CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Summer break officially started Wednesday for thousands of Charlotte Mecklenburg students.
Hundreds of seniors are preparing to graduate from what some are calling a historic high school career.
Gabriella Cubias Aguilar is one of many seniors making plans that will shape their passage to adulthood.
“It was a crazy experience," she said. "It's different from what I pictured -- the movies do not help. So totally different."
She spent three years of high school in a global pandemic but stayed focused on the future.
“I want to do political science, then go on a pre-law track during my Davidson College experience," said Cubias Aguilar, "and then go to hopefully law school and then become an immigration lawyer to help more Hispanic families be able to get papers or whatever they need.”
Gabriela’s parents emigrated to the United States from Central America. She said their perseverance pushed her to make it to the graduation stage.
“It’s an end of an era but it's a whole new chapter," she said. "Now, we're going to be going different ways and, you know, make some friends along the way that we're going to be long-lasting friendships.”
The hallways at the former high schools are now in their past, as they look towards the future.
Graduation ceremonies will start this week with some of the biggest happening on Saturday.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.