View a list of the graduates here.
As 454 Wildcats closed the chapter on their high school careers, members of the class of 2025 were left with a message: The spirit of the Wildcat and their legacy is far from over.
West Ranch High School held the class of 2025 graduation ceremony on Friday night at College of the Canyons, with the stands filled to the brim with people and cheers heard from halfway around the world.
Alison Hunsaker, a teacher who has been a part of West Ranch High for 18 years and was retiring, kicked off the celebration with her speech “What is a Wildcat?”
Hunsaker began her speech saying that the class of 2025 was a diverse group, with students coming from all over the valley, country and globe. She listed the different types of languages they speak, the different generations, their family’s origins and their interests – to name a few.
“So, what then unites you as Wildcats? You are resilient; you’ve weathered AP chemistry and AP physics. You’ve managed countless exams on the same day and scheduling conflicts that play CIF tournaments against those exams,” Hunsaker said. “You have shown up at the crack of dawn for ASB, journalism, and track, and remained after the sun has set to rehearse for your shows, practice your drum lines, finding your cheers, all while fighting against succumbing to senioritis.”
Hunsaker added that they have been model students, athletes and leaders, among other things.
She quoted Edgar Albert Guest, “You started to sing, as you tackled the thing that couldn’t be done, and you did it.”
Graduate Mahati Dharanipathi emphasized in her speech that oneself is the best company one could ever have.
“But at the end of the day, the one person who had been by you through every high, every low, and everything in between is you. As I reflected on my time in high school, I’m reminded of something a teacher repeatedly said while simultaneously acknowledging the fact that none of us would probably take his advice. ‘Let yourself be bored,’” Dharanipathi said.
She added that being alone is not a deficiency. It’s a space for discovery.
“It’s a quiet moment that allows to affect, a chance to understand who we are when no one else is watching. Being alone gives us the curse to ask the real question,” Dharanipathi said. “What truly makes me happy? What do I want to give back to this world? The world often tells us that we must constantly connect, network, and stay busy to be valued. But I believe the greatest connection we can ever nurture is the one with ourselves.”
She ended her speech with hope and praise for the class of 2025, hoping they take the confidence of being alone with them.
Aishwarya Sudan was the next student speaker and talked about the five things she learned.
She began her speech with the lesson “time moves quickly,” as she learned in her final weeks being a Wildcat.
“Seniors, we spent over 200 weeks, 1,500 days, and 2 million minutes of our lives at West Ranch. The days seem long at times, I know. And yet, think back to your first day of freshman year. High school has gone by in the blink of an eye,” Sudan said.
She added that despite beginning their high school careers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the time spent in high school was memorable.
The second thing she discussed was that change is inevitable.
“Looking back on our time at West Ranch, every single one of us has changed, in ways we never could imagine. Our innocence becoming wisdom, and our experiences becoming lessons, whether we like it or not,” Sudan said.
Her third point was that no matter what, people need someone to lean on.
She acknowledged the people in each graduate’s lives, like parents, friends, families, and mentors in the crowd.
Her fourth point was that nothing is permanent except change.
“The future is shaped by what you are now, so be here, fully,” Sudan said.
Lastly, Sudan said that against the race of time, we owe ourselves a moment to celebrate.
“Here’s to us. Here’s to the scholars of the past, the doers of today, and the altars of tomorrow. Here’s to dreaming big, and to approach … into showing the world what it means to be a Wildcat,” Sudan finished her speech to applause.
After both graduates spoke, Robert Fisher, principal of West Ranch, introduced Michael Vierra, superintendent of the William S. Hart Union High School District, and Hart district board members Cherise Moore and Aakash Ahuja gave out the diplomas.
Once the graduates got their diplomas, amid the chaos, Fisher realized that one student’s name was not called out by accident.
Darryl Ragsdale was called out by Fisher to stand up, and the entire stadium chanted his name to show their support.
“Graduates, to signify your accomplishment as a high school graduate, please change the tassel on your mortarboard from the right side to the left side,” Fisher said, with the class of 2025 cheering.
