Congratulations, West Aurora High School Grad Yasmine Garcia

AURORA, IL — The high school seniors of 2021 have had an experience like no other in a century — a year upended by a pandemic and by lockdowns that kept them from enjoying many of the activities that previous seniors have taken for granted.

Patch hopes to help make it up to those seniors by giving them a special sendoff. We asked parents and other family members to pay tribute to this year’s grads using a special submission form so we can publish those tributes one by one.

Yasmine Garcia will graduate from West Aurora High School.

Plans after graduation: Yasmine will be attending the University of California at Davis majoring in Marine Biology.

Accomplishments: Yasmine is graduating in the top 5% of her senior class. She has also earned a GPA of above a 4.0 for eight consecutive semesters. Yasmine is a member of the National Honor Society and a Student Ambassador as well as a member of the Key Club, Sign Language Club, and Alianza Hispana Club. In her free time, Yasmine works as a volleyball coach for the Cyclones Volleyball Club and the Fox Valley Park District as well as volunteers at the Anderson Animal Shelter and various other local organizations. Yasmine is extremely honored to have received the University of Illinois Salute to Academic Achievement Award, the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy Award, and the Illinois Science Teacher's Association Excellence in Science Award as well as the National Honor Society Scholarship, West Aurora Parent Teacher Student Organization Scholarship, and the Edward and Genevieve Jungels Scholarship.

Special message: We are so proud of your hard work and accomplishments, Yasmine! We wish you the best of luck as you begin the next chapter of your life. Reach for the stars, we know that you will do amazing things! We love you very much, Mom and Papi.

Do you want to congratulate a special graduate on Patch? Submit yours here.