As they prepared to leave Orcutt’s Ernest Righetti High School, the 565 members making up the class of 2026 on Thursday morning were told, “It’s time to go out into reality to accomplish greatness.”
Minus the typical morning marine layer, or June gloom, the 62nd commencement for Righetti High occurred on a sunny Thursday morning in the stadium on the Orcutt campus, where the graduates sported purple caps and gowns.
Ansch Vinchi joined two other salutatorians — Chae Min Kim and Shani Peinado — to deliver the welcome speech.
“We make big things happen by taking action, not because it seems easy. No, that’s lame,” Vinchi said. “Not even because it seems hard, but because at first glance it seems impossible.”
He reminded his fellow classmates that they might experience multiple failures before seeing successes, encouraging them to persevere.
“That’s how we will make great things happen. That is how we change the world,” he added. “I truly hope that a majority of you sitting in front of me today made something possible, which, four years ago, was nothing more than just a pipe dream.”
Principal Ted Lyons also bragged on the class, noting that they had earned $1.4 million in scholarships. More than 100 of the graduates will go to four-year universities, he said.
About 40% of the class members will attend Allan Hancock College, while 18 plan to enter various branches of the military.
Thursday’s ceremony included performances by the varsity choir and Madrigals along with Izelic Galbadon and Righetti’s Marimba Band.
Other speakers included students Jesus Herrera Romero and Navis John along with valedictorian Christopher Sullivan.
“Through every trial and tribulation, this class still kept on showing up, kept on pushing forward, and unlike some, we all made it to this moment without ever having to fake a transcript,” Sullivan said in a jab at allegations levied in a civil lawsuit about rival and neighbor St. Joseph High School.
The class has the most A through G eligible seniors in Righetti history, he added, referring to the menu of required courses to apply to University of California or California State University campuses.
“Give it up for that. This success is a testament to all of our amazing teachers, staff and programs,” Sullivan said, telling his classmates to “be proud of what you’ve done.”
“Don’t forget where you came from. That’s Earnest Righetti High School,” he added.
Speaker Jesus Herrera Romero, a first-generation American and the Righetti band’s drum major, shared his story to remind his classmates that “your circumstances do not define your future.”
Instead of a comfortable mattress, for the past several years he had slept on his family’s couch, urging his classmates to use his story to push themselves.
He said he plans to enlist in the Army National Guard to help fund his college education.
He recalled words shared by a security guard, who told the Righetti student that if he wasn’t happy, the teen should work to “build your normal.”
“Fight for your normal, for what it is that you want. These are words that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life,” he said.
Righetti’s morning graduation kicked off a day of celebration followed by similar ceremonies at the Pioneer Valley High and Santa Maria High campuses.
Delta High, a continuation school, held its graduation Wednesday for its 344 graduates.
Across all four campuses, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District had 2,233 graduates in the class of 2026.
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