and pursue an engineering degree. Like Noe, Enrique Diaz is
the son of immigrant parents and completed a field of study
that Hispanic students don’t typically pursue. During his high
school career, Noe played volleyball, ran cross country and
was a member of the track and field team. He says his track
and field coaches, Art and Cathy Silva, created a second fam-
ily for him by opening their home to provide a place for the
team to congregate and offering tutoring for student-athletes.
Noe immersed himself in the Gilroy High community and was
a part of the Interact Club, California Scholarship Federation,
Rebirth the Earth, student government (as the Publications
Chair), Link Crew, STEM Club and served as the Editor-in-
Chief of the Yearbook. His suggestion, “It’s the Little Things,”
was chosen as the theme for the 2018-19 Yearbook, and ac-
cording to Noe, is the best yearbook that Gilroy High School
has ever published! Noe graduated with the Seal of Biliteracy
and presented the student welcome in Spanish at graduation.
He wants to make his parents proud and give back to them
for all they’ve given him. He has also committed to give back
to the Gilroy community as it has given to him and hopes
to establish a scholarship program to assist other graduating
seniors as they move forward with their education.
Nietnimol Khay
Christopher High School
“Through hardships to the stars”
Niet Khay is a Christopher
High School graduate and will
enter Stanford University in
the fall as a human biology/
pre-med major with a minor
in Comparative Racial Stud-
ies with an Asian-American focus. She wants is considering a
career in pediatric medicine providing service to the Cambo-
dian community in the Bay Area. Her career choice follows
in the footsteps of her father, who is a family doctor, and her
brother and sister who are both currently attending medical
school. Niet attended Luigi Aprea Elementary and Brownell
Middle School before high school. While at Christopher High
School, she played three years of varsity tennis and served
as the Senior Class Secretary and Commissioner of Clubs
and Classes for the Associated Student Body. But her greatest
impact during her high school career was through the Interact
Club, which is a service club sponsored by Rotary. Niet joined
Interact as a freshman and held officer positions at her school
before serving as the District Council Area 9 Director during
her senior year. This summer, Niet and eight other Interact
members traveled to Germany to participate in the Rotary
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
International Convention. While there, they hosted a booth
for Rotarians and led a breakout session with a panel dis-
cussion for 200 attendees. This summer, she will serve as a
Camp RYLA counselor, which is a week-long leadership pro-
gram for high school students, in Santa Cruz. Niet’s parents
both immigrated to America from Cambodia as young adults
in the 1980’s, seeking a better life in the aftermath of the
Khmer Rouge Regime. Her father completed medical school
and established his practice in America and Niet credits her
mother with providing the support and encouragement for
her and her siblings to achieve their dreams. She says that
her biology teacher, Mr. Kelly, was instrumental in preparing
for college rigor and her English teacher, Ms. Baumgartner,
helped her become a more confident writer.
Jayden Castro
Graduation Alliance on the Mt.
Madonna High School campus.
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow
is the future. Today is a gift and
that’s why they call it the pres-
ent.”
Jayden Castro graduated
from the Graduation Alliance
program at Mt. Madonna High School on June 4 with 132
other seniors, although he actually finished his high school
graduation requirements in January. Graduation Alliance
is a self-paced, online program for students who are eager
to finish their high school careers. Upon finishing his high
school credits, Jayden immediately enrolled as a full-time
student at Gavilan College in the Water Management
program and plans to pursue a career in Water Management
at one of the Water Districts in this area. Jayden credits his
teachers at Graduation Alliance, Mr. Charvet and Mr. Vu, for
providing step-by-step explanations of lessons and topics
students study, and being willing to review previously taught
curriculum based on student need. Jayden attended El Roble
Elementary, South Valley Middle and Christopher High before
transferring to Graduation Alliance. He considers himself
doubly lucky because his mom, Esperanza Cid, works at
Mt. Madonna in the Graduation Alliance program, so he
felt her encouragement and belief in him at home and at
school. He credits his classmates at Graduation Alliance and
Mt. Madonna High School for continuously inspiring him to
do better. He feels that the students from both of these pro-
grams made a long journey in completing high school and are
so proud of that accomplishment, and that their graduation
reflects that accomplishment.
august/september 2019
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