The future is bright for Grauer School’s class of 2022

Twenty-six students graduated from The Grauer School in Encinitas and will enroll at colleges and universities across the United States and Europe this fall with an average of $45,000 in individual merit scholarships. The class of 2022 was offered a cumulative $3 million in merit scholarships.

“The Grauer School was founded to give teens a voice as they come of age and discover their intellectual and life passions,” Dr. Stuart Grauer, the founding head of school said in a news release. “This year’s class included talented engineers, scientists, actors, writers, musicians, athletes, naturalists, global citizens and leaders. We’re all proud of their accomplishments and know we’ll be seeing great things from them in the years to come.

The class is notable for its many achievements: Liv Lennon started her own company to create and manufacture custom phone cases and Jaden Callahan competed as a top-ranked Sabre Fencing competitor in USA Fencing Junior Olympics and USA Men’s Sabre Junior World Cup.

Members of the class became student activists and marched for their beliefs in a Global Climate Walkout. This month, Lucy Stockton and Lennon organized a student-led vigil to demand action against gun violence in wake of the recent Uvalde school shootings, and Stockton organized the “March on Moonlight” community rally at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas.

These graduates also volunteered thousands of service hours for local and international organizations. Lourdes Figueroa was awarded the school’s Humanitarian Service Award for her many volunteer hours with Casa de Amistad and other charities. Stockton was also a member of Grauer’s Girl Rising Club which has raised funds to sponsor a girl’s tuition each year at Daraja Academy, an all-girls boarding school in Kenya, Africa. Seniors Stockton, Lennon and Dominic Smith traveled on a Grauer expedition to Africa meet the girls in person.

Many of the graduates will pursue their passions in the fields of humanities, performing arts, and visual arts. These graduates include Jenna Cardno (illustration), Jaden Callahan (psychology), Tommy Chen (pre-business finance and real estate), Silvia Chen (business), Sophia Chen (business), Sophia Cole (psychology), Jaden Frederick (psychology), Sophia Hall (psychology), Savannah Hastings (political science), Liv Lennon (business administration and psychology), Colin Parker (business administration and real estate), Roselene Reynolds (creative writing), Tristan Rosser (business), Dominic Smith (psychology), and Liam Sylvada (agri-food business management).

Forty-two percent of the graduates plan to study STEAM-related disciplines in college, to further their interests in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Graduating STEAM program leaders include Joshua Bourgeot, winner of the school’s highest honor, the Resourcefulness Award (computer science), Lourdes Figueroa (neuroscience), Gage Garduno, Mo Hetzer (environmental studies), Julian Ignatov (computer science), Massin Ihs (computer engineering), Samuel Litman (neuroscience), Abigail McCrary (animal science), Muska Mesdaq (data science), Oliver Scofield (biology) and Lucy Stockton (nursing).