Graduation Photos

It's the heart of graduation season and we've got grad photos.
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Photos by Karen Quincy Loberg / Star staff Waiting to graduate from High School at Moorpark College on Thursday are Jessi Frances Morse, left, and Brett William Ouimette II who helps Elise Michelle Stenberg with her mortar board.

The graduates spent the past two years straddling the worlds of high school and college.

An enthusiastic crowd of 500 supporters gathered Thursday to witness 40 students graduate from the High School at Moorpark College.

The students are unusual because they spent the past two years straddling the worlds of high school and college. Nearly the entire class will be attending college in the fall.

One student accomplished the exceptional achievement of having graduated from both high school and college simultaneously. John Ellis of Westlake Village completed 61 college credits while attending the high school program.

"I did it to get through everything quicker and so that I can start working sooner, too," Ellis said.

As for what he wants to do with his final college degree, which may not be all that far off, he said he envisions spending his days playing video games. Developing and programming video games, that is. "But, if that doesn't work out," Ellis said, "I would still like to do something within the field."

The high school program at Moorpark College is designed to accommodate students like Ellis. Now in its eighth year, the program is geared toward bright students who may be bored with traditional classes, disengaged from regular high school activities, and may have received inconsistent grades in the past. The students' inclination toward more independence is fostered by small class sizes and close interaction with teachers and staff members.

Future plans for some of the graduates include the more difficult careers. Elise Stenberg of Moorpark said she will be heading to UC Santa Barbara in the fall. "I'm a pre-biology major and I want to go to med school," she said. "I'm thinking of University of California at San Francisco for med school, hopefully."

Abigail Lennox of Thousand Oaks also has a clear direction for her education. She said she will first attend Moorpark College to finish her general education requirements. "I want to transfer to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for child development," Lennox said. She added that the career-focused senior project, which is required of all graduating students, helped her decide her future path.

In a speech to the graduates in a grassy area at the heart of the campus, Moorpark College President Eva Conrad had a few words of advice. "It takes tremendous courage to open your heart and open your mind," she said. "I encourage you to do much more of the same in your life."