The Kiwanis Club of Santa Clarita and Our Community Salutes hosted a special ceremony for graduating students who are enlisting in the United States armed forces at the Golden Valley High School auditorium on Saturday afternoon.
The ceremony had about 86 registered seniors to be honored, and a representative of each military branch spoke about what it means to be in the military.
Families clapped and hollered for the seniors as each student’s name was called by their respective military branch.
Councilwoman Patsy Ayala cheered them on and said the city is proud, ending her speech with her hands up and yelling with pride.
“I was talking to some recruiters the other day, and they said, ‘You know, when they were sworn in and then basically got on the bus to go to basic training, their parents weren’t even involved in that,’ so they thought it was so great that these kids had their parents and their family there to support them,” said Mark Hartzell, present of Kiwanis Club of Santa Clarita.
Hartzell said he got the idea from a friend in Indiana at the International Convention for Kiwanis Club.
“A friend of mine in Indiana shared what their community was doing with this event. And that sparked in my mind, ‘That’s something to look into,’ and so we (Kiwanis Club of Santa Clarita) looked into it and decided to go forward with it,” Hartzell said.
A senior from West Ranch is enlisting because he feels like it’s a good opportunity to learn some discipline and something to go for in his life.
Jacob Kenney did not always know he would enlist, but when his father brought up the idea, he decided to look into it and sign up.
Kenney is enlisting in the Marines because some of his family members were in the Marines as well.
He leaves for his basic training in July.
“It was cool, definitely; seeing everyone in the military, other Marines that talked, and yeah it was pretty cool experience,” Kenney said.
Abigail Zuniga, a student from Discovery Prep Charter School, decided to enlist because she loves the structure of the military and laughed when she said, the screaming, too.
Zuniga added she loves the way the military motivates you to do things.
“And on top of that, it’s great benefiting and I’ll be able to stay in, be able to have a house by, I don’t know, give or take by my 30s. I feel like my family hasn’t been able to do that for a long time,” Zuniga said.
Zuniga did a summer youth camp that sparked her love for the military and inspired her to join.
She added that being at the ceremony made her realize that she was not alone in this experience.
Zuniga said she is leaving for her basic training in three weeks and is excited to go.
Justin Crabtree, a student from Quartz Hill High School, decided to enlist because of his brother and to better his future.
“I’m just planning on enlisting just to mainly better my future and to be able to get better leadership skills because I feel the military will help make me a better person overall. And it will jumpstart my career, if that makes sense,” Crabtree said.
When asked what it was like to be honored at the ceremony, Crabtree said it was an interesting experience and cool to meet the speakers of all the different branches.
Crabtree wants to join the Army because he wants to be a first responder. He added he leaves for basic training in August.
Brig. Gen. Urbi Lewis, director of cybersecurity and a security officer for the Headquarters Department of Army Chief Information, gave a speech to the class of 2025 about the military, her journey and some words of encouragement for their choice to enlist.
“All of you today, irrespective of branch … have made a similar choice to serve your country, to protect its freedoms and uphold its values. This decision should not be taken lightly. It’s a commitment that requires courage and sacrifice, and sometimes even the ultimate sacrifice. This demands an unwavering dedication to the ideals that makes our nation great. And while the path ahead of you may not be easy, I can assure you it will be adventurous and rewarding,” Lewis said in her speech to the enlistees.
During the ceremony, enlistees stood up with their right hands and took the Oath of Enlistment, conducted by Lewis.
“Congratulations. Ladies and gentlemen, you are our future, and we are so proud of you. Thank you,” Lewis said after the oath with a smile on her face.
