SAN DIEGO — Local Catholic elementary and high school students will soon be sporting graduation caps and gowns and looking ahead to the next phase of their educational journeys.
Some 1,126 eighth-graders will be graduating from the 41 Catholic elementary schools in the Diocese of San Diego at ceremonies that will take place between May 23 and June 14.
At the high school level, there will be 1,179 graduating seniors. Commencement ceremonies will be held May 22 for the Academy of Our Lady of Peace; May 23 for Mater Dei Catholic, St. Augustine, and Vincent Memorial Catholic high schools; May 30 for Cristo Rey San Diego High School; and May 31 for Cathedral Catholic High School.
“Graduation is always an exciting time for students, parents and teachers,” said Leticia Oseguera, the diocese’s superintendent of schools. “It’s the culmination of all the hard work, sacrifice and diligence.”
She noted that this year’s graduating seniors were seventh-graders when the COVID-19 pandemic began, completed eighth-grade with a combination of distance-learning and in-person instruction, and then were the first class to experience all four years of high school free from the restrictions and protocols of the COVID era.
“They are the first class to go through four years of high school post-pandemic,” she said. “They represent resilience and strength.”
For Oseguera, this year’s graduation season is especially meaningful, since her own daughter is among the graduating eighth-graders at Mater Dei Catholic Elementary School. Oseguera previously served as that school’s principal from 2017 to 2022, when she became superintendent.
“As a mom, I can say that all parents are incredibly proud of their children,” she said. “Graduating from a Catholic school makes it even more special.”
Oseguera expressed her hopes for all of this year’s graduates.
“I hope the students recognize the gift that they have received through their Catholic education,” she said. “I hope they have grown in their faith, reached new academic heights and are ready to make a difference in the world.”
