Graduation Photos

It's the heart of graduation season and we've got grad photos.
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Photos by Rob Varela / Star staff Bob Sisco, plant manager at La Reina High School, congratulates Samantha Johnson as she and her fellow graduates proceed to commencement Saturday at the all-girls Catholic school in Thousand Oaks.

With the late-afternoon sun blazing, La Reina High School's Class of 2008 slowly proceeded to their seats, 97 young women clad in white caps and gowns, each carrying a bouquet of yellow roses.

The formality of the well-choreographed ceremony in Thousand Oaks was countered by the blasts of air horns and screams of joy from the several hundred people in the audience.

One particularly proud father was Tim Heyne, whose daughter Genevieve will attend St. Mary's College in Northern California next fall. Genevieve was a student at La Reina three years ago, when her family was caught up in a Memorial Day shooting rampage that was one of the bloodiest events in Ventura County. Her mother, Jan, was killed and her father wounded in the shooting spree that left four dead, including the gunman, and five injured.

"They were amazing here, with everything that happened with the shooting," Tim Heyne said, referring to the help provided to the family by the school.

Although La Reina is a Catholic school, as is St. Mary's College, and Heyne is not Catholic, he said the education has been top-notch. "She's had a great time here, she really excelled, and she's turned into a lovely young woman," Heyne said.

Hannah Harper, another graduate, is distinguished by her lilting British accent. She said she will be going back home. "I'm going to London to the university," Harper said. "I'm going to medical school there, and I want to work for Doctors Without Borders." Harper has helped build houses in Mexico.

Big plans for the future were a common thread. "I'm going to the University of California at Berkeley," Nayantara Bhusham said. "I'm going to major in developmental studies, which is like political science. I either want to go into law or advocacy at the United Nations."

Amanda Mundell and Amanda Turk were the co-valedictorians. In her speech, Mundell spoke of the many advantages her generation has over that of her parents. "They had to do without Wikipedia, or Facebook, or cell phones. Where would any of us be without our cell phones?" Mundell asked. "And text messaging. I bet some of you are texting right now."

Principal Cecilia Coe spoke about what is expected from the graduates. "You have been given everything you need to be a change-maker," Coe said. "You may not know as yet how your voice will be used. You can make a difference, find your voice."

Coe reminded the class of Mahatma Gandhi's famous quote. "Be the change you wish to see in the world."