The Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Gary serves three high schools in Northwest Indiana. This month, Andrean High School, Bishop Noll Institute and Marquette High School celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2025.
BISHOP NOLL INSTITUTE
Graduates of Bishop Noll Institute expressed gratitude for their parents and family members, their classmates and teachers, and their faith as they received their diplomas at commencement exercises on June 5 in the Diocese of Gary school’s fieldhouse.
“Bishop Noll built me to be a better person and a better baseball player,” said Evan Jimenez, who is moving with his father from Hammond to continue his studies and athletic career at Arizona State University. “I don’t regret my four years spent here at all,” said the St. Casimir School alumnus.
“The best thing about this school is the teachers, who are very understanding,” said Zariah Winton, a Crete, Ill. native who spent her past two years at Noll and will study nursing at North Carolina A & T University with academic honors and an athletic scholarship. “I came here for a more challenging education, to play volleyball at a higher level, to meet new people and to find God for myself, and it was worth it.”
She said her best memory of BNI will be reaching the semi-state volleyball tournament with her Warrior teammates this past season.
Also planning a nursing career, at St. Mary of the Woods College in southern Indiana, is Daniella Zvonar, whose proud family secured front-row bleacher seats for the commencement.
“I have an older daughter who graduated from Noll, too,” said Theresa Zvonar, who praised the school as “family-oriented.”
A 2019 alumna, Kalie Zvonar said BNI’s best quality is “the feeling of community. I wanted to continue my Catholic education, and I chose to come here.” She is now employed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Hammond after receiving a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Louisiana State University and a master’s from Arizona State.
Valedictorian Anna De La Torre’s family, from Whiting, also seated in the front row, likewise touted a Noll education. “It has a strong sense of community, and I know my daughter especially enjoyed the speech and debate program and playing in the band,” said mother Gina De La Torre.
Juan De La Torre Jr. said he is happy his daughter, who also graduated from St. John the Baptist School in Whiting, received a character-building education at Noll, bolstered by religion classes, as she heads to Indiana University in Bloomington to study business and biology.
In her farewell address to her class, Anna De La Torre urged them to “trust your faith. Only you can define what a meaningful life is for you.”
Addison Clark, of Hammond, will attend Purdue University in West Lafayette to study Speech Language Science, and appreciates how welcoming the Noll community was to her as a freshman four years ago. “It’s a smaller school and you get to know everyone,” she said.
Principal Lorenza Jara Pastrick reminded the graduates of the theme for their senior year, “We are in it to win it,” and urged them to “celebrate not only the past four years, but also the limitless future that lies ahead.”
ANDREAN HIGH SCHOOL
Graduates of Andrean High School walked out onto the football field of their Merrillville school on June 6 to receive their diplomas during commencement exercises.
Anthony “AJ” Cuadra, of Schererville, said he was both excited and nervous to be ending his time at Andrean High School. He acknowledged it’s a big step moving from high school to college and was looking forward to spending his last high school summer “just having fun.”
Cuadra, the class of 2025 salutatorian, participated in soccer and volleyball while attending high school. He was also a member of Student Government, National Honor Society, Student Council and Andrean Quiz Bowl. Having enjoyed being involved in those clubs, he plans to look into college organizations and activities when he attends Purdue University in Lafayette in the Fall.
Cuadra said Andrean was a great experience for him, and he appreciated being able to receive a Catholic education.
“It allowed me to get closer to God, not only through Church, but also just within the school every day that helped me on my journey to become who I am today.”
Cuadra added that he will remember the sense of community that he and his other classmates created over the last four years and being able to “know everyone so closely.”
Classmate Jackson Ziegelhofer agreed that the high school provided a sense of community.
“You’re able to spend time with so many different people and you’re able to keep those friends even after high school,” he said.
Ziegelhofer played soccer and said he will always remember the memories he made with his team. “All the games, all the practices and events like that – I think those will stick with me for a very long time.”
Ziegelhofer felt having an education closely rooted in the Catholic faith helped him build his relationship with God. He explained in addition to religion classes, students had the opportunity to attend Mass, participate in adoration and help others through a soup kitchen.
Ziegelhofer felt he was able to get a great education and noted he was able to participate in an internship program, which allowed him to gain real-world job experience.
“It will definitely help out later in life and in college,” he said.
Rosie Yurechko, of Portage, likewise had the opportunity to be in the internship program. She said it allowed her to practice being a college student as it required her to manage her own time.
“Just to be able to network and have to have a relationship with a boss for the first time and have someone mentor you through that with an internship coordinator was really cool,” she said.
In her religion classes, Yurechko learned what Christ was all about and the different ways to serve Him. She feels the faculty and staff of Andrean also did a good job of providing spiritual encounters like Masses and adoration.
“If you are going through a harder time and you need something to rely on, they are always there, reminding you that it’s right there,” she said. “You can go have that relationship with God. I think that’s wonderful and something people our age need.”
Yurechko said the school gave her another family in the sense that attending the school came to feel like home. She said it was emotional thinking about all the things she would miss after graduation.
“There is something so magical about Friday night football games,” she said. “I wish I knew what it was but I’d go back in a heartbeat to watch a game.”
MARQUETTE HIGH SCHOOL
As a beaming smile lit up Alexandria Shoppa’s face, she appeared dazed, her eyes staring as if she was somewhere other than outside Marquette Catholic High School’s Richard and Louise Scholl Student Center. Clutched in her hands was her treasure – her diploma.
“It’s so surreal. I am so overwhelmed right now. This smile will never leave my face,” said Shoppa.
Shoppa joined 52 of her classmates for Marquette’s commencement ceremony on June 11. Before commencement, Bishop Robert J. McClory presided over the Class of 2025's Baccalaureate Mass inside St. Mary the Immaculate Conception Church.
The day for Shoppa was filled with nervousness and reflection. The day was the second anniversary that saw Shoppa fighting for her life after she was found unconscious in a carbon-monoxide home that killed her grandmother. Doctors described her survival as miraculous, as she walked out of the hospital days later.
“Two years ago today, my journey could have changed, it could have ended- but it didn’t. It kept going. It gave me a different outlook on life, it gave me a reminder of all that I have to be thankful for – to keep moving forward because God isn’t done with me. He has something for me to do with my life,” stated Shoppa. “To think, I’m going to be moving on to a whole new journey. Who knows what could happen?”
As Marquette Catholic High School principal Katie Collignon addressed the Class of 2025 prior to handing out diplomas, she thanked them for their gift to the school.
“Each of you lived a different version of the school. That’s what makes this class so extraordinary, you were authentically yourselves. That originality was your gift to Marquette,” said Collignon.
“All of you have grown and, through better or worse, you have done it together. Fifty-three unique individuals with different talents, dreams, and personalities all moving in the same direction,” she said.
John Haverstock said he felt the excitement and nervousness of the evening. “I don’t really feel different now. It’ll probably hit me tomorrow.”
Haverstock transferred from a public school to Marquette halfway through his junior year and was immediately welcomed into the Blazer family.
“They were very welcoming. Everyone welcomed me very quickly, which made it easy for me to transition,” Haverstock said. “I made a lot of new friends and had different experiences. I attribute Marquette to my academic success.”
He added that he took a lot of things away from Bishop McClory’s homily. “It’s always a pleasure to have the bishop. He’s a wise man.”
Kevin Le also joined the Marquette Class of 2025 in his junior year, coming from Vietnam. He was part of the school’s international program.
He described being at Marquette as a family-like atmosphere. “All the teachers and students were very nice. I felt very comfortable and have made many friendships,” said Le.
“I’m very proud of myself. Now I’m really ready to graduate,” he added.
Santiago Mathias Velez Jr. was equally excited.
“I’m overjoyed to the moon. I could not be more happy – I graduated!!
He confessed, “It wasn’t easy. To be 100 percent honest, I’m not the most amazing student on the planet, but I got through it despite some struggles. Marquette helped push me to become a better person of myself.
Marquette boasted 16 summa cum laude graduates within the Class of 2025. As a cohort, the 53-member class combined to earn 1,427 dual credits while enrolled.
Collignon left the students with encouragement for their new journey.
“Trust that God is already at work in your journey. Listen for his voice and make that journey with peace and joy. The world doesn’t just need your talent. It needs your kindness, your strength.
“To the Class of 2025, no matter where life takes you, Marquette MQ will always be home- a place that shaped you, cheered you on. You’re always welcome back.”
Contributing to this story were Marlene Zloza, Erin Ciszczon and Bob Wellinski
Caption: Gianna Marie Gaal wears a big smile as she receives her Bishop Noll Institute diploma from principal Lorenza Jara Pastrick on June 5. One of 123 graduates, Gaal will attend Purdue University Northwest after receiving more than a dozen scholarship offers. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
