Alecia Foster
NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Stefanie Mendoza-Menjivar adjusted her cap and
gently pushed her hair out of her face.
As the Daily High School senior chatted with friends before graduation
ceremonies, her thoughts turned to the commencement speech she was about
to give.
"I hope I don't cry," she said.
Mendoza-Menjivar was one of about 76 students graduating from Daily
and the Glendale Alternative School Tuesday afternoon.
As temperatures rose outside, so did the heat inside the First
Methodist Church's Carlson Fellowship Hall where friends and family
watched loved ones received their diplomas.
Undettered by the sweltering climate, loved ones greeted the members
of the class of 2001 with clapping and cheers as they entered the hall.
An emotional Principal Gail Rosental said she was proud of the
students for sticking with high school and seeing their education
through.
"If you set a goal and make a plan, there is no limit to what you can
accomplish," Rosental said.
And many students had already set their sights on what they want to
accomplish in life.
Murad Aivazian planned to become an FBI agent and Student Body
President Christina Martinez had her sights set on computer graphics.
The class of 2001 at Daily has been an active one. The students wanted
a yearbook, so they started one, said Alice Petrossian, assistant
superintendent of educational services for Glendale Unified. They wanted
a prom of their own and held one -- the first Daily prom in about 15
years.
Many of the students credited their teachers and counselors for
helping them through and giving them support.
Jennifer Hur said she believed she received a better education at
Daily because everyone was so involved in the academic well-being of
students.
"They actually knew who you are" she said, adding she felt lost in the
shuffle when she was at Glendale High.
She planned to attend culinary school.
Fifteen students were also recognized as scholarship recipients, which
were awarded by several different community organizations such as the
Assistance League of Glendale and the Glendale Community Foundation.
Student Gabriela Perez was named Student of the Year.
