Several student speakers at Horizonte’s 2025 commencement described personal challenges and credited the school’s staff and programs with helping them graduate.

Nierazidis Peraza, who said he was born in Rwanda and later resettled in the United States, described losing family during war, arriving in the U.S. in 2017 and beginning studies at Horizonte three years ago. “I was learning so much,” Peraza said, and he thanked teachers, classmates and community members who supported him during his education.

Anthony Garcia, who identified himself to the audience as a student who transferred to Horizonte beginning his senior year, thanked his mother and invoked a passage from Philippians while urging classmates to pursue their goals. “If you have a dream, take it, grab it, cement it into your mind, and don't let anybody tell you you can't do something, not even yourself,” Garcia said.

Other speakers described arriving at Horizonte after struggling with grades and attendance at previous schools, praised staff and programs including the library and college classes, and credited peer leadership and school resources with helping them find a “fresh start.” Several speakers thanked specific teachers and staff by role — including math and language-arts teachers and the principal — for pushing them to achieve and for creating a sense of belonging.

The school’s principal and a Salt Lake City School District board member also addressed graduates. Charlotte Fife Jefferson, identified on the program as a Salt Lake City School District Board of Education member representing Precinct 2 (Glendale, Poplar Grove and Jordan Meadows), congratulated the class and said students met state diploma requirements. “Because they have met all the requirements necessary to receive a high school diploma in the state of Utah, it is my greatest honor and privilege to accept the Horizonte High School graduating class of 2025 on behalf of the Salt Lake City School District,” she said.

Speeches at the ceremony mixed personal testimony with thanks to family, community partners and staff. Students and staff closed the program with the traditional tassel movement and exit instructions for graduates and families.