Author: Illiana Banuelos

Liberty High School would like to recognize Lexus Cunningham as our 2023 Star Graduate. Lexus was raised in rural Nevada by a loving mother. After her parents divorced, Lexus had no more contact with her father and lived with her mother until her junior year, when her mother passed away from COVID. Lexus had to leave her small hometown midway through her junior year to move to Las Vegas with her older sister, who became her guardian. Despite her personal loss and change in living arrangements including a new town and a new school, Lexus has excelled. She has always…

During high school, Azul Martinez faced one of life’s toughest battles – cancer. Despite the physical and emotional hurdles that came with her diagnosis, Azul refused to let her illness define her. She continued to attend school, maintain passing grades and even participated in extracurricular activities. Azul’s resilience and unwavering determination to succeed, despite the odds stacked against her, is a testament to her strength and character. Today, Azul is cancer-free and is an inspiration to many who face similar challenges. Her story is a reminder that with courage and perseverance, anything is possible.

Jay Rosales, the Star Graduate from Bonanza High School, has been a model for perseverance throughout her academic career. She came to Las Vegas in 7th grade to live with her grandmother in search of better academic options. Despite significant adversity in her younger years, she insisted that getting an education was the most important thing to her. With a passion for athletics, Jay came to Bonanza High School and got involved in basketball, the step team, flag football, track, student council, and she was the team manager for the football team. Jay will be graduating from high school with…

Maria is an exemplary student. She is dedicated, motivated and persistent in her craft as she currently ranks #2 in her class. As an emergent bilingual student, she has done a phenomenal job in navigating the educational system in the United States. Obstacles such as the language barrier and lack of resources have not been an impediment for Maria as she has always been a great advocate for herself. She has exceeded expectations in her academics which has her ranked in the top 5% of her class, reflecting her strong work ethic, dedication and commitment to academic excellence. To read…

Juan Lopez is a senior in Clark’s Residential Wiring and Electrical Technologies program. He has a weighted GPA of 4.024 and is a valued member of Clark’s community. He is one of the first two high school students ever to be invited into Helix’s wiring and manufacturing facility, where he works part-time for the company. So far, he’s exceeded all expectations. Juan shows a deep passion and aptitude for electrical work and plans to pursue a career as an electrician upon graduating from high school. To read about other Star Graduates, visit, https://stargrads.ccsd.net/

I am happy to announce John Jerard Gatchalian as the 2023 Star Graduate for Sandy Valley High School. He is on track to be our Salutatorian while balancing work, Honors, AP and college classes. He is an extremely ambitious student who is eager to pursue a career in Computer Science. He hopes to use his creativity and intelligence to become a software engineer at Apple, Tesla or Open.AI, where he can help continue the advance of technology in society. He will be helping make his dream come true by attending UNLV in the fall, where he has been accepted into…

Zaylene Edmonds is the definition of “good vibes” and strives to serve others as a way of staying aligned with her true self and connecting with others. Zaylene serves her school as a member of the Black Student Union and the founder of the Women Activist Club on campus. Miss Edmonds started the club upon returning to school after distance learning because she recognized that students needed a way to reconnect with others. The Women Activist Club is a group of hard working female activists that seek to make change in the world. They promote awareness as well as target…

Dylan is an amazing Engineering student. He was named a National Merit Finalist and Presidential Scholar. Dylan is active on the NWCTA Robotics team and a member of other clubs. Dylan maintains a weighted GPA of 4.955. Dylan is a friend to all on campus and a joy to have in all of his classes. Dylan aspires to be an engineer and will attend UNLV in the fall. To read about other Star Graduates, visit, https://stargrads.ccsd.net/

Estefany enrolled while missing many credits needed for graduation and has committed herself to making up classes. Estefany is one of our full-time students and is also concurrently enrolled at Burk HS and Cowan HS. Her school day is from 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. She has worked hard and maintained a part-time job as well. She is an incredible young woman. As her school counselor, I feel so proud of her efforts and determination. To read about other Star Graduates, visit, https://stargrads.ccsd.net/

Jessica Halili is a first generation immigrant from the Philippines. She currently serves as president of the mariachi program at Las Vegas High School and led the group to perform for President Joe Biden’s Inauguration. Jessica was also requested to sing the National Anthem for the White House’s “America Back Together” tour featuring Vice President Kamala Harris. Most recently, she was named, “The Nation’s Shining Star Mariachi Vocalist”. All of her teachers agree that she is a natural leader and a phenomenal student in the classroom. Jessica represents the Wildcat spirit by maintaining a high GPA while taking a rigorous…