WATSONVILLE—Givonni Garcia had a passion for history and laws as a young child. He also enjoyed arguing.
“I loved arguing,” he said.
That love has only grown over the years. His dreams have too.
Garcia is one of St. Francis High School’s valedictorians for the graduating class of 2020, which is 48 students deep and in total earned roughly $4.5 million in scholarships—both academic and athletic.
The Class of 2020 held a drive-thru graduation Saturday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Graduates circled around the parking lot honking their horns, waving flags and giving one another applause.
In the fall Garcia will attend Georgetown University in Washington D.C. to study government and he plans to enter the school’s pre-law track to continue his dream of becoming a lawyer.
A few years ago he wanted to become a corporate lawyer.
“I knew they made a lot of money,” he quipped.
Jokes aside, he said he doesn’t know what type of law he wants to specialize in. He does know, however, that he wants to help change society for the better. The recent explosion of conversations around racial and institutional discrimination following the death of George Floyd has only solidified his plans.
“Right now the biggest thing is racial discrimination and that’s something that needs to change. It’s a big item for the world and our country right now,” he said. “I know that education, too, is a shaky system because there’s a set way that you’re supposed to get things done. But I know there’s a lot of kids that don’t learn the same way everyone else does….We need more equality in that system too.”
On top of his academic prowess, Garcia also flashed his singing and acting chops as a three-time cast member for the school musical. He was also on the swim team, served as a class officer for four years and went on a handful of mission trips to locations such as a Native American Reservation in Idaho and an impoverished part of Tijuana, Mexico.
Asked what he was most proud of from his time at St. Francis, Garcia said the support he received from the school—teachers, counselors, admins and fellow students—was outstanding.
“I’ve had struggles with the school and different struggles in my life but if you reach out to the school, if you reach out to people around you, you’re able to help them understand you more and they’re able to push you up and allow you to be the best you can be,” he said. “If I wasn’t supported by all my friends and my teachers, I wouldn’t be going to Georgetown.”
IMAGINING THE FUTURE
Whenever Emma Haro visits a Disney theme park or watches one of the company’s movies, her mind starts racing about the hours of work and vast attention to detail that went into bringing someone’s imagination to life.
“I’ve always wanted to work for Disney,” she said. “My ultimate dream job would be to become an imagineer.”
An imagineer—a title made famous by Disney—is part of the company’s research and development department responsible for the creation, design and construction of theme parks and attractions worldwide. Most imagineers not only have buckets of creativity and ideas, but they also carry degrees in engineering, computer science and design.
Haro, St. Francis High’s salutatorian, in the fall plans to start her journey to her dream job by majoring in design at UC Davis. She then wants to earn her masters in graphic design and eventually earn degrees in computer science and engineering.
“I do plan to get them,” she said, “but maybe later on in life.”
When asked what her favorite piece of Disney culture or media was, Haro struggled to come up with an answer.
“There’s so many,” she said. “I grew up with Disney. There’s something that’s so magical, especially at Disney parks. They always find a way to put magic into reality….I love the creative process I see behind everything, movies, parks, it’s so phenomenal.”
Haro has had the chance to showcase her design expertise while at St. Francis. She created a new school emblem that will be etched into the faculty building. The design interlocks the school’s mascot, a shark, and its initials into a two-tone graphic that creates a strong depth of field.
At another school, she said, she might not have had that opportunity.
“It’s all been worth it,” she said.
