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The sun was still beating down when Los Altos High’s Class of 2026 gathered in blue caps and gowns on the school’s football field Friday evening, but the graduates were already being asked to think beyond the heat, the stage and the ceremony in front of them.
Graduating senior Haley Volkert told the crowd that she and her classmates were “departing Eagles,” ready to spread their wings and take flight into the next chapter of their lives.
For the hundreds of seniors seated together one final time, commencement was not only a celebration of what they had accomplished, but a reminder of the people, small moments and communities that had carried them to graduation.
Volkert and fellow student host Kiran Raina opened the ceremony by exploring the ways the campus had become their home. Students spent hours before, during and after school in study groups, tutoring sessions and extracurricular activities, creating a sense of familiarity across campus, Raina said.
“Whether it was the library or the hacky sack circle, everywhere you went, a group of familiar faces was ready to welcome you,” Raina told the crowd.
For some seniors, the moment still felt surreal. Richard Cardoso told the Voice before the ceremony that graduating marked the end of years of effort and growth.
“It feels crazy,” Cardoso said. “Four years of work to get up to here, and it’s pretty amazing to look back at how far you made it.”
Cardoso plans to attend Foothill College for two years before transferring to a four-year university, where he is considering studying psychology or filmmaking. What he will carry forward from Los Altos High, he said, are the connections and confidence he built along the way.
Principal Tracy Runeare told the graduates that educators are also changed by their students. The Class of 2026, she said, taught the staff about collaboration, resilience and belonging.
Runeare highlighted the class’s academic and extracurricular accomplishments, including 13 sports teams ranking in the top eight in the Central Coast Section, 298 graduates being recognized as biliterate and 55 seniors being named valedictorians for earning unweighted 4.0 GPAs.
Rather than their honors and awards, the ceremony’s student speakers focused on how graduates should move through the world.
Carissa Lai told classmates that high school taught them “how to choose what to care about.” Reflecting on starting videography club, Lai said commitments that may have begun as resumé lines often became meaningful because students invested in them.
“High school isn’t just about achieving outcomes,” Lai said. “It’s about discovering what matters to you and finding the people who care about those same things.”
Student speaker Neda Abedi urged graduates to slow down in a world that can feel increasingly distant, despite constant online connection. The moments that mattered most, she said, were often quiet ones: a teacher staying to help, a friend sitting with you at lunch or a counselor taking time to listen.
“The world could use some warmth,” Abedi said. “Let’s be the ones who bring it.”
As students prepared to cross the stage, the afternoon’s proceedings circled back to a shared realization: Their time at Los Altos High was defined less by personal milestones and more by the strength of the community they built together.
“Our next chapter awaits,” Raina said.
Check out this year’s list of Los Altos High School graduates and read our interview with David Zeng, one of the graduating seniors. For all of our graduation coverage, go to our central graduation page.
