Congratulations graduates! You have grown and excelled in the classroom, in the arts, on the athletic field, in leadership roles and in service to your community. You are an extraordinary group of young adults headed to colleges and universities across the nation, incredibly well prepared for the remarkable journey ahead. We are very proud of you, and have great faith in you. Remain true to yourselves and your Tartan values. We look forward to seeing your lives unfold with meaning and purpose.
Tartans Forever!
San Clemente High School Class of 2026
BY ANGELICA ESCOBAR
The June 4 graduation ceremony for San Clemente High School’s Class of 2026 was one to remember as thousands packed into Thalassa Stadium to celebrate the school’s 62nd commencement.
Principal Dr. Brad Baker, a 1996 SCHS graduate himself, addressed the graduating class with a speech centered on leadership, courage and taking initiative as students prepare for the next chapter of their lives.
“The world does not need more people waiting in the background. It needs people willing to lead with courage, with kindness and character,” Baker said during his address.
Baker encouraged graduates to “go first,” sharing stories about leadership, kindness and the importance of stepping forward even when the future feels uncertain. He reflected on lessons learned throughout his own journey and challenged students to be leaders in their communities, classrooms and future careers.
The first commencement speaker and Scholar of Scholars, Darla Larson, was followed by Sean Revetti and senior class president Santana DelCastillo, each of whom delivered personal and heartfelt messages to their fellow graduates.
Throughout their remarks, the student speakers reflected on the friendships, memories and experiences that defined their years at San Clemente High School while encouraging their classmates to embrace the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
The ceremony also included recognition of district officials, local leaders and retiring educators whose years of service helped shape generations of students throughout the Capistrano Unified School District.
Following the conferring of diplomas, graduates participated in the traditional moving of the tassels before celebrating with family, friends and faculty members as members of the Class of 2026 officially became San Clemente High School alumni.
SCHS Principal Dr. Brad Baker Graduation Address
Class of 2026… congratulations.
Tonight is more than a graduation ceremony. It’s a starting line. It’s the moment where you move from who you’ve been… to who you are becoming.
And as you leave San Clemente High School, there’s one idea I hope stays with you: Go first. Thirty years ago, I sat exactly where you’re sitting.
In 1996, I walked this very stage. Same campus. Same ocean breeze. Same excitement and uncertainty about what came next.
Sure, life was different. We had pay phones, paper maps and if you liked someone, you had to call their house and hope their parents didn’t answer first. That alone gives your generation a huge advantage. But what I admire most about this class is this:
You know how to step forward. You know how to lead. And you know how to go first.
One of your classmates, Saxon Goth, shared a quote with me this year that stuck:
“The clock only runs one way.”
And he’s right.
Time moves forward.
Life moves forward.
And eventually, all of us reach moments when we have to decide whether we’ll stay comfortable ... or go first.
You grew up in a world filled with different pressures, expectations and constant change. Yet through all of it… you kept showing up.
You supported each other. You adapted. You kept moving forward. And that matters.
Because the people who change the world are rarely the people waiting for permission. They’re the people willing to raise their hand first.
To care first. To lead first. Going first takes courage. It’s easy to follow the crowd. It’s harder to set the tone.
This year, I watched a moment on campus that I’ll never forget. One student was sitting alone at lunch. Another student noticed him. Nobody asked. Nobody told
him to go over there. But he sat down beside him. Started talking. Shared lunch with him. And within minutes, everything changed.
By the end of lunch, that student was smiling. The rest of the day, he carried himself differently.
That’s what going first looks like. Not attention. Not recognition. Not applause. Just choosing kindness before someone else does.
Because years from now, people may not remember your GPA, your stats or your titles. But they will remember your character. They will remember how you made people feel.
As you leave here tonight, there will be moments ahead when life feels uncertain. Moments when plans change. Moments when you doubt yourself. Moments when you wonder whether you’re ready. The truth is … nobody ever feels completely ready.
But readiness isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being willing to take the next step anyway. And you are more ready
than you think. You already know how to overcome challenges. You already know how to adapt.
And you already know how to lead when it matters most.
So when you walk onto a college campus … into a workplace… onto a team… or into a room where nobody knows your name yet…
Be the person who goes first. Be the first to say hello. The first to include someone. The first to stand up for what’s right. The first to bring energy. The first to bring hope. Because you never know whose life might change simply because you chose to step forward.
Class of 2026 …
The world does not need more people waiting in the background. It needs people willing to lead with courage. With kindness. With character. It needs people like you. So go first. Go lead. Go serve. Go create. Go make things better.
Class of 2026 ...
The clock only runs one way. So don’t wait. Go first. Congratulations, Tritons!
SCHS Scholar of Scholars Darla
Larson Graduation Address
Good afternoon, everyone. Before anything else, I’d like to thank the people who helped us get here. Thank you to our families for all the car rides, cheering us on at sporting events, and for being here today. Thank you to our teachers, coaches, and Triton staff who challenged us to think both critically and creatively, and who believed we could always do better. And thank you to our classmates, who made us laugh and turned ordinary school days into long-lasting memories.
For most of our lives, we’ve been preparing for what comes next. We prepared for middle, then high school. We prepared for exams, tryouts, college applications, and job interviews. It often felt like we were constantly looking toward the next milestone.
And now we’ve reached one.
The strange thing is that none of us really knows what comes after this. We all have plans, of course, whether that’s attending college or entering the workforce. But for the first time in a long time, the path ahead isn’t completely mapped out.
I think that’s both terrifying and exciting. Because some of the best moments in life happen when things don’t go exactly according to plan. They happen when we take a class we never expected to enjoy. When we talk to someone who becomes a close friend. When we try something new and discover a passion we didn’t know we had.
And sometimes, life forces us to pivot in ways we never expected. Like many of us have already learned, things don’t always work out exactly the way we imagined. For five years, I had my heart set on attending the same school my older siblings attended. When I didn’t get accepted, I
not only felt the disappointment of being rejected, but also that feeling of “now what?” But, those moments teach us to be resilient and adaptable, and often lead us to exciting new places we’d never considered before. I now can’t wait to explore an unfamiliar place and forge my own path. Looking back, I know I will not remember every grade I got or every assignment I turned in. What I’ll remember are the unexpected moments: the bus rides to games, the teachers who made us chocolate chip cookies or helped us plant a garden, and the people who made school feel a little less stressful and a lot more fun. Those moments weren’t always part of the plan. They were just things we experienced because we showed up.
As we leave tonight, I hope we continue to do that, because life is at its best when we’re willing to step into something unfamiliar. None of us know exactly where we’ll be in five or ten years. But that’s okay. The future doesn’t come with clear instructions. That’s what makes it exciting. What matters is that we’re willing to be present for it, to say yes to opportunities and to welcome the occasional detour.
I want to close with some advice my grandpa gave me every time we played golf together. I’d be on the green, lining up my putt, and, without fail, he’d say, “Short putts never go in.” It was his way of telling me to take some risks and be brave even if it was easier to play it safe. Wherever life takes us next, I hope we take chances and embrace the uncertainty ahead.
So to the Class of 2026: thank you for the friendships and the unplanned moments that made these years unforgettable.
Congratulations, graduates. We did it!
St. Margaret’s
Episcopal School SC Grads
Enzo Alexander
Bertolino
Fiona Bonilla Duncan
Sophia Grace Bullock
Rylee Jessica Carlson
Miles Patrick Eaton
Cailyn Kristine Fisher
Alexander James Fluman
Drew Enzo Ghandehari
Xiji Li
Hudson Robert Locke
Claire Elyse Martin
Paige Katherine Minton
Archer Johnathan Spindle
Jacob Ryan Sprague Rohen Vargo
Santa Margarita Catholic High School SC Grads
Tannor Bachhuber
Ava Bouchereau
Jessica Collazo
Sarina Eddo
Carter Evers
Genova Fernandez
Landon Frank
Logan Grace
Reid Gwin
Bradley Hager
Judah Jacobs
Sophia Kelmar
Pedro Mattiazo
Ethan Nachman
Aidan Pla Fenton Regan
Luke Scopaz
Alexander Sheehan
Aiden Sievers
Emma Silva Andi Sison
Jonah Stonecypher Liem Vo
Tyler Walsh Feiyang Zhang
JSerra Catholic School
Nicholas Abraham
Sofia Abraham
Audrey Abrahams
Isabella Aftabi
Arn Albertson
Layla Allen
Addison Alvarez
William Alvarez
Troi Arthur-Taufaao
Christopher Austin
Bailey Bactat
Jaden Bailes
Nolan Baker
Chase Bauer
Catherine Beadles
Elle Beck
Lily Beckstead
Alexander Bekis
Giovanni Berger
Kate Berkus
Greta Beyer
Arthur Bimont
Andrea Bintintan
Luke Bittner
Alex Blair
Colin Bonswor
Brise Boop
Gavin Bos
Blake Bowen
Andrew Broussard
Kaden Brown
John Bruce
Abigale Bryan
Kelly Burke
Jack Burnett
Niccolò Butera
Bianca Butler
Karina Cabral
MaddalenaCabral
Jinning Cai
Cali Campbell
Gianna Carlile
Cole Carlson
Sally Caruso
Danika Cashion
Omar Caudillo
Josephine Cefalia
Emmerson Champagne
Darren Chi
Leonardo Chiavacci
Thomas Chugay
Minha Chung
Brody Church
Chase Clements
Abigail Coakley
Alexandra Cobb
Elijah Collins
Connor Colman
Aidan Coltman
Taylor Conley
Niamh Crawford
Zachary Criger
Sofia Cutone
Caitlyn Davidson
JohnPaul de Santos
Jordin Deller
Julian DeSigio
Wyatt Dever
Mia DeWames
Eva Dietrich
Emma Doss
Audrey Dowd
Garrett Dudenhoeffer
Teagan Dumain
Sayre Duran
Zena Edwards
Aidan Eisenberg
Chloe Elbaz
Gabby Elbaz
Bethan Elliott
Liliana Escobar
Jacob Eshenko
Jack Ewing
Madison Ey
Cade Faul
Connor Faul
Landon Feltham
Josiah Filo
Troy Filo
Rhyse Fitzsimmons
Hunter Frates
Luke Friedl
Amanda Garrett
Jack Gentile
Ava Geoghegan
Tyler Gerhardt
Grace Giraldin
Riley Godber
Shay Goddard
Matthew Golden
Ariana Gonzalez
Jacob Good
David Goodrich
Nicole Gorgy
Thomas Gormley
Otto Graham
Gianna Grass
Zachary Greene
Jane Gregor-Orr
Katie Guinosso
Jenna Haggard
Joshua Haney
Finnian Hannegan
Mireya Hardman
Abigail Hauke
Raegan Haynes
Ding He
Mackenzie Hennessey
Ryder Hess
Annabelle Higerd
Brandon Hoff
Molly Hogan
Olive Hopkins
Minghan Huang
Peiyuan Huo
Molly Hux
Chloe Hwang
Isabella Ibarra
Taylor Jefferson
Grady Jenkins
Jessica Jenkins
Sophia Jenkins
Milan Jepsen
Zhiyu Jiang
Presley Johnson
Nile Jones
George Joseph
Ella Joutz
Cosette Julian Giovanna Julian
Ava Kabiri
Eya Kane
Reese Katkin
Maya Kelsch
Braden Kensel
Valerie Kim
Emerson Kirk
Graham Kitcher
Katherine Knauft
Ethan Knowlton
Reagan Knowlton
Paulina Kolenic
Emmett Kopp
Allison Kraiss
Julius Kristensen
Dylan Krugh
Massimo Latini
Sienna Lawton
Katherine Layk
Jacob LeBrun
Wenjie Leng
Nathan Leovao
Narvaez
Kaitlyn Letien
Shangjia (Sharlene) Li
Xiang Li
Yijie Liang
Kaya Lim
Alexander Liquori
Douglas Lorimer
Natalia Makhail
Coco Makos
Peyton Marinos
Camille Marquez
Daniella Marquez
Jake Marquis
Alexandra Marsh
Isabella Mashour
Kamryn McCord
Jayden McDermott
Julia McDonough
Eden Meissner
Jack Melenick
Emily Meyer
Cole Meza
Luke Miller
Cassius Millett
Bradley Mills
Alden Morales
Ava Moreno
Sara Moynihan
Makena Murray
Natalie Myers
Braden Ng
Han Ngo
Zacarias Nickerson
Skylar Noble
Audrey Nobles
Dylan Noriega
Charlotte Nowak
Megan O’Donnell
Mariana Offenheiser
William Oh
Cristian Ortiz
Sloane Paulson
Huy Pham
Sophia Phillips
James Placey
Benjamin Poli
Jonah Porzio
Justin Powell
Tessa Purvis
Hannah Quinn
Jonas Ransford
Helena Reuter
Will Rice
Samantha Ringgold
Tayla Rizzone
Eduardo Robles
Madeline Rodriguez
Del Toro
Katelyn Romano
Riley Scott Rosario
Monohan
Charlie Rush
Takashi Rutherford
Sophia Rygiol
Rhys Sakayan
Peyton Salas
Emilio Salgado
Jack Sauers
Ava Savasta
Hudson Schweer
Jarod Sersansie
Cameron Shafizadeh
Kaden Shahinian
Owen Shaw
Veronica Sheftic
Samuel Smith
Anthony Solliday
Catherine Sprague
Mason Stephens
Paige Stephens
Charley Stephenson
Asher Stevenson
Sophia Stewart
Jackson Story
Lillian Streech
Luke Sun
Scarlett Swanson
Audrey Tantiprasut
Kaylah Tasser
Mason Taylor
Joseph Terry
Jadian Joseph Teves-Castro
Noah Thayer
Sophia Thompson
Landon Thrush
Piper Titus
Rocco Tompkins
Dylan Varenchik
Sydney Veazey
Alejandro Villamizar
Julia Vlahos
Matthew Vlahos
Joshua Vu
Scarlett Vukich
Arina Wagner
Charlotte Walrod
Hansford Warner
Mia Wensinger
Ava Wensley
Madeline Weston
William Wight
Paloma Wilkinson
Brennan Wonsley-Tre-
ichler
Addison Wood
Maya Woolforde
Nora Wright
Tegan Wright
Manni Wu
Aidan Yeager
Andrew Yeager
Samantha Zacharias
Taylor Zawistoski
Junrui Zhang
YiNuo Zhang
Yifei Zhao
Jianuo Zhu
Ava Ziegler
Emily Zimmerman
Emily Zora
Capistrano Valley Christian School SC Grads
Capistrano Valley Christian Schools helps students build a foundation that lasts. Through academic excellence, Christ-centered discipleship, and a community that truly knows and cares for every student, we prepare young people to thrive in college, lead with integrity, and pursue God's purpose for their lives.
