High school students across Kern County will march across auditoriums, stages and fields this week to collect their diplomas in a ceremony that has become synonymous with crossing the threshold of adulthood.
As graduation season neared, The Californian asked principals, counselors and staff throughout the county to sift through the more than 9,000 seniors for stories of exceptional scholars who have defied the odds, overcome obstacles and will be receiving their diplomas this week.