As graduating senior Hayley looked out over the faces of nearly 250 of her fellow classmates assembled in their graduation caps and gowns, she started talking about the shared story they had made together during their high school years at Venture Academy Family of Schools.
As freshman, they walked together into the same unknown territory of high school.
As sophomores, they had grown and acquired enough experience to feel more comfortable about where they were.
As juniors, they continued to mature and enjoyed the privileges and respect that came with being an upperclassman.
And as seniors, they made memories together that would last a lifetime, she said. "This is a year most of us will store in the backs of our brains for the rest of our lives."
Hayley was one of the student speakers at the University of the Pacific's Alex G. Spanos Center on May 24 as the Class of 2018 bid farewell to high school at their commencement ceremony.
Feelings flooded into the students and families gathered there.
"Excited. Nervous. Proud," is how Christian from Delta Vista Academy felt before the ceremony. "The hard work paid off." He also said the graduating seniors had help from family and each other to get this far.
Jaden, also from Delta Vista, said what he'd remember most was all the work he'd done. He said he felt confident and ready to walk up onto the stage and receive his diploma, but it didn't still really feel like graduation. "It hasn't hit me, yet."
Out in the audience, Erika Gallegos and her family had grabbed prime seats at the front to watch her two sons, Erick from Delta Vista and Edson from Excel Academy.
"I'm proud. I love it," she said. "They're passing to another level. They're more mature."
The graduating seniors were not the only Venture students passing a major milestone this spring.
Eighth-graders celebrated at their promotion ceremony on the Venture soccer field on May 25.
"It was overwhelming," said Kailea, who also sang at the ceremony. "It's a really good experience to go through, especially to be surrounded by the ones you love."
One of those loved ones is her father, Danny Vergara.
"I feel very proud of my daughter."
Next year, Kailea and her classmates will return to Venture Academy has high school freshmen. They'll have to wait until 2022 before they don their own caps and gowns as high school graduates.