAL does not have a traditional valedictorian and salutatorian, the school did select two graduates to share their stories based on their passion, dedication and perseverance in earning their diplomas.
The first student speaker was Darylea Dory; she spoke about not liking school from a young age and deciding to leave Brush School District after an incident during her sophom*ore year of high school. The following year, her parents homeschooled her and enrolled her in Morgan Community College but her senior year she was unsure she wanted to continue that route; then her family was told about GOAL High School.
“Through GOAL I was given the opportunity to start taking concurrent classes here at NJC and in doing so I found a way to actually enjoy education. I have been able to focus more on classes that are more relevant to my future,” Dory said, thanking the staff at GOAL for supporting her.
She now has over half of the credits needed for an associate of animal science degree and an associate of ag communication degree. Dory was also chosen as an ASCENT (Accelerating Students through Concurrent Enrollment) student and will finish her associate degree this fall at NJC, after which she plans to continue her education at Kansas State University, studying bovine genetics and ruminant nutrition.
“All of these things I would not have been able to accomplish without GOAL. They have allowed me to follow my interests within the ag industry, where I hope to continue on as I progress throughout my life,” Dory said.
The second student speaker was Destiny Kucheran, who spoke about the struggles that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the graduating class, causing them to miss out on some of the highlights of their high school years.
“We had to constantly adapt and overcome new obstacles,” she said. “Little did we know, four years later we would all be here today celebrating this amazing accomplishment. Online classes were quite a struggle, yet these same classes often forced the utmost creativity out of us. With the support of our teachers and the flexibility of the staff, this program and the resources they offer I was able to get my full education with the ability to be home when needed and with family when needed, I was still able to have a full-time job as well. I could get ahead of the game and work on creating a better future for myself.”
As the graduates move on to new chapters, she shared a quote with them from John Carmack: “Focused, hard work is the real key to success. Keep your eyes on the goal, and just keep taking the next step towards completing it. If you aren’t sure which way to do something, do it both ways and see which works better.”
“Let’s approach the future with courage and optimism, as we go forth, may we remember where we came from and who we are. My fellow graduates congratulations, our adventure begins now, I just want all of you to remember that you may not know where you’re going from here and that’s okay, you are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream,” Dory told her fellow graduates, encouraging them to never give up on their goals.
Next, Kimberly Tappy, assistant principal for the Sterling site, recognized graduates who were part of GOAL’s student leadership; earned college credit while simultaneously completing their high school coursework; earned a CTE college training certificate while completing their high school coursework; earned a AA or college certificate while completing their high school coursework; were accepted into the ASCENT program; have enlisted into the military; earned workforce certificates while earning high school diplomas; and earned a gold, silver and bronze on the workforce test.
Graduates earning a trade certificate include Charlotte Bates, Torrance Black, Odessa Brown, Chloe Carter, Briette Garrett, Dakota Keir, Michael Kissell, Cayden Luginbill, Lyric Rockwell, Emmanuel Rojas, Ashlynn Roys, Zach Ryan, Mikakoda Seybolt, Andrew Smith and Aidan Walter.
Graduates earning concurrent enrollment credits include Grace Alexander, Charlotte Bates, Rorie Berry, Torrance Black, Katie Boettcher, Jaiden Brdar-Steele, Gavin Brown, Odessa Brown, Carley Cartwright, Madelyn Chouteau, Domingo Garcia, Briette Garrett, Aliana Garza, Gael Gomez, Rieley Grimes, Kady Hanson, Destiny Hill, Brock Hutcheson, Brayden J. Johnson, Dakota Keir, Zachary Keller, Cayden Luginbill, Sage Morrison, Angel O’Dowd, Preston Robertson, Lyric Rockwell, Danialle Roe, Emmanuel Rojas, Zach Ryan, Francisco Serrano, Miakoda Seybolt, Cody Smithey Snelling, Sherlyn Soto, Jillian Spradlin, Alexia Stanfill, Laila Steele, Nicole Thorpe, Hollie J. Walther, Grace Williams and Adeline Zavala.
After graduate recognition, Karla Ash, senior director of accountability, presented GOAL’s $1,000 staff scholarship to Sterling site graduate Adrienne Chenoweth. She is one of 11 scholarship recipients across Colorado this year. Since 2011, GOAL has given over $112,000 to 113 students.
Then it was the moment the graduates waited for. Deborah Morton, chief finance officer, presented the class to Ash, who accepted them and they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas.
Once all the diplomas were handed out, new graduates Ty Taylor and Lacey Woods led their classmates in the tassel change and Tappy left the new graduates with some parting remarks, sharing the philosophy of Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip. She asked them to name the five wealthiest people in the world, the last five Heisman trophy winners and 10 people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
“The point is none of us remember the headliners of yesterday,” she said. “Awards tarnish, achievements are forgotten, accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.”
In a message from GOAL staff, Tappy went on to point out to the graduates that “the people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards, they are simply the ones who cared the most. We hope we made a difference in your life, we wish you the best.”
Following her remarks, the graduates receded out of the gym and on to the next chapter of their lives.
Those recognized at the ceremony included Charlotte Bates, Torrance Black, Ciddalee Blanton, Adonika Bolt, Jaiden Brdar-Steele, Owen Bruce, Adrienne Chenoweth, Madelyn Chouteau, Alexis Conner, Ethan Dannar, Darylea Dory, Alexia Escalera, Conner Fitzpatrick, Briette Garrett, Gael Gomez, Aidan Howell, Jonathan Jerrell, Desirea Kucheran, Destiny Kucheran, Evilynn Lester, Edison Lightner, Sahara Lucero, Molly Meza, Triston Milheim, Jason Moore, Jeffery Morrison, Angel O’Dowd, Shania Payne, Nayelly Ramirez, Emma Revita-Wagner, Andres Robles, Lyric Rockwell, Emily Rodriguez, Ashlynn Roys, Miakoda Seybolt, Andrew Smith, Cody Smithey Snelling, Sherlyn Soto, Jillian Spradlin, Brenton Swoape, Caden Tarver, Ty Taylor, Emily Villarreal, Baylie Withers, Lacey L. Woods and Chase Woolery.
Also recognized by not present were: Abby Aboytes, Madison Adams, Grace Alexander, Malea Alps, Melanie Alvarado Zacarias, Izabell Armendariz-Gonzalez, Gabriel Ramirez Arteaga, Ashlynne Barnes, Gaege Beeby, Mianna Beltran, Rorie Berry, Drayden Blanco, Katie Boettcher, Darlee Boren, Jacklyn Brewton, Gavin Brown, Odessa Brown, Jackie Buffington, Kateri Cagle, Tianna Camacho, Amarah Carr, Chloe Carter, Carley Cartwright, Joslyn Casarez, A.J. Chermak, Beau Colgate, Isaac Collier, Gavin Corio, Jessie Craven, Isnala Cross, Kolton Culler, Chance Curell, Emalee Decow, Zechariah Dillon, Yuridia Dominguez Romero, Yesenia Dominquez, Elijah Douglas, Neveah Elkins, Jayden English, Irlanda Martinez, Isaac Erickson, Valentin Esquivel, Christopher Fernandez, Hunter Filler, Valerie Fiscus-Duarte, Brian Daniel Flores, Alex Ford, Tyler Gonzales, Domingo Garcia, Sylis Garcia, Sofia Garcia-Loya, Aliana Garza, Jo-Ray Anthony Garza, Zoe Goltz, Arely Gonzalez, Marilyn Martinez, Rieley Grimes, Wyatt Gudmundson, Austin Guereca, Red Gutierrez, Elizabeth Xalderon, Owen Hagemeister, Shaylee Hansen, Kady Hanson, Bailey Hembree, Jayleen Hernandez Jackson, Heraldo Hernandez, Rebecca Hernandez, Vianca Garza, Destiny Hill, Cassidy Hoffman, Nelly Venegas, Brock Hutcheson, Jackson Hutcheson, Elizabeth Isaacs, Berlin Jackson, Israel Jacobs, Hailey Jay, Hailee Jenkins, Padyn Johnsen, Brayden Johnson, Hailey Johnson, Jospeh Johnston, Dakota Keir, Talan Keiter, Zachary Keller, Drake Kelly, Erin Kester, Garrit Kirkpatrick, Michael Kissell, Austin Levy, Jordan Vicente, Eladio Loma, Sarea Lopez, Elizabeth Lozano, Gabriela Lucero, Cayden Luginbill, Angela Madaleno, Saint Madaleno, Keoki Maguire, Rogelio Manjarrez, Asher Manning, Isaiah Henandez, Destiny Martinez, Kaden Matson, Olivia May, Brayden McBeth, Elijah McCune, Saryn Mesta, Alex Miller, Angel Milligan, Zachary Minney, Diantae Montes, Dianae Montel, Matthew Montgomery, Lilly Moore, Shantae Moreno-Roque, Harmony Moretti, Sage Morisson, Jesse Murguia, Ayden J. Murray, Lexi Navarrette Johnson, Dayne Olsen, London Pabst, Timothy Packard, Sarah Palacio, Madison Palser, Alessandra Panteloglow Diaz, Elena Paolasso, Andrea Paredes, Jakob Parker, Sydney Parks, Rheice Oarra, Abram Paulin Colin, Emerson Pearl, Amber Pemble, Alexia Perez, Joshua Piccarretto, Ezekiel Pierce, Kirsten Pillard, Michael Pineda, Bryson Potts, Sianna Powell Rodriguez, Jackson Powner, Grey Prout, Thania Pulido Martinez, Yareidy Ramos Rodriguez, Ethen Rivas, Jaylene Rivera, Nariah Rivera, Preston Robertson, Denise Robles, Cynthia Rodriguez, Diego Rodriguez, Danialle Roe, Emmanuel Rojas, Katherine Ruiz, Zach Ryan, Luis Slazar, Estefania Salinas, Angelice Sanchez, Mariah Santillan, Antonio Casanova, Kira Sunders, Chase Seibach, Efraim Sepeda III, Ivorie Serna, Francisco Serrano, Larry Sherwood, Zora Smith, Kody Smyth, Alexia Stanfill, Laila Steele, Jackson Strain, Preston Tenbrook, Matthew Thigpen, Alexa Thoren, Nicole Thorpe, Michael Torres, Tyler Tracy, Gabby Trevino, Tristen Tuttle, Adriana Pillardo, Mason Vargas, Emmanuel Vasquez, Devin Vaughn, Tori Vaughn, Kendall Wagner, Sidney Wagner, Aidan Walter, Hollie J. Wlather, Leighla Watt-Ulery, Audrey Weisdorfer, Dravyn Alaina, Brodie Wilcoxen, Grace Williams, Des Wilson, Peyton Yager and Adeline Zavala.
