Grads and Families Celebrate Live Oak High School Commencement

Jun 12, 2025 08:43AM ● By Connie Voss, photos by Connie Voss

Happy grads march and await the presentation of diplomas [9 Images] Click Any Image To Expand

LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) – A large crowd gathered at the Live Oak High School stadium to witness the ceremony for 72 graduating seniors.

Principal Tony Walton enthusiastically announced each student, with a few words about future plans and personalized thanks to those who helped along the way.

Plenty of noisemakers, air horns, balloons and confetti were used to celebrate the occasion. Many of the graduates decorated the flat portion of their hats known as “mortar boards.”

Senior Class President Tanisha Gosal addressed the students first.

“There were many all-nighters, expectations, back-to-back deadlines, personal struggles and days where graduation felt as if it might never come. There were still some fun moments hidden behind homework. There was never a dull moment while reading ‘The Crucible’ with Mr. Clemensen and his multiple personas. And who can forget when the cooking class caused back-to-back fire drills for a week?” said Gosal.

Gosal thanked the counselors, class advisors, a few friends and all the graduating class members for her success.

Making an analogy to an improperly-inflated soccer ball, Salutatorian Sophia Larson quoted her coach, Jose, saying, “‘If it rolls, it works.’”

Larson continued, “Life isn’t always going to be a perfectly-inflated soccer ball. You’re not always going to feel full of energy and confidence. Sometimes you’re going to feel flat, barely moving toward your goal but if you can keep rolling, keep pushing forward, it’s enough. Some of us will roll fast and straight to our goals. Some of us will get knocked down, deflate and roll a little slower but each of us will keep rolling. No matter what is going on in your life, it’s yours.”

Larson plans to become a math teacher.

“High school is like a never-ending game of poker,” said Valedictorian Gurman Hothi. “We were all dealt different hands at the start. Some of us had strong hands with talent, support and confidence, while others had terrible hands, with both challenges and self-doubt. Regardless of the hands we were dealt, though, we all had to go through the game. Transitioning into freshman year after distance learning (during COVID-19) was just like sitting down to a poker game for the first time, not knowing the rules and trying to bluff confidence. As the tasks piled up, most of us had to sacrifice our sleep, social lives and sanity. Panicking with a friend on the night that the Senior Portfolios were due (I barely got that in on time). I would argue that the memories that we made with others were far more valuable than a diploma could ever be. These are times we’ll never get back. What made high school so memorable is the people that we spent it with.”

Hothi gave thanks “to those who helped me to play my hand the best I could. At this moment, the deck is being reshuffled. Regardless of what path we take, we’ll be dealt new cards, at new tables. This is guaranteed to be followed by new challenges but if high school has taught us anything, it’s that you don’t need a perfect hand.”

Class of 2025 List of Graduates

* = CSF Lifetime Member

^ = Biliteracy Seal

# = Golden State Merit

Colten James Kennedy, Ibrahim Ahmed Khan, Safiha Khan, Sahar Khan * #, Kaylee Alexandra Lainez Gil, David Raymond Langley, Sophia Nicole Larson @ #, Ember Rae Ann Lewis, Shayla Renee Loyd, Melanie Elizabeth Luis, Carlos Adrian Lupercio, Anabella Joselid Maestra ^ #, Avnit Kaur Mahal #, Chukaria Amor Martin, Landon Lee Matlock, Alexa Medina, Miriam Vanessa Medina #, Kendra Simmone Mills, Jazmin Guadalupe Mireles Hernandez, Isaiah Marcelo-Juan Montgomery, Kevin Emiliano Montoya Lopez #, Danjery Moreno Zaragoza ^, Aysha Mushtaq, Anthony Naranjo, MyKayla Marie-Lynn Newton, Oscar David Osorio #, Johanna Lee Petrone, Jose Enrique Prado Rodriguez, Johnny Deole Mack Priddy, Marlon Quintana-Garcia, Aleena Isabel Ramirez, Angel Oziel Ramirez, Gabriel Emilio Ramirez, Mario Alexander Ramirez, Alexia Ramos, Diana Esmeralda Rangel Villalobos *, Lizet Renteria Romero #, Angel Silverio Rios, Fernando Ian Rios, Lorenzo Daniel Rios #, Kyler Anthony Robinson, Jonathan Puga Rodriguez, Mikaela Drew Rodriguez * #, Miguel Angel Rodriguez Vaca, Aaron Jeffrey Rogers, Michelle Delfina Salazar #, Sachin Sama, Aaron Sanchez, Jovani Gerardo Sandoval Esquivel, Anfaal Ali Shahid, Abagaile Lorine Shubert #, Vincent Alfonso Silva, Ria Kaur Sohal #, Joshua David Soto, Erica LouAnn Stewart #, Osvaldo Angel Tapia #, Tou Long Alphonse Thao, Tanner Orion Tillotson, Alejandra Tinoco, Cesilia Tinoco, Miguel ArmandoTorres, Martha Michelle Torres Hernandez, Alex Varona Barcenas, Gisel Socorro Villagomez *, Lyric Lorene Wiggins, Cha Tristian Xiong # and David Zamora.

California Scholarship Federation Life Members

Brisania Araujo, Jocelyn Duren, Tanisha Gosal, Yasleen Herrejon, Liam Hutchison, Sandrea Janda, Sahar Khan, Diana Rangel Villalobos,Mikaela Rodriguez and Gisel Villagomez.

Perpetual Awards

Agriculture: Madeleine Bole and Alejandra De La Cerda.

Allen Ott Award: Trenton Ehrke.

Art: Dayana Hernandez Murillo.

Female Athlete: Johanna Petrone.

Male Athlete: Trenton Ehrke.

Band: Yasleen Herrejon.

Choir: Ember Lewis.

Computer Science: Brisania Araujo.

Construction: Trevor Carrier.

Drama: Yasleen Herrejon.

English: Avnit Mahal.

Foreign Language: Gurman Hothi.

Industrial Technology: Colten Kennedy and Diego Caracheo.

Mathematics: Gurman Hothi.

Science: Gurman Hothi.

Senior Female: Alejandra De La Cerda.

Senior Male: Mason Eccles.

Social Science: Avnit Mahal.

Scholarships

*Live Oak Schools’ Foundation: Alejandra De La Cerda, Avnit Mahal, Liam Hutchison, Anabella Maestra, Sandrea Janda, Mikaela Rodriguez, Madeleine Bole, Yasleen Herrejon, Jocelyn Duren, Kayden Bergeron, Osvaldo Tapia, Miriam Medina, Michelle Salazar, Chukaria Martin & Brisania Araujo.

*Dr. Bruce M. Pope Athletic: Madeleine Bole.

*Jerry Marumoto Memorial: Avnit Mahal.

*Live Oak Grange: Alejandra De La Cerda & Madeleine Bole.

*Thelma Irene Schmidl Hospice: Lizet Renteria Romero.

*The Steven Owen Memorial: Alejandra De La Cerda.

*The Grit & Goodness: Chukaria Martin.

* The Womens’ Club: Tanisha Gosal.

* Gearald Darling Memorial Scholarship: Yasleen Herrejon.

The Live Oak Lions Club: Liam Hutchison and Osvaldo Tapia.

North Butte Masonic Lodge #230: Alejandra De La Cerda and Osvaldo Tapia.

The Pizza Factory: Lyric Wiggins and Alejandra De La Cerda & Mikaela Rodriguez.

The Penny Candy: Chukaria Martin.