As graduation week began, Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Gabriella Durán Blakey celebrated the Class of 2026 in her weekly message, highlighting graduates whose determination she praised and thanking the teachers, principals and other APS staff who supported them.
Among them was Del Norte High School senior Wealth Eze, who adjusted to a new way of life after moving from South Africa and planned to study business information systems at Grand Canyon University. Del Norte senior Alex Valdez recovered from a serious motorcycle accident that sidelined him for a semester and still graduated with his class. New Futures High School senior Luna Ortiz balanced school with caring for her son, and Valley High School’s Kayla Garcia earned a full-ride scholarship to Duke University.
Valley High senior Kacee Larrañaga, a Horatio Alger Association National Scholarship recipient, planned to study mechanical engineering at UNM. Durán Blakey said he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 5, saw his mother through Stage 3 breast cancer, and lost his father and grandfather within about a week and a half in eighth grade, yet kept straight A’s throughout high school. He credited engineering teacher Serri Grube, who kept snacks on hand in case his blood sugar dropped, with making him feel seen.
Other honorees included Ava Wagenman of La Cueva High School and the Career Enrichment Center, who was accepted into UNM’s BA to MD Program, and West Mesa High School’s Anisha Jombo, who planned to study biochemistry at UNM. "You are amazing and you’re going to make the world a better place," Durán Blakey told the graduates.
Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story was revised to cite the Albuquerque Public Schools news release it is based on. Learn how Brant.One reports in our editorial standards.
