El Sereno organizes community drive-by to honor their 2020 graduates

EL SERENO, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The community of El Sereno gathered to honor their students of the class of 2020 with a celebration drive-by on Friday, while school campuses remain closed due to the pandemic. The event was organized by the El Sereno Bicentennial Committee.

"At first I thought we were just going to have a small online graduation. I didn't expect so much to happen for us," said Angela Gonzalez, a senior at Woodrow Wilson High School. "It was amazing and just honored to be celebrated in this way. Something that I wouldn't have imagined."

The line up included community members from the police department, the fire department, and car clubs.

"We know that the schools weren't able to actually do anything for their graduates. So we took it into our own hands and said, 'You know what, we're going to celebrate this for you,'" said Genny Guerrero, event coordinator with the El Sereno Bicentennial Committee. "So we brought it to them. We brought it to homes. We brought it to the schools."

The drive-by started and finished at the El Sereno Community Recreation Center and went through 14 schools in the community, including elementary, middle, and high schools.

"Happy, I didn't expect for all of this to happen," said Aaron Gonzalez, who is Angela's brother and a 6th grader at Sierra Park Elementary School. "I thought it was just going to be a small little parade but there's a lot of cars."

Many of the students showed up outside of their school to watch the drive-by outside. Many of their teachers and school staff were also there wearing masks and maintaining physical distance from others.

"It's a great thing for our community to really come together and stick together, especially now," said Gilberto Martinez, principal at Woodrow Wilson High School. "I would like to say congratulations to our students. We miss you very much. Stay safe."

Angela Gonzalez said she was looking forward to commencement. But is happy she was able to celebrate her graduation in a different way and with her family.

"I just thought it would be crossing the stage and that feeling of excitement and motivation to continue on," said Gonzalez. "And this was so much more. It continues on every day and only grows."

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