Laredo ISD celebrates Garcia Early College High School Class of 2026; superintendent certifies graduates

Hector J. Garcia Early College High School held its Class of 2026 commencement ceremony before family, faculty and Laredo Independent School District officials, where students received diplomas and district leaders certified that the class met state graduation requirements.

Margarita Tabuada, principal of Hector J. Garcia Early College, opened the ceremony by welcoming Laredo ISD trustees, superintendent Guillermo Pro and platform guests, and introduced the Martin High School Junior ROTC color guard and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance by salutatorian Sofia Madrigal. "Today, we are gathered to celebrate our students' accomplishments," Tabuada said, and she highlighted the school's two Blue Ribbon recognitions and partnership with Texas A&M International University (TAMIU).

Goyo Lopez, president of the Laredo ISD Board of Trustees (District 5), congratulated the graduates and urged them to carry values of "respect, integrity, [and] commitment" into their futures. Dr. Christopher Maynard, president of Texas A&M International University, encouraged graduates to continue their college journeys and invited undecided students to visit his office.

Valedictorian Alberto Vargas framed his address around Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, urging classmates to remember those who supported them and to "be someone's giving tree" in turn. Vargas said he will attend the University of Texas at Austin to study information systems and artificial intelligence with support from an Amazon scholarship.

Superintendent Guillermo Pro certified, under the authority vested by the Laredo ISD Board of Trustees and the Texas Education Agency, that members of the graduating class had completed the state's graduation requirements. Tabuada and Pro instructed graduates to move their tassels, after which students processed to the stage to receive diplomas. "Graduates, you may now move your tassel from the right to the left," Pro said while conferring the class.

The ceremony recognized academic honors and extracurricular achievements: 90 seniors were announced as graduating with a distinguished level of achievement; students also were recognized for university hours earned (examples: Sofia Madrigal, 81 university hours; Alberto Vargas, 79 university hours), industry certifications (SolidWorks CAD), honor society membership, community service hours, and student placements into military service. The program named the top 10 students by GPA and identified Alberto Vargas as valedictorian and Sofia Madrigal as salutatorian.

The event closed with the class reciting the Phoenix pledge and exiting the auditorium. The school noted its continuing partnership with TAMIU that allows Early College students to earn university credit at no cost to families.

What happens next: graduates will move on to college, military service, or other paths as noted in the program; the district did not announce additional formal board actions at the ceremony.