Twenty-two Options High School students received their high school diplomas at the 2017 December Completion Ceremony.
Dr. José Espinoza, superintendent of Socorro Independent School District; Dr. Armando Aguirre, executive director of Region 19; Tonie Badillo, dean of dual credit and early college high schools for El Paso Community College; and Dr. Magdalena Aguilar, Options principal, were there to congratulate the graduates.
“Today is a remarkable day to celebrate this awesome achievement,” Espinoza said to the students. “It’s a day to reflect on how hard you worked to get here. It’s a day to continue your journey to a successful future. It took ganas to get here. It’s ganas that will take you far in life.”
Dr. Aguilar was proud of her students and happy to share their achievement.
“There are a lot of trial and error and many challenges,” Aguilar said. “I talk to them on a daily basis and hear them out. That’s why when this day arrives it’s so special. It’s most fulfilling for me.”
Before receiving his diploma, Victor Martinez remembered how he took a wrong turn at 18 and what it took to get back on the road to graduation.
“I had a great opportunity when I was at El Dorado (High School),” Martinez said. “I had a future and I had ideas. I knew what I was going to do when I graduated. I wanted to start an apparel business. But then I started missing a lot of school. I just couldn’t catch up.”
Three years later, Martinez discovered that life without a high school diploma was no way to live.
“Without an education, I couldn’t realize my dream,” he said. “Without an education, I wasn’t going anywhere. No future. No dreams. My little brother kept trying to convince me to come back, so I did.”
When he arrived at Options, Martinez worked hard to earn his diploma. He is now on his way to achieving his dreams, he said. He plans to college and to go from there.
“I made a decision that would affect the rest of my life,” Martinez said. “This is just a stepping stone to the rest of my life.”
The Completion Ceremony was held on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at the Options High Campus. To view SISD’s gallery of the graduation, click here.
