‘Live as if this is all there is’

LOS ANGELES — Chords from a towering organ echoed through the airy sanctuary at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Saturday as graduates from Bellarmine-Jefferson High School completed their final rites as students.

The group of 82 students was the first-ever high school class to hold a complete graduation ceremony at the downtown landmark, a site that added to the excitement of the day, students said.

“It’s special,” graduate Kevin Ortega said. “I loved it.”

The ceremony brought an end to an educational experience that had involved close bonds at a high school of 310 students, a fraction of other schools nearby, graduates said.

That small-scale atmosphere had created friendships that would last, said Camille Surujbhan, the school’s valedictorian.

“We may not remember much about economics or the works of great writers years from now, but what we will remember are our friends,” she said.

The event brought an end to a high school era that had involved pep rallies, the election of the nation’s first biracial president and frequent trips to a local Chevron to get snacks before school, students said.

It also ended an experience with faculty members who had watched over students and “told guys to shave and told girls to dress better,” Surujbhan said.

She encouraged her peers to use the lessons learned from Bellarmine-Jefferson to take chances and pursue their dreams, even if there might be obstacles or mishaps along the way.

“Go out into the world and live as if this is all there is,” she said.

The family atmosphere at the school would be difficult to move on from, said senior Christian Torres.

“I liked being a part of that,” he said, adding that he hoped he would stay close to his classmates.

Speakers at the ceremony, which began with an hourlong Mass, referred to components of the cathedral while discussing spiritual lessons that the graduates were encouraged to remember through life.

The Rev. Gregory Coiro pointed the audience’s attention to the building’s alabaster windows, which “emits God’s natural light” while discussing guidance for the “trek” that awaited the students, he said.

Principal Cheryl Milner chose to highlight the 25 tapestries that hung along the adobe-colored concrete walls.

The tapestries, by artist John Nava, depicted 135 saints, although some were purposely unnamed, Milner said.

“These are our everyday saints,” she said.

She explained that guidance from students’ parents, teachers and classmates had helped to bring them through graduation, and she encouraged them to not feel lonely because they would no longer be as directly connected to that group.

Those sources of guidance would always be available to help, she said.

If the graduates find themselves facing an obstacle or challenge, they could find support in their peers, she said.

“If you are looking for a saint, don’t look up,” she said. “Look around.”