With all the graduations going on I started to think about mine from high school. I went to Silver Creek High in San Jose for my senior year and I was not happy about it. I moved for the second half of my junior year to Sunnyvale and then spent the Summer in Europe and while I was gone my family moved again to San Jose. The only redeeming thing about it was that we moved around the corner from my cousins, the Wallworks. Shelly made the whole experience. I could not have done it without her. I didn't like coming home after being very independent for 3 months. My parents both worked and I did the cooking, washing and tending. I could have graduated in December but I didn't. I took two extra English classes and came home early to tend Janet, Craig and Jared. It was a very tough year for me. As graduation got closer I was named the Salutatorian of the class-- that is the second in the class. I got a B+ in history my junior year. I had to give a graduation speech which was short and sweet. Most people had no idea who I was. I was very nervous and right before I had to go on stage, I looked over and saw Mr. Miguel, my very good English teacher. He was wearing a suit and to this day I don't think I have ever seen someone so uncomfortable in a suit. He had always worn jeans to school. He encouraged me and I started laughing and was not nervous to give the speech. Each of the graduates gave the principal a marble when we shook his hand after our names were called.
One of my fondest memories was near the end of the year when all the seniors went to Disneyland for Grad night. Most were couples and I was dating a junior and I guess he never asked me or something, I don't remember, but I did want to go. I was blown away when my cousin Keith asked me to go with him. I didn't go, but I have always felt important to Keith and very lucky to have such a wonderful cousin who cared about me. That has probably stuck with me longer than the fun I would have had at Disneyland!
My friends Annelisa and Cathy came from Fairfield to San Jose to see my graduation. I was so happy they came. I won the Bank of America award in English and got a scholarship to BYU.
All in all a pretty good graduation and I was so excited to go to Utah in the Fall. Shelly and I worked all Summer at the jewelry store buying clothes and getting ready to go away to school.
2 comments:
lorna you were such a good student! i love those pictures you posted! you really haven't changed at all :) i loved reading your graduation story!
Lorna, loved this post about our HS graduation! I loved living around the corner from you for our Senior year! I was always so proud to tell everyone that you were my cousin and I thought it was great that you were the Salutatorian. Can you believe it was 31 years ago? Yes, that was one of Keith's finer moments. I'll make sure he knows about this post.
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