Adult education graduation ceremony showcases those determined to succeed: ‘It’s never too late’
Thunderous applause echoed throughout the Victor Valley College gymnasium as Snowline Adult School Class speaker Shauntanay Davis approached the stage.
Seated in a wheelchair, the 30-year-old Davis explained to the standing-room-only crowd how months before she was to graduate high school, she was shot and became paralyzed.
“My daughter was only six months at the time, and she’s 12 now,” Davis said. “I always said that I would go back to school when she started school at six.”
Davis was one of several class speakers on Wednesday at the Victor Valley Adult Education Regional Consortium’s 2022 Adult Education Graduation Ceremony.
Some 250 graduates from Apple Valley, Hesperia, Lucerne Valley, Victor Valley and Snowline Adult Education Centers participated in the 4th annual event.
Class speakers
Davis said after years of numerous setbacks and hospitalizations, and while raising a daughter, she worked tirelessly to earn her diploma.
“So whatever life throws at you, always get back up and don’t give up,” Davis said. “I got back up and you got back up — we succeeded against all odds. I tear up every time I say ‘I did it.’”
During the ceremony, five other class speakers shared emotionally charged messages that touched on the many challenges they faced over the years.
The speakers included Tracy De La Huerta, Ashley Ross, Angelica Vega, Gabriel Acuna and Megan Hausafus.
They also shared their gratitude toward family, friends, teachers, mentors, counselors and others who supported their educational journey toward their high school diploma.
A seed planted
From Hesperia Adult School, De La Huerta, 54, explained how greatness in mankind starts in “seed form,” which must be nurtured and grown.
“God places that in all of us,” De La Huerta said. “We grow to help others and make the world a better place to bring honor and glory to God. This is what helped me to decide now was the time to get my high school diploma.”
With five children and a nephew, ages 17 to 35, De La Huerta always told them that education was important and that all things are possible.
“My daughter and I are graduating in the same year, class of 2022,” De La Huerta said. “My youngest graduated from Sultana High School while I’m graduating from Hesperia Adult School. This goes to prove that it’s never too late to finish school.”
De La Huerta has completed class coursework at VVC on her way to an associate degree. She has her eyes set on bachelor's and master's degrees and possibly a doctorate in theology.
During the ceremony, the Star-Spangled Banner was sung by Marcus Guerrero, vocalist/musician of Mariachi Contreras de Tecalitlan.
VVC Superintendent/President Dr. Daniel Walden spoke along with keynote speaker Michael Wells, the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside.
VVC Vice President Dr. Todd Scott presented the graduates with the assistance of local school district superintendents and officials.
The adult graduation ceremony is the only regional celebration in the state. It’s also the only graduation celebration where all school district superintendents come to honor graduates in the region, said Consortium Manager Martha Mendez.
The regional consortium was established in the spring of 2014, bringing together adult education providers in K-12 school districts and VVC to develop a regional comprehensive plan to better serve the educational needs of adults in the region.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Adult graduates receive high school diplomas at Victor Valley College
