Happy graduation!

By Nancy Kriz
CENTRAL VALLEY — Tonight, as the almost 550 Monroe-Woodbury High School graduates get ready to receive their diplomas dressed in their purple and white caps and gowns, Gianna Matise of Chester will still be reflecting on her high school career as waits for her name to be called.
“I think it's going to be a very bittersweet type of happiness,” Matise said. “I’m excited for what I'm going to do in the future. At the same time, I'm leaving all of my friends to start this new part of my life. I don't think I'm going to be sad, as I feel like I've experienced everything I wanted to. The friends I've made are too close for me to not stay in touch with them.”

Don't wait until the last minute

This fall, Matise will attend the University of Delaware to study biology. While she hasn’t decided what she’ll eventually do as a career, she knows it will be in the science field. So she’ll be continuing her education after she receives her bachelor’s degree.
“I learned a lot about myself,” said Matise. “The classes I took showed me I want to study science. I don't want to do anything else. And the one thing that high school has taught me, honestly, in a non-joking kind of way, is to not wait until the last minute to do things. I've learned to stop procrastinating. That sucked a lot, honestly. I could have easily avoided many things if I started any time earlier than the night before.”
Going forward, she added: “I just want to be open to new adventures and I want to experience everything I possibly can so when I'm done I can say I've done everything I wanted.”
Matise is member of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society, the Italian Honor Society and STARS. She also plays right field for the Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders 18U travel softball team.
At UDel, she plans to play on the school’s intramural team.

Support from teachers, family

Like many others, Matise knows the path to her high school diploma was made possible through hard work and support of many others.
Also like other graduates, Matise thanked her teachers for pushing her to do her best. More importantly, she wanted to let her family know just how vital they are to her success.
“I want to tell my parents thank you for always supporting me and helping with anything,” she said. “They've never said no to helping me whenever I needed it. They guide me to making good choices for myself, and let me make the choices myself. I couldn't have asked for better parents.”

The first

Matise expects tonight will be difficult for her mother.
“My mom will be crying,” she said. “I'm the first one, the first grandkid, I'm the first ‘everything.’ It's going to be new for my whole family. My dad is going to be sad, but more so, he's excited for me. My mom's going to be sad for sure. If she cries, I cry. I’ll just hug her. My dad, he'll make a joke about it. But on the inside, he'll probably feel the way we look.”
She even expressed gratitude to her sister Jenna and brother Joe.
“They are never dull,” said Matise. “If I was ever stressed, they'd jokingly make fun of me, always making me feel better.”
However, one thing remains off limits: Her room.
“She and Joe are going to be fighting for it because they both want it,” Matise said, emphatically adding: “Not a shot I’m giving it up.”

Hard time, but ...

Tonight’s ceremony represents a rite of passage for all of Monroe-Woodbury’s newest alumni and their families. A new world awaits them all.
“I have some of the greatest memories I ever had here,” said Matise. “There were definitely some hard times but I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.”