Ocean View High graduates look toward the future

Alejandra Sanchez said she plans to take a year off from school.

She has earned it. As the decoration on her graduation cap put it, she now has “99 Problems But a Diploma Ain’t One.�

It was a play off a line by the rapper Jay-Z.

Sanchez was all smiles after she was one of 282 Ocean View High School students who participated in a drive-through graduation Wednesday on campus.

“It felt maybe not the way I wanted to feel at a regular graduation,� said Sanchez, who wore a blue sash to highlight her participation in AVID during her time at Ocean View. “But I’m still thankful that I got to graduate. I’m not graduating with my friends, but I’ll still see them. I’m just glad we all graduated.�

Graduates picked up a special Ocean View face mask on their way to the graduation area, which was located adjacent to the football field. They walked on stage after their names were announced, accepting their diploma covers and posing for pictures. After that, they picked up their diplomas before driving off with friends and family. There was also an area where students would sign where they were going to college.

“Everybody seems so happy,� Ocean View Assistant Principal Jodi Young said. “It’s very simple. To go from start to finish, it’s like a minute and a half to two minutes ... There’s nobody else on the stage, which is sad and not typical, but some of the teachers are here from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. They’re here the whole day, just celebrating kids.�

Angelyte Pantoja, 18 of Santa Ana, poses for family photos after getting her diploma at Ocean View High on Wednesday.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Young said that student and staff speeches, as well as a message from Ocean View Principal Courtney Robinson, were sent out via email on Tuesday night to graduating seniors. Students will also have access to a link that will have the entire graduation ceremony.

Ocean View graduate Pablo Martinez, the youngest of seven siblings, had plenty of supporters on hand. Martinez participated in the Ocean View Business Academy during his time at the school, as well as playing soccer and running track. He said his sister designed his lei, which featured red flowers but also dollar bills interspersed throughout.

“You get home and you feel rich,� joked Martinez, who plans to attend Golden West College next year, adding that the drive-through graduation was definitely an experience. “You don’t expect [graduation] to be just going in, getting a diploma and just leaving. You feel excited, since your family is cheering you on. You have that rush of, ‘Wow, I made it!’ It’s so different than other graduations ... it was more personal. The spotlight is on you.�

Oscar Sanchez, who graduated from Ocean View in 2004, was there to support his youngest sister Angelyte Pantoja. Sanchez said all of the family’s seven siblings — Cruz Soledad German Sanchez (class of 2002), himself, Marilena Pantoja (2012), Connie Pantoja (2014) , Michelle Pantoja (2018) and now Angelyte — are now Ocean View graduates.

“We’ve always came back and all said hello to our teachers,� Oscar Sanchez said. “We’ve always expressed our appreciation for how much of an impact that they actually have on the students ... I, for one, hope I’m able to send my kids to the same high school.�

Jordan Ogawa, 17 of Westminster, poses for family photos after getting her diploma at Ocean View High on Wednesday.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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