The freshman class at St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy (PMA) began their high school career by going to college. The Class of 2023, the largest freshman class since PMA's rebranding six years ago, set off to University of California, Irvine. This trip was, for many of the 125 students, their first time on a college campus.

This first day of school field trip included tours around campus, and sent a message to the class: education is important.

“Visiting a college campus as a freshman plants the seed of opportunity within each student,” Vice Principal Moises Delgado said. “A seed, that when nurtured and cared for over four years at PMA, grows, coming to fruition when that student steps across the stage at graduation and his or her next step is onto a college campus.”

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