CLASS OF 2000

Danette Goulet

Editor’s note: This is the final chapter in the Daily Pilot’s four-year

coverage of the Class of 2000, a group of students who started high

school together as freshmen in the same English class at Newport Harbor

High. While they shared common experiences, frustrations and joys, this

week they will graduate and go their own ways.

Graduation usually means embarking on a new adventure, perhaps a year of

traveling overseas or relocating to an entirely new town for college.

For most of the students in the Daily Pilot’s Class of 2000, their

adventures will stay close to home -- at least for the next two years.

Five of the eight seniors -- followed by the community through high

school the last four years -- said they plan to attend Orange Coast

College. One will enroll at Cal State Long Beach, another at Santa Monica

City College. The farthest any of them is going next fall is a mere two

hours north to Santa Barbara.

The reasons for this, their first big decision as adults, are varied.

For Matt Glover, 18, it’s the simple convenience of starting out at a

community college. After getting some general education out of the way,

he aspires to attend USC to study business management or investment

banking.

He said he will spend the summer indulging in his two “favorite

pastimes,” which, it would seem, conflict with one another: hanging out

with his girlfriend and going to the beach to “check out girls.”

Cameron Sinclair, meanwhile, is simply focused on getting out of high

school.

“It’s easy. I only have two classes,” he said last week. “I’m just ready

to get out of there.”

After a nice, long summer break, during which he will work at Woody’s

Wharf on the Balboa Peninsula, he plans to begin his college career at

OCC studying computer administration, networking and consulting.

Diana Girgis has more serious plans for the summer. She hopes to find a

full-time job, hopefully in the computer industry, before she, too,

enrolls at OCC.

“Graduation is very exciting,” she said. “Right now, I can’t concentrate

on anything else.”

She will spend the next two years at OCC before heading off to UCI or Cal

State Long Beach, where she wants to study computer engineering.

Alison Arnold also has goals of attending a four-year school after

completing her core courses at OCC. She plans to trek to the Rocky

Mountains of Montana, where she will study to become a teacher while

enjoying her first love -- horses.

“They have a really good equestrian team,” she said.

OCC will also be the first stop for Milan Rousset, who then plans to

travel to Europe for the semester to soak up some culture and take in all

the experiences he can. His ultimate destination will be either UC Santa

Barbara or UC San Diego, where he plans to study international business.

While Milan is as anxious as his classmates to get out of high school, he

is already looking back fondly.

“I always thought of our class as unique,” he said. “We’re really

tranquil. We’re kind of mellow.”

Nikko Gallardo had to make a tough choice between Cal State Long Beach

and the University of Michigan, but eventually decided to remain closer

to home.

Southern California’s mild climate was among her reasons for staying,

although it helped that she received a $1,000 scholarship toward that

university.

Oddly enough, weather was also a factor in Sean Rorden’s college plans.

“I’ll probably stay in California,” said Rorden, who will attend UC Santa

Barbara. “There’s good weather and you can do anything here. You can go

to the beach and the mountains in the same day if you want to.”

Although he will not be playing sports next year at Santa Barbara, he

will play intramural sports and is considering the physical therapy

field.

Last but not least is Zack Gelbaum, who lost touch with the Pilot through

most of his high school years but managed to check in before he leaves

for good.

Zack’s vision for the future has yet to come into focus, which is why he

said he will take general education courses at Santa Monica City College

in the fall.

Like his classmates, the upcoming presidential election in November will

be the first in which he can vote. While he said he plans to cast his

ballot for Democratic candidate Al Gore, his chosen party affiliation may

best sum up the theme of the Class of 2000: Independent.