Seniors express themselves with this year’s graduation caps:

“The quote itself is from Legally Blonde. The phrase is Elle’s response to her ex-boyfriend when he’s shocked to learn about her acceptance to law school. To me, the quote is all about female empowerment and defying stereotypes.” – Mariah Latimer

• Latimer will be attending the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia in the fall. 

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“I am the first generation to be born in the United States, as well as the first person in my family to attend college. It’s essentially a tribute to my parents who have given everything for me to be where I am today. They immigrated here from Mexico to seek opportunity and a better life. My cap reads 1st Gen: Para mi mami y papi. It is written in Spanish and decorated with red and white flowers and a green tassel to represent the colors of the Mexican flag and my heritage. I chose to decorate my cap this way because I never want to forget where I came from and who made it possible for me to be here today.” – Valery Santacruz

• Santacruz will be getting married and applying to physician’s assistant school following graduation.

“I’m grateful for the opportunities this university and Air Force ROTC have given me. The badge [on my cap] is for the job I will be doing in the Air Force and I couldn’t be more excited for the adventures to come!” – MJ Duffy

• Duffy post-graduation plans will be heading to work as a logistics and readiness officer at Aviano Air Base in Italy.

“This, for me, means everything. It’s to honor my family, to honor their struggles and sacrifices. To be a first-generation college graduate fills me with so much joy, it’s close to indescribable.” – Brie Zepeda

• Zepada will be moving to Los Angeles at the end of May to continue her work as an actress. 

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“This is my cap! I love McDonald’s and their phrase because I am someone who loves life and I will be going on to pursue my master’s degree in higher education and I basically wanted to portray that my work doesn’t stop here. I have only accomplished a piece of my picture and I still want to work as hard as I can to reach my dreams.” – Jesse Lafarga

• Lafarga will be pursuing his master’s degree in higher education at ASU in the fall.