By Veronica Fernandez, Ramona Convent
Ramona Convent Seniors were celebrated with a beautiful traditional ceremony. The sun shone brightly as did the spirit of our graduates, families, and friends.
Ramona was honored to welcome back Danielle Cendejas ’00 as Commencement speaker. After graduating from Ramona Convent, she attended Gonzaga University where she studied Political Science and Applied Communications. She is currently a political strategist with more than 15 years of experience working with candidate and advocacy campaigns and was recently appointed to Gonzaga University’s Board of Regents.
To start the ceremony, she stepped up to the podium and welcomed the Class of 2024 to the Ramona alumnae sisterhood and congratulated them on their hard work, dedication, and resilience. She reminded graduates that “your Ramona education is a competitive advantage. Remember that you’ve earned these opportunities. You belong. Know the value you bring to these spaces. When you have an opportunity to recruit a team, reach out to your sisterhood. Open the door for other women to join you on the journey. Be a mentor so that younger women can follow in your footsteps.”
Sidney Nicole Barrientos, Class of 2024, Ramona Salutatorian, shared, “Starting high school under full lockdown seemed impossible but everything turned out fine. We don’t know what college will look like for each of us but no matter what, remember that change is good. Embrace change. Try new things. Keep on growing. Be brave, because all of us are capable of such great things.” After each graduate received her diploma, an impressive list of honors and awards was read for each student.
The college prep and selection process is a four-year journey of exploration, self-discovery, hard work, and growth. Members of the Class of 2024 earned over $6 million in merit scholarships and have been accepted to more than 170 colleges and universities across the United States, each student finding the school that’s the best fit for her.
Ramona Convent is a welcoming Catholic college-prep high school for young women committed to excellence in education. Ramona’s graduates are empowered, resilient, socially-conscious leaders well prepared to meet the challenges of life as contributing members of the global community with the strength of a legacy of more than 130 years of distinction.
Ramona Convent Secondary School, 1701 W. Ramona Rd, Alhambra, CA 91803, (626) 282-4151 or visit ramonaconvent.org.
