Great Grads
For 137 years, we have watched our students grow and succeed. We know they leave our schools ready to change their communities and the world.
We are highlighting those graduates of 27J schools—elementary, middle and high—that have used the lessons and skills they learned in 27J to achieve impressive goals.
The excellence of our Great Grads is proof of the impact we make every day in 27J. These graduates’ achievements inspire and encourage others to strive for successes of their own.
Know a 27J Great Grad?
Share your nomination through our Google Form. Provide as much information as you can, and we’ll follow up with the Great Grad. You may end up seeing them in our Great Grad gallery!
Stacey Baca
Brighton High School graduate and ABC7 Chicago news anchor and reporter Stacey Baca attributes her success to the counsel from her parents and teachers
Zachary Kittleson
INNOVATIONS AND OPTIONS
Zachary Kittleson grew up in a home where money was tight, but so were family bonds. Having a small household budget didn’t mean…
Alex Happ
TURNBERRY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
It’s true. As humans, we tend to find connections in music to memories. Music can bring back memories of places, emotions…
Jorge Gonzalez
OVERLAND TRAIL MIDDLE SCHOOL
As a child, Jorge Gonzalez had to learn how to cope with being separated from his father for many months each year because…
David Diaz
BRIGHTON HIGH SCHOOL
Even at a young age, David Diaz found great satisfaction in helping people. No matter if they were family, friends, neighbors or…
Auriana Roos
BRANTNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
When Auriana Roos recalls her time at Brantner Elementary School, she remembers always feeling welcomed and included at the school.
Adrianna Torres
SOUTHEAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Even as a young student at Southeast Elementary, Adrianna Torres had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Whether it was…
Blake Bushlack
WEST RIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Like a lot of kids, when Blake Bushlack was a little boy, he was enthralled with blocks, pieces that moved…
Caden Pratt
PENNOCK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
From a young age, Caden Pratt had a fascination for building things. This rooted from seeing his dad and grandpa constantly…
Debbie Tafoya
PADILLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Over the past eight years, when Debbie Tafoya’s out in the community running daily errands, she seems to run into students she…
Jasmeet Bajwa
THIMMIG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Over a decade after attending Thimmig Elementary School, Jasmeet Bajwa was riding on a roller coaster with her sister when she…
Jonathan Blackwell
HENDERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Communities play an important role in people’s lives. They create a sense of belonging and interpersonal connections with others.
Mariah Verdeal
QUIST MIDDLE SCHOOL
For as long as Mariah Verdeal can remember, she’s wanted to be a teacher. Growing up, she had a great experience at 27J Schools…
Stacy Fallik
REUNION ELEMENTARY
When Reunion Elementary School opened its doors to students in 2017, Stacy Fallik, a parent at the school, knew she wanted to…
Sydney McKinney
SECOND CREEK ELEMENTARY
When Sydney McKinney started school at Second Creek Elementary School, the school had just opened its doors to students…
Christopher Salcido
PRAIRIE VIEW
MIDDLE SCHOOL
When Christopher Salcido was a student at Prairie View Middle School, he discovered…
Bailee Abke
STUART MIDDLE SCHOOL
When Bailee Abke graduated from nursing school in the middle of a pandemic in May of 2020, she was overwhelmed…
Alex Cimino
RIVERDALE RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL
In 2018 when Alex Cimino started her sophomore year at Riverdale Ridge High School, she was one of the first students to…
Dr. Yessica Cañas
VIKAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
After having a routine eye screening at her elementary school, Yessica Cañas was told she needed specialty lenses in her glasses.
Stacy Valadez
SOUTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Everyone that knew Stacy Valadez as a young child could see she was a very determined girl. When she made her mind up on…
Captain Gabriel Hake
PRAIRIE VIEW HIGH
It was May 31, 2013. Gabriel Hake had just graduated from Prairie View High School and was planning to attend…
Ensign Zach Polliard
NORTHEAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Zach Polliard was finishing up his senior year of high school at Brighton High School in 2015 when he received the news…