DRESSED IN BRIGHT RED gowns with matching mortarboard caps, Mater Dei seniors took to the stage to receive their diplomas as their final act as high school students.
Families and friends filled the seats of UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center on May 30 for Mater Dei High School’s 2026 graduation ceremony, which celebrated 452 graduates who were accepted at 142 different colleges and universities across 36 states and nine countries. Dr. Brad Snyder, Diocese of Orange Catholic schools associate superintendent of educational programs, presented a gathering prayer and Bishop Kevin Vann gave closing remarks and a final blessing.
PHOTOS BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
“Today is a great day to be a Monarch,” said school principal Frances Clare. “It’s the day of your graduation, a day of celebration, reflection and anticipation. It fills all of us here today with joy and pride to witness you step forward with wisdom, resilience and grace into the beginning of a life that is yours to shape.”
Among the graduating class, 191 students achieved a 4.0 GPA or higher, and 254 students were National Honor Society lifetime members. As a senior class, the students volunteered more than 68,000 hours of community service work, with an average of 142 hours per student. Six students volunteered more than 1,000 hours: Guilloux Blanchard, Catherine Eddy, Isabella Strickland, Soluna Chavez-Esparza, Lucille Heit and Keaton Tran.
In his graduation speech, school president Michael Brennan said that a Mater Dei diploma means more than just academic excellence; it’s the intentional embedding of Catholic faith and biblical teachings into every aspect of the high school experience.
“The purpose of Mater Dei will always be to develop servant leaders through the holistic maturation of each student’s will, their will to choose goodness,” Brennan said. “As the Apostle Paul wrote: Be devoted to one another in love, honor one another above yourselves.”
Salutatorian Alice Eskander spoke of her high school experience and how the small moments of connection—a nod, a laugh, sitting together—brought the senior class together and made the school into a community.
“As Proverbs 17:22 says, ‘A joyful heart is good medicine,’ and I think our class proves that to be true,” Eskander said. “In a world filled with so much tension and pressure, our moments of connection reminded us of the goodness God places in our lives through other people.”
Valedictorian Anthony Traquena spoke of Matthew 14:22-33 and how Peter took a risk getting out of the boat to walk on water. Traquena said having the courage to risk it all is what matters in the end.
“We are now facing a brand-new start, where we will once again have the opportunity to challenge our comfort zones,” Traquena said. “As we walk out of graduation today and we step into the unknown, we’re going to face new storms. But if there’s one thing you should take from my speech today, it’s this: Do not let the fear of sinking keep you from stepping out of the boat.”
He urged the Class of 2026 to “try something new that you’ve always been interested in. Join new groups you find intriguing, travel the world, learn new cultures, create that bucket list, because the future doesn’t belong to those who play it safe. It belongs to those willing to dream and risk everything to fall and rise again. And that’s the beauty of our dreams.”