MILWAUKEE — St. Anthony High School is celebrating their senior graduating class. More than 150 of them earned over $31 million in merit-based scholarships, with some students preparing for remarkable journeys after graduation.
Among these accomplished students are Itzael Meraz-Ramirez and Maribel Garcia, who are embarking on very different paths but share a common desire to help others.
Friday was one of the last times Meraz-Ramirez and Garcia would walk the halls of St. Anthony High School, a place that has been formative in their development.
"It's been everything since I was a kid," Meraz-Ramirez said.
For these seniors, St. Anthony is where they grew up and shaped their lives, and now it's where they're launching their future dreams.
Garcia is preparing to join the Army National Guard with basic training starting in South Carolina.
"I knew I wanted to be a soldier one day, I just never really thought about which branch I was looking forward to," Garcia said.
Her motivation stems from being the first English speaker in her family, giving her a unique perspective on service.
"Knowing both languages, English and Spanish, I've been able to help my parents with a lot. Not only my parents but other people as well," Garcia said.
Watch: St. Anthony High School celebrates as seniors earn over $31 million in scholarships
This commitment to helping others appears to be a common theme among St. Anthony graduates.
"I do want to practice civil law and family law," Meraz-Ramirez said. "I get to help people who could be my neighbors, they could be somebody within my city."
Meraz-Ramirez will be staying close to home at Marquette University. With support from St. Anthony's Dream Big Scholarship and additional funding from Marquette, he's received almost a full ride.
"This is where I was raised. I've been here my entire life. I have gone out of state for certain occasions, but overall I'd say everything I know is within Milwaukee," Meraz-Ramirez said.
As these students prepare for graduation, their achievements represent a cause for celebration as they walk off into a brighter future.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
