GREAT GRADUATES

Most high school students aren’t exactly sure what they want to do for the rest of their life.

Natalie was selected for the top scholar program among ten other students

A local graduating senior is using what she learned while fighting a neurological disease to help a small community in Mexico.

Palo Alto graduate, DeAnna Castano, is celebrating her success after overcoming an obstacle that stood in between her and her degree.

A Medina Valley High School senior was recognized on the state level for her community service and will attend The University of Texas at Austin in the fall.

A senior at Steele High School hopes to one day practice medicine in Nigeria and bring modern medicine to some areas that are struggling.

Teresa Gamez of Brackenridge High School in the San Antonio Independent School District didn’t let a tough journey and a language barrier slow her down.

From JROTC, to National Honor Society, to Eagle Scouts, faculty members say one Central Catholic High School senior is a leader.

Gustavo de la Fuente comes from a small town in the Rio Grande Valley. He was raised by a single mother who immigrated from Mexico when she was a little girl. “It was really difficult for her, quite honestly, for her raising us. But she really persevered and she gave us all the options she could that she didn’t have.” Gustavo said.

This last year was a whirlwind—for many reasons— and students across the country and the world have had to overcome obstacle after obstacle to succeed.

A nationally recognized college student in San Antonio is celebrating more than one major milestone this year.

High school senior Jessica Willis says she has always had a big personality and has always loved the arts and performing. She says that passion for wanting to be on the stage grew while studying musical theater at Henry Ford Academy.

Samuel Garcia Villar and his family moved to the United States when he was just five years old. Now he has received national recognition for his academic achievements.

Ana Paula’s determination is taking her to one of the top research universities in the country

We know San Antonio is a hotbed for scholarship athletes, and now e-sports falls into that category.

College can be tough for a student, especially when you work full time, lose a loved one and have to learn during a pandemic.

In 10 years Chris Bills says he doesn’t just want to be involved in some type of nonprofit work but also hopes that he can be a support system to LGBTQ teens who don’t have anyone else to turn to for support.

Diana’s goal is to help close the educational gap for the Latino community

Students have had to be resilient and persistent, but Alejandro Hernandez, from Southside ISD, has had challenge after challenge.

A Northeast Lakeview College student shares how she found success after encountering many hurdles during her education.

Jackson Baack has been playing baseball since he was in the second grade. Now he is a pitcher and one of the captains for the Samuel Clemens High School baseball team.

Isabella Jimenez is helping promote healthy choices in the Alamo City. However, the high school senior is now ready to begin the next chapter of her life.

James Mallard fell from a bunk bed, suffered a traumatic brain injury, had a stroke, seizure and went into a coma.

In our Great Graduates segment this week, we are highlighting students in and around San Antonio who are overcoming the seemingly impossible to thrive.

Despite his diagnosis, Noah Adams continues to radiate positivity

Alex Castillo has managed to play football, basketball and baseball, finish in the top 10 of his class and complete 100 community service hours during his four years at St. Anthony Catholic High School.

Despite different challenges, Olivia Soria pushed herself to conquer them. She believes graduation day will be her proudest moment yet.

SAN ANTONIO St. Philips College is celebrating the accomplishments of graduate and Army veteran, Brittanie Rivas. Rivas enrolled at the East Side campus as her first step towards helping others. During her time at St. Philips, Rivas accomplished another dream: starting a family. Through the help of professors, Rivas was able to adjust to a new standard to earn her pre-nursing degree from St. Philips College. Army veteran, Brittanie Rivas, enrolled at St. Philips College to pursue a degree focus on helping others.

SAN ANTONIO Senior Tristino Ali said he used to be super shy, but it was choir that truly broke him out of his shell. I was really shy, like really shy, Ali said. Like someone walked past me... it wouldnt happen.After achieving several awards through honors choir over four years at Clemens High School, Ali said making all-state choir this year was the most rewarding. One of his school counselors, Vicki Williams, said his accomplishments are impressive and she is extremely proud of his hard work. He is just a phenomenal young man.Ali said he just wants to use his music degree to one day be a high school choir teacher.

SAN ANTONIO – Alamo Heights High School continues to celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s graduating class. He’s a member of several organizations including the National Honor Society, Young Engineers and the Alamo Heights Rocketry Club. “They sent out an email telling me that I was nominated for the U.S. Presidential Scholar Award,” Lloyd said. Alamo Heights High School - Great Graduates 2020“I’m going to Duke University next year to the School of Engineering for biomedical engineering,” Lloyd said. Lloyd is one of 161 students in the nation and one of four Texans to receive the U.S. Presidential Scholar Award this year.

SAN ANTONIO An art contest in the fifth grade helped Rachel Kamata realize she had potential as an artist. There was a Parent Teacher Association art competition, Kamata said. Through the years, Kamata has been able to explore new art mediums like oil panting, clay and block painting. For this piece, it's really talking about my Japanese heritage and my grandparents who live in Japan, Kamata said. Kamata was able to make copies of her print and sent one to her grandparents for Mothers Day.

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SAN ANTONIO Valeria Valle is the valedictorian at Jefferson High School and she is very excited about going to the University of Texas at Austin in the fall, where she plans to study biochemistry. Valle is also excited about getting into medical school in the future so, she can become a dermatologist. It was just a career where I think I would be able to excel because it's something I enjoy doing, said Valle. Aside from her community, Valle says she wants to take care of her family, especially her three younger sisters, especially now, after her father passed away. He recently passed away in early March, which was really hard, said Valle.

Great Graduates 2020: Mitchel MartinezPublished: June 2, 2020, 10:54 amA child of an immigrant who has overcome many barriers, Mitchel Martinez left Cuba at 13-years-old only knowing one English word.

Great Graduates 2020: Alex KubonPublished: May 26, 2020, 12:08 pmBig goals and a positive attitude, that’s how Alex Kubon said he was able to achieve a major milestone that helped him standout to several universities.

SAN ANTONIO – Big goals and a positive attitude, that’s how Alex Kubon said he was able to achieve a major milestone that helped him standout to several universities. Kubon is graduating in the top ten of his senior class at NISD’s Communications Arts High School and was accepted to both Trinity University and Purdue University. But I thought you can’t have self-doubt in your head like that when you’re twelve years old and you’re trying to do something,” he said. “I’m going to Purdue University and I’ll be majoring in data science,” he said. With his skills and a future degree from Purdue, thats what Alex hopes to do for an analytics department of a major league baseball team.

Great Graduates 2020: Marisa HinojosaPublished: May 26, 2020, 11:22 amMarisa Hinojosa is closing out her senior year with fond memories of being a drum major and leading the Brandeis High School Band.

Great Graduates 2020: Francey ChildressPublished: May 25, 2020, 12:21 pmOne KSAT12 2020 great graduate is set to graduate high school and wants to be a veterinarian, saying her pets are what kept her going after having a heart transplant eight years ago.

Great Graduates 2020: Francey ChildressPublished: May 25, 2020, 12:06 pmOne KSAT12 2020 great graduate is set to graduate high school and wants to be a veterinarian, saying her pets are what kept her going after having a heart transplant eight years ago.

SAN ANTONIO Remember the name Arlie Briseno because one day he could be a world renowned chef. Briseno is a graduating senior at Southside High School senior who was forced to grow up fast as after a terrifying fire. I feel like I can put my passion of food and I want people to see that passion, Briseno said. Great Graduates 2020: Emily HofmannWatching him work in the kitchen and talk about cooking, we could see Briseno loves to create food and loves to make food taste great. I get a thrill, I get my experience, I learn; I live and I learn, Briseno said.

Great Graduates 2020: Emily HofmannPublished: May 22, 2020, 9:11 amAs if being a senior in high school during the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t hard enough, imagine being the one leading your class as valedictorian.

Great Graduates 2020: Kaylee BurgessPublished: May 18, 2020, 3:37 pmKaylee Burgess is a senior at Taft High School and she said she is excited about heading to Harvard in the fall.

SAN ANTONIO – The class of 2020 is graduating in the face of unique challenges this year and in our Great Graduates series we feature outstanding graduates from across the city. Jewel Medel is the valedictorian at the Young Women’s Leadership Academy. Medel is in the National Honor Society, the Young Poet’ Society, volleyball, basketball and track and field and she’s received a full scholarship to Brown University. I want her to know if I can do it, she can do it.”Michelle Grajeda is an AP and dual credit instructor at SAISD’s Young Women’s Leadership Academy. Grajeda has been Medel’s instructor for four different courses over the past 4 years and also heads the Young Poet’s society.

Without a previous sign of medical issues, Harvey suffered a stroke at the age of 15. The last three years for the Central Catholic High School senior haven't been easy. "Clyde had a seizure in geometry, and since then, I had worked one-on-one with his mom," said Millicent Marcha, of Central Catholic. After the seizure, the school helped organize a hybrid system so Harvey can still graduate on time with his classmates. After Harvey graduates, he plans to attend college at the University of the Incarnate Word to study osteopathic medicine or pharmaceutical science.

SAN ANTONIO – Four years of early mornings, long days and tough classes might seem overwhelming but for one Southwest High School JROTC cadet, those sacrifices paid off. Leif Griffin is heading to Oregon State with a goal to serve his country as a nuclear engineer with the Navy.

Copyright 2019 by KSAT - All rights reserved. SAN ANTONIO – Jonathan Urbina is graduating from South San High School and wishes to pursue a career in teaching. Published: May 19, 2019, 8:59 amPublished: May 19, 2019, 8:59 amIf you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241.

Daisy Escobedo seems like she can do it all. A senior at Edison High School in the San Antonio Independent School District, Daisy is building a bright future for herself and her community. And if technology is our future, Daisy wants to be a big part of it. She originally approached her robotics teacher as a curious and creative freshman. That's an engineer," Susan Ng, the robotics teacher said.

SA ANTONIO – Caden Arnold is a senior who is graduating from Medina High School and to those who know him, he is a true inspiration. This is enough to merit appreciation, but Caden is reaching these achievements all after losing his leg at age 13. I was in an ATV accident and wound up having my right leg amputated above the knee,” said Caden Arnold. The accident set up an obstacle that no child should ever have to face. Before the accident, Caden was an athlete, and after his recovery, he was back at it.

SAN ANTONIO – Faith Bullard is co-captain of Randolph High School's volleyball team and a dedicated volunteer. Bullard has struggled mentally and emotionally, which has helped this Great Grad choose a profession that will hopefully one day end the cycle. In a graduating class of 106 students, Bullard proudly sits in the top 10 percent of her class. I'm always doing whatever I can to reach my full potential, as far as education, physically, mentally," Bullard said. Bullard hopes her experience and education will help military families that have struggled in similar ways.

SAN ANTONIO – Tommy Namphong is a graduating senior at East Central High School. He will attend the University of Texas at Austin, hoping to become an editor.

Kiersten has been a Digital Content Creator with KSAT12 since 2017. She graduated from Texas State University with an electronic media degree and previously worked for the Spurs Sports & Entertainment.