Happy Graduation, Class of 2025!

Students and families gathered at their computers across the country to celebrate the George Washington Online High School (GWUOHS) class of 2025. The annual virtual graduation ceremony honored the students’ achievements, both academic and extracurricular, and sent them off on their journeys with encouragement and support. 

The Graduates

GWUOHS had 74 students earn their diplomas this year, with graduates going on to schools like Yale, New York University, and George Washington University and others are going abroad, volunteering, or entering the job force.

Of these 74 graduates, 37 were a part of the National Honor Society, where students are recognized for excelling in scholarship, leadership, character, and service. Despite being online, these students contributed over 1,690 hours of service for the school and community.

Some graduates were also given awards chosen by the GWUOHS staff, recognizing them for their accomplishments in each category. Here are the Student Awards:

Leadership Award: For the senior who excels in their leadership roles and brings innovative ideas for the betterment of the school.

Jon Grondolsky & Aimee Navarro-Hernandez

Community Values Award: For the senior who excels in serving the community and is dedicated to making significant contributions to a global society.

Jihee Kang

Stem Award: For the senior who excelled in their math and science courses.

Florence Fisher

Humanities Award: For the senior who excelled in their English and history courses.

Addison Hazuda

Capstone Innovation Award: For the senior whose capstone presentation included a bold, innovative idea that could contribute to new or different values and concepts.

Teo Starr

Capstone Citizenship Award: For the senior whose capstone project included concepts that support improvement for our society and citizens.

Layah Foley

Capstone Inspired to Inspire Award: For the senior who used their capstone project to further their future dreams and aspirations.

Martin Bredel

Overall Outstanding Capstone Presentation: For the senior who exceeded all project criteria to produce an overall outstanding capstone presentation.

Melissa Ogden

Key Speakers

Graduation – Opening

Opening the ceremony was senior Esther Tachie-Menson. She reflected on her personal growth and how an online high school experience provided her with a diverse education. As she took advantage of global learning opportunities, Tachie-Menson emphasized how that prepared her more for college but also gave her real-world experience.

“GWUOHS pushed learning past academics, encouraging me to dive deeper into my curiosities about the world around me,” she said.

Tachie-Menson’s speech celebrated the shared experience of the Class of 2025 while encouraging continued curiosity and growth in the years ahead.

“Even though we are celebrating the culmination of our high school education, we are beginning our next learning adventure,” Tachie-Menson said.

Commencement

Giving the commencement speech was Adam Hawf, the superintendent of K12-powered schools. Hawf praised the Class of 2025 for their bold decision to take the road less traveled—choosing online education over a traditional brick-and-mortar school model. He celebrated the students’ resilience, self-motivation, and global endeavors, reminding them that those skills set them up for success in an ever-changing world.

“Success increasingly belongs to those who can learn continuously, adapt quickly, and find creative solutions,” Hawf said, “Thankfully, you’ve been practicing those skills for years.”                                                

Hawf focused on three core values to guide the graduates as they step into the future: Believe in yourself, do hard things on purpose, and use your skills to serve something bigger. He concluded by encouraging graduates to reflect on their journey with gratitude, urging them to thank those who helped them get there.

“Your education doesn’t end today—it’s just beginning in new ways,” Hawf said, “Make it a point to learn something new every week.”

Student Speaker

Jihee Kang, graduate and the student speaker for graduation, shared her experience at online school. She quickly got involved at GWUOHS and started the school’s first psychology club and leads the peer mentor program. Her accomplishments include being an Asian Ambassador for the World Embassy, a member of the National Honor Society, and an AP Scholar with distinction. Living in South Korea while attending GWUOHS, Kang credited the school’s flexibility and community.

“For me, this school was more than just an academic decision,” Kang said, “It provided me with a lifeline of possibilities I didn’t know I could reach.”

Her speech celebrated the shared experiences of her classmates, like navigating time zones, virtual classrooms, and building strong online friendships.

“While others had locker chats, we had Skype messages and the K12 Zone,” Kang said, “Instead of cafeteria lunches, we shared breakout room laughter and homeroom huddle memories.

Kang reminded graduates they came to virtual school for a reason, explored new opportunities, and have a lifetime of experiences ahead of them.

Graduation – Closing

Aimee Navarro-Hernandez closed the Class of 2025 GWUOHS graduation ceremony with a heartfelt tribute to the global community that shaped her high school experience. Born in Maryland, raised in Mexico City, and later moving to Texas, Aimee thrived in the flexibility of online school and found passions for literature, poetry and social sciences.

In her speech she focused on gratitude, community, and the support she received from the educators. “They connect with us on a personal level and always make their classes engaging… in a way that will prepare us not only for the next exam, but for life,” Navarro-Hernandez said.

She also emphasized the strength needed to thrive in an online environment, congratulating the students for persevering.

“Not everybody can be successful in an online school as it requires a great amount of responsibility, maturity, and discipline,” Navarro Hernandez said, “Thank you all for making us better students and better people.”

Video

You can access the full graduation video here.

You can access the program here.

You can access the senior video here.