'Make the world better': Prescott High School graduates 13 seniors

Education is a key that opens doors that once seemed closed.

That's what Ariana Yaretzy Quiroz Lopez said that she and many of her fellow classmates, children of immigrants, learned from their families growing up.

"En nuestras casas aprendimos que el éxito no llega fácilmente," Quiroz said. "Vimos a nuestros padres trabajar largas horas, enfrentarse a desafíos en un idioma que no era el suyo, y aun así nunca rendirse."

"In our homes, we learned that success doesn't come easily. We saw our parents work long hours, face challenges in a language that wasn't their own, and yet never give up."

Quiroz, the valedictorian of Prescott High School's Class of 2026, was one of 13 students who graduated on Friday, June 5.

She said that as the sons and daughters of brave people who crossed borders, leaving behind homelands and loved ones, their families' sacrifices had allowed them to succeed.

"Nos criaron trabajadores en agricultura, mecánicos, mamás en las bodegas, maestras, y personal de oficina para ser futuros arquitectos, ingenieros, enfermeras, empresarios, y más que nada trabajadores con ambición. Una mujer muy importante para mi, mi mama, siempre me dijo que aunque el mundo se ponga difícil, con esfuerzo todo se puede. Sin ella yo no sería la mujer que hoy en día soy."

"We were raised by farmworkers, mechanics, mothers in warehouses, teachers, and office workers to become future architects, engineers, nurses, entrepreneurs, and above all, ambitious workers. A very important woman in my life, my mother, always told me that even when the world gets tough, with hard work, anything is possible. Without her, I wouldn't be the woman I am today."

Quiroz's classmate and salutatorian Yesenia Elizabeth Eulloqui-Canela said that while Friday's ceremony marked an ending, it also marked an exciting beginning, and was only possible because of families, friends, staff and community members who had helped.

" These students have worked hard to overcome challenges to reach this important milestone through determination and the support of many people gathered here tonight," Eulloqui-Canela said.

She told her classmates to remember these words: "Be grateful. Be responsible, be respectful, be resilient in all things and use these skills to make a positive difference."

Class President Jenifer Roman said that she and her classmates had always managed to rally together, and they would carry that into their lives after high school.

"We showed up for ourselves and for each other, even when we didn't have all the answers. No matter what was in our path each one of us always stayed determined until the end of our high school days," Roman said. "We learned how to keep going when things felt overwhelming, how to lean on one another and how to find the strength we didn't know we had."

Roman said she would always cherish the memories her class had made together - all the challenges and successes that made them who they are.

"Life after today won't always be clear or comfortable, but we are ready for whatever crosses our path," Roman said. "As we go forward, let us keep supporting one another and never forget how far we've come together."

Before students left the school for the last time in a cloud of confetti, diplomas in hand, Superintendent Jeff Foertsch asked them to remember to be generous with their time, generous with their money, and to come back and visit.

"Please, make the world better," he said.

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