Muslim graduates from Christian school, appreciates the values

St. Joseph graduates will carry faith with them

By Bianca Montes

Victoria Advocate, Texas

     May 26–Olivia Creager said through faith, she and her classmates learned they can do all things through Christ, who strengthens them. That lesson was instilled in them while students at St. Joseph High School.

     Creager thanked God in her graduation speech for giving her and each of her classmates the gift of life and “for bringing (their) lives together so that (they) shared many beautiful experiences.”

     The graduating class of 2014 walked across the stage Sunday night at the Fine Arts Center — 100 percent of the class was accepted to 60 different colleges and universities across Texas and the United States.

     “The senior class is known as a very generous and loving class, full of spirit and goodness,” said senior class sponsor Gretchen Boyle. “They contributed a legacy of excellence to the school in many memorable ways. They are lovable and will be missed.”

     The Advocate asked 10 students in the 2014 graduating class of St. Joseph High School: How will you use your faith-based education in college?

     “I plan to use my faith-based education to help guide me through difficult and challenging times and help me to continue to grow as an individual.”

     -Dodge Bludau, 18, Baylor University

     “I’m planning on being in a lot of leadership activities, and I think leading through Christ will be a lot easier than leading with nothing at all.”

     -Sarah Valenzuela, 17, St. Edward’s University

     “I plan on relying on God to tell me what direction to go, as far as a major, and I’ll use my faith to stay away from bad influences.”

     -Seth Hawes, 17, Victoria College

     “As a person who’s not particularly strong in religion, I feel like the Christian values St. Joseph has have helped me to be more accepting of people that have different believes than I do.”

     -Luke Stone, 18, Victoria College

     “St. Joseph has a real family-type environment, and it’s shown me that is what I need to look for in college.”

     – A.J. Calvo, 18, Victoria College

     “Just to stay motivated because I know God has a path for me, and I’m going to follow that path.”

     -Doug Wall, 18, Blinn College

     “I’m a Muslim in a Christian school, so my education has taught me to appreciate diversity, and I’ll use that a lot in college.”

     -Hira Malik, 18, University of Texas at Austin

     “My education has taught me to help others if they need it and to stay strong — a strong faith is important.”

     -Kali Perales, 18, University of Houston-Victoria

     “To help me through hard times and to keep my faith up while in college and not lose track of who I am.”

     -Abigail Schneider, 17, Texas Tech University

     “To expand and become a better Catholic and continue to grow in faith.”

     -Luke Wenske, 17, Texas A&M University

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     (c)2014 Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas)