Immaculate Heart Graduates Shine at 112th Commencement

Families and friends joined faculty and staff to celebrate Immaculate Heart Middle School’s 70 eighth graders as they graduated Friday, June 8.

The 120 graduates were the picture of dignity and grace in their formal white attire, each with a bouquet of red roses in hand. Cassidy O’Connell, herself a graduating senior, directed her classmates as they sang two songs, “At the Beginning” and “My Wish,” both selected by the class earlier in the year and sung in two-part choral harmony with flawless precision.

Class speaker Danielle Dosch delivered the greeting to the assembled audience of family members and friends, along with Immaculate Heart faculty and staff, on behalf of her classmates. In her address, Dosch traced the school’s history from 1906 to today, focusing on Immaculate Heart’s enduring commitment to social justice and the empowerment of young women. She praised her classmates for carrying this legacy forward during their time at school, and urged them to continue striving for a more just world as they begin the rest of their lives.

Addressing the graduates was Anne Donovan, U.S. People Innovation Leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers, a member of Immaculate Heart’s Board of Trustees, and the parent of two Immaculate Heart alumnae. She advised the graduates to never underestimate their own amazing potential and encouraged them to push themselves to achieve even beyond their wildest dreams. She also told them never to take their blessings for granted and to find time to appreciate all that they have, especially when life becomes stressful.

In closing, members of the Class of 2018 sang the school’s Alma Mater one last time together before processing off the stage with their coveted diplomas to thunderous applause.

Virtually 100 percent of this year’s graduates will matriculate to colleges and universities around the country and even abroad.

About Immaculate Heart

Founded in 1906, Immaculate Heart High School & Middle School educates young women in grades sixth through 12th from its central location in the Los Feliz foothills near Griffith Park in Hollywood. The school has a long and distinguished history, with more than 10,000 graduates. Today’s student body of more than 700 young women is both geographically and ethnically diverse, drawing on students from throughout Los Angeles County.