As graduation ceremonies take place across Louisiana right now, one high school’s award ceremony was a lot shorter than usual. Indeed, in a surprise turn of events, in the city of Lafayette, only one student walked for graduation. At first, you may think that it’s likely because the rest of the class didn’t get the grades they wanted, but that’s actually not the case. Specifically, a student — Diana Lopez — in South Cameron High School had the unique honor of being the only student walking at graduation on May 13, 2025.
So, this throws up the question: why did only one learner receive her diploma? Well, rather than it being about grades or a lack of effort on the student’s part, it actually all boils down to Hurricane Laura, which threw a wrench in the school’s plans. Essentially, due to the aforementioned violent winds, the entire class of 2025 had to be relocated.
Speaking to KPRC, Principal Lindsey Fontenot explained the situation, “The entire class relocated, so that’s when it became a class of none, and so when Diana decided to graduate earlier, it was exciting.”
Impressively, Lopez excelled in her exams and is graduating with a GPA above a 4.0, and says, “she has over $50,000 in scholarship money and will be attending Northwestern State University in the fall as a first-generation college student pursuing her nursing degree“. Adding more context, Lopez shared her thoughts not the more solitary experience, “It was pretty nice. It was kinda bittersweet being in a class all by myself.“
As the news of the rare solo graduation continues to spread online, viewers took to social media to weigh in with their reactions. Over on Reddit, one commenter chimed in with a lighthearted joke, writing, “I bet her valedictorian speech will encourage everyone in the class to want to be just like her.” with another adding, “Mother Nature hates the educated.” Elsewhere, another joked, “The rest are running to get it over with. Graduation ceremonies are boring.”
Principal Fontenot explained that with about 14 juniors enrolled in the school, she expects next year’s graduation class to be bigger.
