Burbank Adult School Graduation:

Adriana Alvarenga fidgeted with her cap and gown in anxious anticipation for the Burbank Adult School graduation ceremony to begin on Wednesday.

“I am so happy to finish. I’ve come a long way,” said Alvarenga, who received her high-school diploma and last month was inducted into the school’s Honor Society.

After attending Eagle Rock High School for three years, she dropped out to help support her family.

Now, with graduation certificate in hand, she plans to start classes in September at Glendale Community College.

Alvarenga was one of 63 students who graduated on Wednesday from Burbank Adult School with a high school diploma.

Another 87 students obtained their GED, which is gained by taking a set of five high school exit exams.

Eleven Adult Basic Education students were awarded eighth-grade level diplomas, School Director Cherise Moore said.

The school’s students are typically teenagers that have difficulty finishing high school, adults who are looking to finish earning their high school diploma or students from other countries, Learning Center Coordinator Trudy Israel said.

“The students are very special people because they work so hard to achieve their goals,” Israel said. “I get very excited to see students here start to see their future ahead of them. “

The future for graduate Juan Aboolian, 19, begins in just two weeks with college classes at Glendale Community College.

“I am excited to get this over with so I can start college,” said Aboolian, who was a student at Burbank High School before attending the adult school.

This year’s graduation class was the largest in recent history. The increase was the result of fewer required credits and a stronger curriculum, Moore said.

“These students have gone through so many traumas, and it is really rewarding for me to help them fulfill their life goals,” Moore said. “Tonight’s celebration is a culmination of many years of hard work.”

The school this year awarded the most scholarship money, a total of $13,000 to graduates like Lorenzo Gutierrez, who hopes to become an English teacher.

“I am so excited because this is my first graduation,” said Gutierrez, who dropped out of Fairfax High School in Los Angeles at 15 to work.

“I feel that I have succeeded.”

The school does not choose a valedictorian. Instead, students can go to the podium and share their experiences with the audience.