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PPhhoottooss bbyy JJoorrggee BBaallddeerrrraammaa//BBlluueePPiixx SSttuuddiioo As administrators look on, the Nogales High School Class of 2012 is all smiles during May 24’s graduation ceremony at Apache Stadium.

(Above) Nogales High School valedictorian Joseph Agosttiniaddresses his class. (Below) NHS principal Judith Mendoza-Jimenezgives Robert Fontes his Teacher of the Year award.

(Above and below) Nogales High’s Class of 2012 soak in the momentwith their classmates May 24 during the graduation ceremony onthe school’s football field.

(Above) Nefi Torres (left) enters the ceremony with his walkingpartner, while (below) fellow graduates pose for the camera. It wasone of their last acts as high school students.

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JJoosseepphhAAggoossttttiinnii Never imaginedbecomingvaledictorian

Nogales High Schoolvaledictorian JosephAgosttini said he didn’texpect to be in this posi-tion four years ago. Hisgrade point average of4.811, which includes“weighted,” or collegeprep classes, is the high-est among his class-mates.“Coming from middle

school to high school, Inever imagined I couldbe valedictorian. Ithought I’d be lucky toget C’s,” he said.But early in his high

school career, he said, “Ijust decided I’m going towork my best throughouthigh school; I can sleepand rest during the sum-mer and throughout theschool year I’m going togive it everything I have.“After a while, I didn’t

have to force myself, itcame naturally. I reallyliked learning and en-joyed seeing differentperspectives and chal-lenging myself.”In August he expects

to start classes at theUniversity of Arizona.“I’m thinking about dou-ble majoring in neuro-science and pre-law. I’mtorn between becoming adoctor and an attorney.Hopefully, whateverroute I like the best, I’llcontinue to pursue,” hesaid.

Agosttini’s parents areemployed by the Depart-ment of Homeland Secu-rity in Customs and Bor-der Protection. His fa-ther, Jose, is assistantport director at Nogalesand his mother, Norma,is a senior import spe-cialist. His sister,Melody, is a junior at theUA.His favorite classes

throughout high schoolhave been algebra II, Ad-vanced Placement (AP)American History, Inter-national Baccalaureate(IB) English and IBchemistry. “I really liked history

because the teacher, Mr.Heathman, challenged usin ways I had never beenchallenged before. Ilearned not only history,but I also learned how tobe a student. I learnedthat if I want to succeedit has to come from me,and I’m going to have toput in the time. “I really believe that if

you could pass his class,you could pass any col-lege course,” Agosttinisaid.Heathman said Agost-

tini “certainly deservesthis distinction. He’s re-ally pushed himself hard.He’s determined and fo-cused. He has a good rep-utation among the otherstudents. They respecthis opinion and hiswork.”

Among school activi-ties, Agosttini is presi-dent of the Science Na-tional Honor Society andfounded the chapter atthe school.He started a club titled

“Gun safety and aware-ness,” he said, in memo-ry of a good friend, SofiaPalma, who was killed ina gun incident. “I wantedto do something for thecommunity that wouldprevent that from hap-pening.” He said he andthe club membersworked with the NogalesPolice Department andthrough club activities“We taught students howto use a gun correctly,how to store it, the differ-ent parts of the weapon.”Squadron commander

for the Air Force JuniorROTC with the rank oflieutenant colonel, he re-cently received thegroup’s Daedalianaward, which is promot-ed through a fraternityof commissioned mili-tary pilots. He was alsop-resented with the BronzePatrick Henry Medallionfor patriotic achieve-ment by the Military Or-der of the World Wars,becoming the first No-gales High SchoolAFJROTC cadet toachieve the honor.Agosttini is president

of the Honors Club andvice president and chiefof staff for Junior State

of America, a student-run organization that fo-cuses on politics and cur-rent issues. He’s a mem-ber of National HonorSociety and Z Club, ahigh school communityservice club sponsoredby Zonta Club of No-gales.Agosttini is one of sev-

en members of the sen-ior class who are candi-dates for the Internation-al Baccalaureate diplo-ma. The IB Diploma Pro-gram is designed as anacademically challeng-ing and balanced pro-gram of education withfinal examinations thatprepares students forsuccess at university andlife beyond. Looking ahead to the

demands of a universityeducation, Agosttini won-ders how he’ll respond tothe continued demandshe’ll face. “Well, person-ally, I’m a perfectionist. Istrive to be the closest toreaching a state of per-fection. Sometimes Ioverwork myself be-cause I expect morefrom myself that othersdo of me. “I have to remember

that I still need to enjoylife and I need to managemy time a little morewisely and enjoy every-thing as it comes myway,” he said.

By Kathleen Vandervoet

Educations hasalways been ofmajor importance to

Andrea Alanis, 18, issalutatorian for No-gales High School as aresult of her 4.651grade point average. “Since I was very

small, my mom alwaystold me how importanteducation was. Shemade it something thathad to be of impor-tance,” she said.“She taught me how

it’s important to workhard. It’s important tohave fun, but you haveto apply yourself tothings and to have a bet-ter future you need agood education.”Alanis’ parents are

Hector and Cristina andthey own Smart KidsPreschool where Cristi-na teaches. Hector is asalesman, as well.Alanis intends to en-

roll at the University ofArizona, she said. Fromchildhood she’s been in-terested in becoming aphysician, and nowshe’s pondering “goinginto biomedical engi-neering, or doing a dou-ble major in publichealth and business.”Her favorite classes

at Nogales High Schoolhave been math, art andscience. The math andscience classes are partof the InternationalBaccalaureate diplomaprogram. Her historyclass provided a chal-lenge, she said, becauseso much of it requireswriting and that’s nother “strongest subject.”Eric Telfer, her

teacher this year in Ad-vanced Placement Eng-lish Literature andComposition, said “An-drea, or ‘Andi’ is smart,studious, serious, sensi-

ble and polite. In myclass she has consis-tently had one of thehighest grade percent-ages, usually in the highnineties.”In class, he said, “She

asks good questions,completes difficultreading assignments,like Dostoevsky, for ex-ample, on time and withhigh scores on the ac-companying tests andessays.”Telfer even occasion-

ally checks with her “tosee where we left off ina book or whether ornot a certain term orconcept had been cov-ered in class,” he said.Among school activi-

ties, Alanis is a memberof Honors Club, Nation-al Honor Society, Sci-ence National HonorSociety, student counciland Future BusinessLeaders of American(FBLA). Alanis is aboard member for JSA,Junior Statesmen ofAmerica.Looking back on her

achievement of beingnamed salutatorian,Alanis said, ““At timesit was really hard to dothe studying required.I have to get a littlebetter at time man-agement, but I’vebeen learn-ing.”

By Kathleen Vandervoet

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Yaritza Cortez

Jorge González

Yaritza Cortez, graduate of Patagonia Union High School, and Jorge González, graduate of Nogales High School, are the winners of the 2012 Mariposa Community Health Center health care scholarships. The two students were selected from numerous Santa Cruz County applicants planning to attend a technical school or university in pursuit of a health care career. Ms. Cortez and Mr. González were granted the awards by the MCHC Board of Directors at their May 8th meeting, based on the recommendations of the Scholarship Committee. Both students will receive a total of $5,000 toward their study. Criteria evaluated in the scholarship selection process include � nancial need, GPA, extracurricular activities, an essay on “why I want to pursue a career in health care,” and three letters of recommendation. Yaritza Cortez plans to help people as a psychiatrist. She has been accepted to the University of Arizona, where she would like to obtain an internship while studying medicine. Ultimately her goal is to achieve a doctorate in medical psychology. Jorge González, also accepted to the University of Arizona, has a passion for science. He has already worked at UA as a student researcher and plans to pursue the � eld of molecular and cellular biology. Mariposa congratulates both of these exemplary graduates as they embark on their studies toward careers in the health care profession. MCHC initiated this annually awarded health care scholarship in 2011 to assist worthy Santa Cruz County high school seniors in achieving their educational goals in this important � eld of endeavor.

Congratulations!MARIPOSA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER’S

2012 Scholarship Recipients

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Students wait their turn to get their diplomas. Caps go flying after the ceremony finished. Graduates hug as the night

comes to a close.

Superintendant Steve Zimmerman shakes hands with Julio Alvarez.Caroline Crawford and principal Judith Mendoza-Jimenez pose.Abel Bustamante abd principal Judith Mendoza-Jimenez pose.

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On the 22nd anniversary of Lourdes High School, 22 students received diplomas. At left, the grads are presented at commencement ceremony. At right, they pay tribute to Our Lady of Lourdes, during the Mass.

Above left, Coca Romero and granddaughterCarolina Romero Suarez, LCHS valedictorian, andSalutatorian Mayra Almada and her mother,Mayra Ruiz Almada, during tribute to families whohave attended Lourdes through multiple genera-tions. Above, Carlos Miramontes hugs a well-wish-er. Left, guest speaker Juan Pablo Guzman getspointers from his cousin and 2012 graduateAlejandra Silva.

Above, Bishop Gerald Kicanas urges grads toserve others during the baccalaureate Mass,while, left, Andrea Coronado receives the symbol-ic blood of Christ from Alan Valle. Above left,LCHS Principal Sister Barbara Monsegur givessome last minute pointers to Mayra Almada andAndrea Coronado.

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CCaarroolliinnaa RRoommeerrooSSuuaarreezzValedictorian hasAudrey Hepburnas her role model

Audrey Hepburn, whowas modest about heracting, was appointedUNICEF Goodwill Am-bassador in 1988 and rec-ognized in her later yearsfor her humanitarianwork helping children inneed around the world. Hepburn also happens

to be a role model for2012 Lourdes CatholicHigh School valedictori-an Carolina RomeroSuarez, who hopes serveand make a difference inthis world armed with aninternational business re-lations degree from theCatholic University ofAmerica in Washington,D.C.She is also modest

about her acting skills,developed through anacting course and in-volvement in severalschool plays. But it’s fairto dream. In fact, sheowns every movie Hep-burn ever made, her

room is filled with mem-orabilia and one of herwalls is painted TiffanyBlue from the movieBreakfast at Tiffany’s.“Acting is a part of mylife I hope to pursuethrough clubs and such,but not as a career,” shesaid.Romero was born on

the U.S. side of the Am-bos Nogales border, butattended Eusebio Fran-cisco Kino school in No-gales, Sonora. Whilethere she received manyacademic recognitionsand was a state finalistrepresenting Sonora at a“deputy-for-a-day” eventat Congress in MexicoCity.After being selected

valedictorian of her mid-dle school graduatingclass, she enrolled atLourdes where she con-tinued to excel.At LCHS, she was

vice-chair of Kino Teens,which aids deported mi-grants. As part of that ef-

fort, she traveled to SanFrancisco to inform oth-er students about the Ki-no Initiative and other is-sues involving immigra-tion. As a member of theNational Honor Society,she participated in sever-al fundraisers for herschool. “Each first Thursday

of the month I was givenpermission to help at St.Andrew's Clinic,” shesaid. “It was very impor-tant for me to go, since itwas something I hadbeen doing my whole lifesince I can remember.”Of course she had. Her

grandmother, Maria Luz“Coca” Romero, is a pa-tient coordinator and pio-neer at the clinic wheredoctors volunteer to as-sists hundreds of needychildren from Mexicowith medical issues. Co-ca’s daughters Luz andLaura Romero continuedthe tradition, with Caroli-na, who is Luz’s daughter,representing the third

generation.Addressing her class-

mates on Friday, May 18,Romero recounted howthey not only learnedEnglish, chemistry,

calculus and theology to-gether, “but we alsolearned to appreciate themeaning of friendship.Sometimes life may notbe what we expect. How-ever, thanks to ourschool, our parents, ourfriendship and God, wehave solid education em-powering us to reach ourlimitless potential; wehave the courage of ourconvictions to challengeboundaries and obstaclesthat stand in our way, butmostly we have the pas-sion to dream wildly, theheart to cherish closelyand the strength of char-acter to honor our word.”Audrey Hepburn may

have added: “Nothing isimpossible. The world it-self says, ‘I’m possible!’”

By Manuel C. Coppola

She values friendships,and standing up forher values as a person

Twenty-two studentsgraduated on the 22ndanniversary of LourdesHigh School.One of those was

Salutatorian Mayra Al-mada, who plans to at-tend the University ofArizona, where sheplans to study market-ing with an eye on pos-sible working for afashion magazine oneday.“At Lourdes I was

taught the importanceof working for my com-munity and standing upfor what I believe in,”she said. “During myhigh school years I didvolunteer work on bothsides of the border,went to public officialsto talk about the con-cerns of my communi-ty, and learned how tobecome a leader.”She was accompa-

nied by two school-mates to visit with aPhoenix representativeof Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to lobby for theDream Act.As a go-to person and

problem solver, Almadawas selected this yearto receive the Leader-ship Award by teachers,staff and students. Shewas inducted into theNational Honor Societyas a sophomore and wasonce named the RotaryStudent of the Monthduring freshman year. In her junior year,

she won second place inthe Serra Club essaycontest and won severalexcellence awards dur-ing her four years ofhigh school: Spanish Iand II, English I and II,American Literature,British Literature,

Chemistry, AmericanHistory, World Geogra-phy and Theology I. Addressing her 22

classmates, she said,“Friends are the mostbasic and important ele-ment of high school sur-vival. We have seeneach other at our bestand worst, grow, falland get back up, cry, getmad, scream, and strug-gle to be here wearingthese caps and gowns. Iam very proud of all ofus and very happy tohave gone through all ofthis with you guys. Nowthe real journey begins. “I honestly believe

we are all ready to goout to the world andgive our best. I hope thebest for all of you andthank you for being apart of my life,” shesaid. But Almada al-ready has a head startas a Wildcat, havingcompleted 12 units ofcollege credit.She is the daughter of

border residents Mayraand Jesus Almada.

By Manuel C. Coppola

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Lourdes Catholic High School students

bow their heads in prayer during their

graduation ceremony.

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PPhhoottooss bbyy MMaannuueell CC.. CCooppppoollaa Among those receiving CareerTechnical Education Certified Nursing Assistant (CTE CAN) degreesare, front row from left, Paola Montesillos, Jannelle Osorio, AshleyMadril, Carol Rocha and Michelle Carrasco. Middle row, from left,Suszanna Idicula, Cassandra Diaz, Elizabeth Gutierrez and PatriciaGonzalez. Standing, from left, Edgar Leon, Alan Medina, FranciscoVerdugo Rabago and Samuel Ojeda.

CTE CAN student Elizabeth Gutierrez gets a hearty hug from nurseDelores Brindle, director of education of the Caregiver TrainingInstitute.

Valedictorian NicholasDobshinsky is recognized asPierson Outstanding Studentby Jerry Booth, who startedthe school in 1989.

Roberto Guevara, manager ofUniSource Energy Services inNogales, presents scholarshipto Nikita Pradhan.

Principal Joel Kramer andRosalinda Norzagara, administra-tive assistant, sort throughdiplomas.

Nicole and Jessica Mercadoshare some observations duringthe commencement ceremony.

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NNiicckkoollaassDDoobbsshhiinnsskkyy His future fell intoplace at PiersonVocational High

Nickolas Dobshinskyis the kind of self-moti-vated student whothrives on setting hisown pace.So it’s no surprise that

the 18-year-old Rio Ricoresident would find hisniche at Pierson Voca-tional High School,where he became thevaledictorian of the Classof 2012 after stints at RioRico and Nogales highschools. “As soon as you get

one class done, instead ofhaving to wait a wholesemester to get the nextclass done, you can get itdone right away,” Dob-shinsky said of the on-line classes offered atPierson. “The day you’redone, you can start onyour next class, andthat’s something that you

can’t get at a traditionalschool.”As for the more tradi-

tional classroom courseshe took at Pierson, Dob-shinsky said, he especial-ly enjoyed Eng-lish/literature and gov-ernment. His favoriteteacher? George Thomp-son, his government in-structor.“He knows how to get

his point across easilyand makes it easy to un-derstand for everyone,”said Dobshinsky, whoconsiders himself a liber-tarian and takes a keeninterest in politics.He’s taking a practical

approach to his collegeeducation, with plans tocomplete his generalstudies coursework atCochise College beforetransferring to a four-year university. “Youknow, save some funds

right there,” he said.He’ll be aided in his

studies by a $1,000 schol-arship from the SantaCruz County Cowbellesand a $400 scholarshipfrom the Exchange Clubof Santa Cruz County.Ultimately, his aca-

demic goal is a degree ineducation. “I want to be-come an elementaryschool teacher,” he said.“I like to teach kids aboutstuff.”Dobshinsky, whose

mother is Maribel Dob-shinsky of Rio Rico, saidhis younger sister Cas-sandra, now 13, helpedinfluence his career deci-sion, since he’s long en-joyed helping her withher homework. His fa-ther John Dobshinskyhas also been a big influ-ence in his life.“I consider my dad the

reason why I was able to

succeed in high school,because he gave me thefoundation I need as akid. And that’s what car-ries over and helps youthroughout your wholelife,” he said.Outside of school, Dob-

shinsky enjoys playingdrums in his churchband. “That’s pretty awe-some,” he said. And helikes to spend time withgirlfriend Kimberley Sa-vory, to whom he recent-ly became engaged.He met Savory at Pier-

son – she plans to gradu-ate from the school nextyear – providing anotherexample of how thingsreally clicked for him af-ter enrolling at theschool to start his junioryear. “When I came to this

school, it was like my fu-ture started to set intoplace,” he said.

By Jonathan Clark

Salutatorian traveledto PVHS from acrossthe world

It’s difficult enoughto change schools in themiddle of a school year.But just imagine trans-ferring mid-year to aschool in a foreigncountry on the otherside of the world.That’s the transition

Nikita Pradhan had tomake when she movedhere from Karnataka insouthern India and en-rolled at Pierson Voca-tional High School inMarch 2011. But shewas certainly up for thechallenge: she graduat-ed as the salutatorian ofthe school’s Class of2012.“It was really, really

big,” the 17-year-oldsaid of the move. Butcoming from a multi-cultural setting in India,she said, she felt com-forted by the binationalflavor of the local area.“I was amazed and I

was really happy to findtwo cultures here – theMexican and the Amer-ican,” she said. “When Icame here I expectedjust one American cul-ture, but then I also hadto learn Spanish and theMexican culture and alot of Mexican food. Soit was really good, and Ireally am glad about it.”For example, the lo-

cal bilingualism wasreminiscent of Karnata-ka, where people speaknot just English and thenational language ofHindi, but also the statelanguage, Kannada.And the local popularityof Mexican food alsohelped ease her culi-nary culture shock,since it packs a bit ofthe spiciness of Indianfood.

Pradhan moved toArizona and enrolled atPierson a few monthsafter her mother,Aneela Pradhan, washired as a scienceteacher at the school.Her father, PradhanShekar, works as super-visor of medicalrecords at MariposaCommunity HealthCenter.In fact, Pradhan’s

mother is not the onlyIndian teacher at Pier-son: Math teacherDeepanjana Mitra is al-so from the Asian na-tion, and became one ofPradhan’s favoriteteachers at the school.Another favorite wasMargaret Nowak, herEnglish teacher.Pradhan said she re-

ally enjoyed the uniqueformat at Pierson. “Icould really go on myown pace. And actually,that’s the reason I con-tinued at Pierson, be-cause I wanted to grad-uate early and take col-lege credits.”So while she re-

ceived her diploma atthe May 21 com-mencement cere-

By Jonathan Clark

NNiikkiittaaPPrraaddhhaann

See PVHS/Page 20 Parents and other well-wishers filled the Pete Drakulich Gymnasium on Monday, May 21 to support the Pierson Vocational High School

graduating class of 2012.

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RRiioo RRiiccoo HHiigghh SScchhoooollCCllaassss ooff 22001122

PPhhoottooss bbyy MMaarriissaa GGeerrbbeerr ((LLeefftt)) Graduating RRHS seniors make their way down the ramps before the ceremony began. (Right) Graduating seniors celebrate after become official graduates of RRHS.

(Above) Graduating Rio Rico High School seniors make their waytoward the football field before the ceremony began.(Below) Co-salutatorian Luis Roberto Ursua gives his speech.

(Above) JROTC Color Guard members carry the flags of the field atgraduation. (Below) Graduating seniors wait in line and wait tomake their way toward the stage to get their diplomas.

(Above) Graduating seniors make their way toward the stage toget their diplomas. (Below) A graduating senior hugs his fried after graduation.

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JJooyy NNoorriieeggaa Looks back on big personal growth

A lot has changed since Joy Norie-ga’s first day of high school fouryears ago. Now, she’s an 18-year-old with a

crisp, confident voice and a toss ofsilky, chestnut curls. Now, she’s RioRico High School’s valedictorian, whobeams as she thinks about her future. Four years ago, though, she was a

frazzled freshman.“I remember what I wore,” Norie-

ga recalled. “I wore a really ugly redT-shirt, capris and tennis shoes. Andmy hair was really frizzy. And I didn’tlike my backpack. That’s what I re-member.”On a recent afternoon, as she sat in

the conference room at the school dis-trict’s office, Noriega wore a black T-shirt that read “Giver.” She earned itby helping with a blood drive theschool’s National Honor Society club,of which she’s a member, puts on withthe American Red Cross.National Honor Society is only one

in a myriad of clubs she’s participat-ed in during high school. The Interactand Thespian clubs were a couple ofthe most influential, Noriega said.She credits Interact, a community

service club that works hand-in-handwith the local Rotary Club, for help-ing her get plugged in.“I met so many people from the

community that I would have nevermet if I wouldn’t have joined Inter-act,” Noriega said. What’s more, being in the club

helped her hear about a Rotary-spon-sored speech contest, which she end-ed up winning.She had to memorize a six-and-a-

half minute long speech that incorpo-rated Rotary’s motto and a historicalevent. Her pick? The bombing of Hi-

roshima. “It was really fun and I was really

proud, because it was a lot to do and itwas all worth it,” Noriega said.She credited her success in the

speech contest to what she learned asa member of the Thespian club. “You learn so much about public

speaking and how to act and you justgrow creatively,” Noriega said.“That’s going to help me a lot.”Aside from winning the speech

contest, playing an integral role in thesuccess of several of school’s playstops the list of her proudest moments.“I was production manager, so that

was cool because I learned aboutbusiness and managing the face ofthe play pretty much,” Noriega said. Next year, Noriega is headed to

Northern Arizona University, whereshe will study secondary educationwith an emphasis in English andteaching English as a second lan-guage.Noriega initially wanted to go out

of state for school, but opted to stay inArizona after getting a full-ride schol-arship from NAU in Flagstaff.“NAU was not my top choice. But I

went and visited over spring breakand I loved it. It’s a small town, not asuper small town, but it’s a nice-sizedtown.”And, she’s excited for the climate

change.“I went in the snow, so I got to see

how it was and I liked it and it wasn’tthat cold. It’s still different,” Noriegasaid.Even though Flagstaff will be a

change, Noriega plans to eventuallygo even further from home.“I want to study and teach abroad

for a while, to get world experience,”

By Marisa Gerber

When shetraipsed ontoRio Rico HighSchool’s cam-pus four yearsago, IlianaRosas waswide-eyed andworried. “I remem-

ber walkinginto the court-yard and seeingall the seniors,” Rosas recounted.“They seemed like giants. I was nerv-ous.”Now at 18 she the senior class’ co-

salutatorian and an athletic and aca-demic giant on campus.While establishing herself as an ac-

complished and multi-sport athlete,Rosas also assumed leadership posi-tions in several clubs and worked vig-orously to keep high grades in severalhonors and AP courses.Rosas, the daughter of Gracie

Romero and Gilbert Rosas, said shethinks her mom’s push early on in herhigh school career propelled her aca-demic success.“In the beginning of high school my

mom really pushed for me to take the(honors and AP) classes and after thatI just stuck with them,” Rosas said. “Iwas really unsure, cause I didn’t knowhow high school was going to be. I stillwanted to be an athlete, so I just didboth and I stuck with both.”And not only did she stick to both,

she excelled at both.Rosas made the varsity soccer and

softball teams all four years of highschool and was the captain of bothsquads for the past two years. What’s more, she found time to play

club soccer and softball, too, whichmeant she had to commute to Nogalesfor practices and to Tucson for games. When she wasn’t on the field, Rosas

was often at RRHS club meetings. Afew of the clubs she was involvedwith: the Literary Magazine club, Na-tional Honors Society and StudentGovernment.There’s no doubt it’s been a busy

four years, but Rosas actually at-tributes some of her success tothe balancing act.

LuisRoberto Ursuanever neededa head start. In fact,

when a familyemergencyforced him tomiss the first17 days of hisfreshman yearat Rio Rico High School, he knew he’dhave to play catch-up. He rose to the challenge. Four

years and countless classes later, the18-year-old is co-salutatorian of thesenior class.And his adaptability and quick

learning have roots. His family moved from the west-

ern Mexican state of Colima to SantaCruz County when he was 6. Althoughhe only knew a little bit of Englishwhen he made the move, that didn’tlast long.“I caught on quick,” Ursua said, as

he widened his cocoa-colored eyesand smiled. “It was fast.”Aside from taking leadership roles

in several clubs, Ursua balanced aheavy load of AP and honors courses. It was work, but it was worth it,

Ursua said. His proudest high schoolmoment was earning the co-salutato-rian slot and the recognition tied to it,he said.“It hasn’t been a waste of time,”

Ursua said of his four years of dedi-cation.He is quick to credit his success to

his teachers and to his parents, LuisFernando and Alejandra Ursua. “I thank my parents,” Ursua said.“They pushed me to achieve some-thing greater, something better thanwhat they had. They wanted me tohave more.”

See NORIEGA / Page 19

Is at her bestwhen she’s busy

IIlliiaannaaRRoossaass By Marisa Gerber

Hopes to bea surgeon

By Marisa Gerber

LLuuiissRRoobbeerrttooUUrrssuuaa

See ROSAS / Page 19 See URSUA / Page 19

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The friends and family of a graduate hold up a sign with

his name

on it. Valedictorian Joy Noriega walks up to the stage.

Graduating seniors wait in line and wait to make their w

ay toward

the stage to get their diplomas.

Graduating seniors give each other celebratory hugs aftergraduation. A graduating senior waits in line and waits to make her

way

toward the stage to get her diploma.

Coatimundi Middle School Principal John Fanning was the guestspeaker at graduation.

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PPaattaaggoonniiaa UUnniioonn HHiigghh SScchhoooollCCllaassss ooff 22001122

PPhhoottooss bbyy MMaarriioonn VVeennddiittuuoollii ((LLeefftt)) PUHS principal Denise Blake addressed the graduates. (Right) The Lobo’s scoreboard displays the numbers 2012.

(Above) Fransisco Soto and Yaritza Cortez (Below) John Haviland and Rayanna Ronquillo

(Above) Fernando Herrera and Yanira Vega(Below) Michael Martin and Caitlyn Coleman

(Above) Hugo Mingura and Vanessa Padilla(Below) The graduates gather to throw their hats into the air.

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VViiccttoorriiaaCCaallaabbrreessee She is poised tomake a differencein the world

Victoria Calabrese,this year’s valedictorianat Patagonia Union HighSchool, is fascinated bybears. This petite, outgo-ing young lady, who fellin love with Winnie thePooh as a little girl, plansto major in zoology at theUniversity of Maine,whose mascot, coinci-dentally, is the black bear Calabrese, whose GPA

is 4.86, plans to pursue asecond major in mathe-matics, having receivedcollege credit alreadyfrom Pima and CochiseCollege in college alge-bra, calculus, physics,English, biology andcommunications. Shespent five weeks lastsummer attending Ari-zona State University,

where she studied ap-plied mathematics afterbeing selected for theJoaquim Bostoz Math-Science Honors Pro-gram. She is interested in

studying genetics andecology in college, aswell, and would like totake up Italian or Frenchand to also learn Ameri-can Sign Language.Calabrese has been

playing the piano sincefirst grade and won sev-eral awards in competi-tions in New Jersey,where she and her fami-ly lived until moving toArizona just before theeighth grade. She alsoplays the clarinet and thetenor saxophone. Shepractices the piano forone hour a day and hasstudied with BernicePomeroy in Patagonia

for the last several years. “I have my last lesson

this week,” she said a lit-tle wistfully during a re-cent interview, thoughshe hopes to be able totake a course in music incollege. As a member of the

chess team, Calabresehas won several awardsat state competitions.She has been a varsityplayer on the school ten-nis team for 4 years andhas taken up cross coun-try this year. She is also amember of the recyclingclub, the science/ hikingclub and the band, hasbeen treasurer of the stu-dent council for the pasttwo years, and has beentreasurer for her classfor all four years of highschool. Calabrese is a member

of the National Honor So-

ciety, and has won the al-gebra I award, the alge-bra II award, the geome-try award, the scienceaward, and the Englishaward twice. She was theRotary Student of theMonth for English andmath this year, as well.She was selected for theHugh O’Brian YouthLeadership (HOBY) pro-gram, serving as the“spirit coordinator” forthe group’s seminar heldin Phoenix. Calabrese has been an

altar server in both NewJersey and in Patagonia,and has worked withchildren teaching thefoundations of theCatholic religion. She re-ceived the Pope JohnPaul II award in 2011.She has been awarded

By Marion Vendituoli

She shines in classand in 4-H

Caitlyn Coleman, thisyear’s salutatorian forthe Patagonia UnionHigh School Class of2012, not only main-tained a 4.0 GPAthroughout her highschool years, but foundtime to run her ownbusiness for the lasteight years maintaininga flock of 35 sheep, rais-ing and selling lambs,and to be actively en-gaged in Santa CruzCounty 4-H activities.A member of the Na-

tional Honor Societysince 2009, Coleman hasserved as class presi-dent during her fresh-man, sophomore andjunior years at PUHS.She was the secretaryof the Student Councilher sophomore yearand was vice presidenther senior year. Shewas also involved inschool sports, as man-ager and statistician forgirls’ and boys’ basket-ball teams, and the foot-ball and baseball teams.Coleman was editor-

in-chief of the schoolnewspaper, and editorof the yearbook, andhopes to pursue theseinterests in college. Shealso participated in theforensics class the lasttwo years, the school’srecycling club, and thedrama club. She has been active

in community theatre,as well. This spring sheheld a lead role in theTin Shed Theater pro-duction of “Eleemosy-nary,” a three-womanplay dealing with thecomplicated inter-rela-tionships of mothersand daughters. Herother interests includephotography and read-ing and writing poetry.

“I’m always writingpoetry,” Coleman said.“It’s my personal thera-py.”She has been an ac-

tive member of SantaCruz County 4-H for thepast eight years, both asa member and as a jun-ior leader. She has beenan officer in her local 4-H club for six years,has served as secre-tary/treasurer for fouryears, and has beenpresident of the clubfor two years. This past year she

has helped youngermembers with theirsheep through her roleas a certified adultleader for the sheepproject. She plans tokeep in touch with the4-H club members thatshe mentors even aftershe leaves for CarrollCollege in Montana inAugust. “They all have my

phone number,” shesaid. “I told them to callme if they have anyquestions or problems.” She also plans to be-

come involved in 4-H inMontana. “I’m going tocall the Lewis andClark County exten-sion agent,” she

Marion Vendituoli

CCaaiittllyynnCCoolleemmaann

See CAITLYN /Page 21

See VICTORIA / Page 21

PPhhoottoo bbyy MMaarriioonn VVeennddiittuuoollii Yaritza Cortez hugs Amanda De La Ossa after the ceremony.

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“On the days that Iwasn’t as busy, Iwasn’t asproductive,”Rosas said.“Keepingmebusy actual-ly really keptme ontask.”It’s a good thing, too,

because shewill proba-bly be busy studying forthe next several years.Rosas, one of only a

handful of students in thestatewhowon theHora-tioAlgerArizona Schol-arship, and accordingly$5,000, plans tomajor inchemistry and physiolo-gy at theUniversity ofArizona, in preparationfor a future in themed-ical field.Specifically, shewants

towork in the pediatrictraumaunit of an emer-gency room.“Iwork best under

pressure and I like to

workwith kids,”Rosassaid. “It’s going to be dif-ficult being in that situa-tion, but I think Iwill do itwell.”Rosasmight fool you.

Eachword out of hermouth is crisp. Shespeakswith clarity andconfidence. But, lan-guage hasn’t come easyto her.“It’s easier forme in

math and science,”Rosassaid. “Because I strugglethemost in language, itwas the language teach-ers that had the biggestimpact onmyhigh schoolyears.”Rosas’ challenge to un-

derclassmen: do not tocompare your capabili-ties to the capabilities ofothers, but constantlychallenge yourself.“Do the best that you

can do. And be involvedin asmany things as pos-sible. Keep busy, inschool or out of school.”

RROOSSAASSContinued from Page 12

He admits, however,that his dedication toclasswork didn’t comewithout some sacrifice.“I’ve always wanted to

try wrestling and I nevergot to because of schooland how it conflicts withhomework,” Ursua said.“But I wish I wouldhave.”Even still, Ursua

found time to join sever-al clubs, including:Student Government,Art, Yearbook andNational Honor Society.In another club, the

Leadership Academy,Ursua got some hand-onpractice in his futurefield of study: medicine. As a member of the

club’s substance abuseand sexual educationcommittee, Ursua wastasked with helpingspread awareness aboutthe topics. “We madepamphlets to say, ‘This is

how drugs effect you,’”Ursua said.Although he’s still

undecided between head-ing south to his nativeMexico to study atTecnológico deMonterrey’s Guadalajaracampus or heading northto the University ofArizona, a couple ofthings are more certain:he wants to study medi-cine and he’s ready for achange of scenery.“Something I’m going

to miss, huh?” Ursuasaid jokingly, whenasked what he’d missmost about Rio Rico.Then he thought ofsomething: “I guess theenvironment. Everyone’sconnected. You seeeveryone almost every-day. You know every-one.”For now, the plan is to

become a surgeon.“Cardio or neuro,” Ursuasaid, in a reference tospecializing in eitherheart or brain surgery.“But that could changein seven years.”

UURRSSUUAAContinued from Page 12

Noriega said. “I wouldwant to probably studyin Spain or France andI’d probably teach inCentral America orSouth America.”Noriega credits her

parents, Wendy andMartin Noriega, andher teachers for hersuccess. Her parentsmotivated and support-

ed her along the wayand made it clear thatthey wouldn’t “accept abad grade,” Noriegasaid, through a laugh.Her advice to incom-

ing freshmen? “Workhard, but most impor-tantly get involved inyour school. You willhave a lot more excit-ing high school life andyou appreciate yourcommunity more thanif you don’t do any-thing.”

NNOORRIIEEGGAAContinued from Page 12

PPhhoottooss bbyy MMaarriissaa GGeerrbbeerr Co-salutatorian Iliana Rosas gives herspeech.

PPhhoottooss bbyy MMaarriissaa GGeerrbbeerr Valedictorian Joy Noriega gives herspeech.

PPhhoottooss bbyy MMaarriissaa GGeerrbbeerr Co-salutatorian Luis Roberto Ursuawalks off stage after giving his speech.

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mony, she actually com-pleted her high schoolcredits lastDecember.Since then, she’s beenearning college creditthroughCochiseCollegeand taking the certifiednursing assistant (CNA)course offered at Pier-son.Pradhan has been play-

ing the piano since shewas 5, and says “music ismy everything.”But itwas during herCNAcourse that she sawa ca-reer path taking shape.“I reallywanted to

studymusic, but then Ihad to take an extra classbecause Iwas donewithmycredits, so our princi-pal (JoelKramer) sug-gested theCNA,” shesaid. “I joined theCNAclass and did all the clini-cals and everything, andI started liking them. So Ithought, it’s a betterchoice of career.”She’ll pursue that ca-

reer as a nursing studentatGrandCanyonUniver-sity in Phoenix, and she’llbe aided by a $3,000

scholarship fromUniSource.“But I still want to

studymusic,” she added.“Maybe aftermycollegegraduation.”

PPVVHHSSContinued from Page 10

PPhhoottoo bbyy JJoonnaatthhaann CCllaarrkk “I could really go on my own pace. Andactually, that’s the reason I continued at Pierson,” Pradhan said.

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said. “Iwant to volunteer.I’m old enough to lead aproject.”Coleman also serves as

aYouthAmbassador fortheTourette SyndromeAssociation and foryouthwith neurobiologi-cal disorders,work thatshe plans to continuewhile at college. She hasalready started to organ-ize a youth support groupinHelena,Mont. foryouthwith disabilities,having learned that nosuch group exists in thestate.Coleman is planning to

major in biology andhopes to attend veteri-nary school after college.

She is also consideringthe option ofmedicalschool, with the goal ofbecoming a neurologistor a neurosurgeon. Sheplans to complete a dou-bleminor in communica-tions and anthro-zoology,the study of the human –animal bond.Colemanhas received

aPresidential Scholar-ship fromCarroll Col-lege, and scholarshipsfrom the SantaCruzCounty 4-HCouncil, theMountainEmpireRo-tary, the SantaCruzCountyCowbelles,Sulpher SpringsValleyElectric Cooperative(SSVEC), the J. StaytonBrooks 4-H, and theBoys&Girls Club of SantaCruzCounty.She credits her family

for being the biggest pos-

itive influence in her life.Her grandfather,DickSchorr, inspired her tobecome a veterinarian.“He’s themost caring

and compassionate guy Iknow,” she said. “Hetaughtme that to be a vetyou have to be compas-sionate to understand an-imals. Because animalscan’t speak for them-selves, you have to learnhow to read them, andyou have to knowhow toread people, too.”Her parents and sister

have been a positive in-fluence aswell.“Myparents taughtme

how to be a good person,”she said. “They taughtmehow to be independ-ent, but don’t be afraid toask for help if you needit.”

CCAAIITTLLYYNNContinued from Page 18

scholarships from thePatagonia Women's Club,Sulphur Springs ValleyElectric Cooperative(SSVEC), the PatagoniaRegional Foundation, theMountain Empire RotaryClub, the Boys & GirlsClub of Santa Cruz Coun-ty, and the University ofMaine.Calabrese has been

very happy at PatagoniaHigh School. “I think Ihad more opportunitieshere than I would havehad back east,” she said. She chose the Univer-

sity of Maine because itwas one of only a fewschools to offer a majorin zoology. “I’m really ex-cited to go back east,”she said. “I especiallymiss how the leaveschange colors in the au-tumn and the air getscrisp. “Calabrese said she be-

lieves her brother hasbeen the biggest influ-ence in her life, “becausehe showed me that if youwant something, then youshould go ahead and tryto do it, no matter whatanyone else says.” “I also want to thank

my parents,” she added,“Because they let me

have all the opportunitiesthat I’ve had, and they’regood role models, espe-cially for how I want myfamily to be when I’molder.” “I love animals and

that is the reason why Ichose the major of zoolo-gy, Victoria wrote. “ Ihope to one day work in azoo as a zoologist, study-ing behavior, or work in alab researching diseasessuch as cancer. Regard-ing my profession, I don’thave a concrete plan yet.However, I do know thatI want to make a differ-ence in the world. I wantto make the world a bet-ter place.”

PPhhoottooss bbyyMMaarriioonn VVeennddiittuuoolliiValedictorianVictoria Calabreseposes with her par-ents, Steve andDebbie Calabrese.

VVIICCTTOORRIIAAContinued from Page 18

Salutatorian Caitlyn Coleman giving her speech.

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Angelica Ramirez Antonio Lopez Liliana Vergara Romo Yvette Mendez

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