Central Coast New Tech High School held its graduation ceremony on June 8, 2024. There were eight valedictorians in the class. Pictured, from left, are valedictorians Leila Zabala, Katie Schlauco, Lilyana Ramirez, Victoria Reese, Lily Gash, Cole Aguirre, Leo Ramirez and Skylar Cross.
ldickinson@thetribunenews.com
In the final major San Luis Obispo County graduation of the school year, Central Coast New Tech High School celebrated the achievements of 54 graduates of the Class of 2024 in its commencement ceremony Saturday.
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That represented a 100% graduation rate for the Nipomo class that started online as freshmen during the COVID-19, Principal Sarah Butler told The Tribune ahead of the ceremony.
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This year there were eight valedictorians, she said. They are: Cole Aguirre, Skyler Cross, Lily Gash, Leo Ramirez, Lillyanna Ramirez, Victoria Reece, Katie Szlauko and Leila Zavala.
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Butler said the class “earned amazing academic achievement on state test scores” in their junior year, including 91% who met/exceeded standard in English language arts, 70% met/exceeded in science and 44% in mathematics.
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“In addition, many are athletes, performers, artists, social reformers, environmentalists and science-minded,” Butler said.
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The graduating class is expected to go on to a range of destinations in the fall. Twenty-one will go to Cuesta Community College, 13 will attend Cal Poly, three Alan Hancock Community College and two will go to UC Santa Barbara, while one student each will go to UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Reed College, Tufts University, Mount Mercy University, Long Beach State, Cal State Monterey, Cal State LA, Cal State University Maritime Academy, Rogers State University in Oklahoma and Santa Rosa Junior College.
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One student planned to enter the Air Force, one will go to SLO Beauty College and another will enter the workforce.
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The graduating class earned a total of $110,000 in scholarships.
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Butler characterized the class of graduates as “a resilient and deeply supportive and empathetic group of students.”
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“They truly care about each other, our school and the greater community,” she said.
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Caitlin Leslie writes about business and development for the San Luis Obispo Tribune. A Nipomo native, she also covers city government and events for the city of San Luis Obispo. She joined the Tribune in 2013 after earning a journalism degree from California Polytechnic University.
