The crowd buzzed as the senior processional began at the Fertitta Center on the University of Houston campus May 24. Parents, cousins, siblings, family and friends sat in the bleachers, emotional and attentive, as they looked for their senior.
“It means a lot to my family, because I have my grandparents here while I graduate high school,” senior Andrea Hernandez said. “So it means a lot to them. It’s a big achievement for my family. But to me, it means that I worked hard and I finally made it to the end.”
The emotional familial moments were especially important to senior Mia Istratescu, whose mom and siblings were in the crowd.
“My mom’s been my number one supporter since I was younger,” Istratescu said. “She had kids young, so she had to drop out of college. Being able to walk the stage is big. … She’s always been there for me, always believed in my craziest dreams and supported me.”
Graduation was held at the Fertitta Center for the first time because of the FIFA World Cup beginning soon. Since games will be played at NRG Stadium, the venue was not available for high school graduations.
The graduates went from the normal 70,000-seat NRG Stadium to the 7,000-seat Fertitta Center.
“(It’s a) much smaller venue that kind of fits the size of our campus,” principal Wes Solomon said. “So I thought it was more intimate. Parents and families were closer to the graduates and to the stage, which made a really nice environment.”
The district has not made any announcement on where graduation will take place for the Class of 2027, but Solomon recommends Fertitta again.
“It’s close to Kingwood,” he said. “You know, it’s about a 30 minute drive, and I think it’s something they can look forward to and celebrate.”
Seniors said they were leaving high school with nerves, excitement, eagerness and shock. Most said they are ready for what is next though.
“I think I’m excited because I’m actually gonna start being able to do what I love instead of just sitting in a boring English class,” Istratescu said.
As exciting as graduation day was, senior Ian Ferguson said he was happy to be closing that chapter of his life. He plans to pursue a music career at Stephen F Austin in the fall.
“It feels pretty good,” Ferguson said. “High school was fun, but I kind of hated it, so it feels great to get out of here.”
Senior Alexis McGilbury said the entire graduation ceremony was surreal as the seniors said goodbye to each other and started looking ahead. Her advice to her classmates was simple: “I think they just need to look forward to every opportunity and not be afraid to grab it,” McGilbury said.
