About 800 students from El Camino Real Charter High School strode across the graduation stage on Friday, June 7, with confidence that came from four years of perseverance.
The Woodland Hills charter school’s class of 2024 began high school during pandemic-era distance learning, but overcame the academic and social challenges of COVID-19 isolation to go on to graduation.
The graduates celebrated their academic milestone with hugs, speeches, decorated graduation caps and bittersweet tears. Family and friends gave the El Camino royals a roaring send off at the graduation ceremony, which was held in the school’s stadium.
“You have maneuvered through four years of high school and are ready to encounter the real world,” said David Hussey, the school’s executive director. “Lift yourself up by lifting others, be positive and use your heart to bring good.”
In her graduation speech, El Camino valedictorian Sriya Sai Pushpa Datla expressed the importance of “gratitude for each other.” Datla will attend Brown University’s program in liberal medical education in the fall, allowing her to complete both her undergraduate degree and medical school at Brown over the course of eight years—graduating in the class of 2032.
“Our class has faced unprecedented challenges, but we have also shown resilience,” Datla said. “One thing remains constant: our legacy.”
The ceremony featured live student performances of the national anthem and “I Lived” by OneRepublic.
El Camino is known for its powerhouse academic decathlon team, which took home this year’s national title in April, for the second year in a row. The team competed in a variety of academic matches against 59 teams from across the country. Many of the school’s competitors graduated on Friday, having started out on the team as strangers but emerging as supportive friends.
As they embark on the next stages of their lives, the graduates carry the memories of their proud high school community with them.