Since 1963, there have been tens of thousands of students who have gotten their education at Granada High School, many of them going on to have long and successful careers. A handful of alumni have excelled so much in their professions that they have become famous public figures. Here are 3 famous people who attended Granada High School.

Gasia Mikaelian

Gasia Mikaelian is a journalist who serves as the Bay Area morning news anchor for KTVU Fox 2. Whilst attending Granada, Mikalian wrote for the school newspaper, The Pomegranate, which was a physical newspaper at the time and was voted most talkative for her graduating year’s (1992) senior favorites. In an interview with the San Francisco branch of AIWA, an organization for immigrant women, Mikaelian said, “During my senior year in high school all of my friends knew what they wanted to be– doctors, lawyers, etc. I had no clue. I knew I enjoyed reading and writing; therefore, I did two years at Las Positas College in Livermore and took all writing classes.”

After transferring to San Diego State University and graduating with a journalism degree, Mikaelian got a job in Arizona working for the radio station KSWT. To avoid impending budget cuts, she moved towards working as a TV reporter for the station and found that she excelled in reporting. After a few jobs at stations around the country, like Alabama and Texas, she returned to the Bay Area in 2005 to serve as the morning and noon anchor for KTVU Fox 2. Since then she has expanded her role and also covers the 7 pm and 10 pm time slots for channel 2. Granada High senior Jack Vargas was surprised to find out Mikaelian graduated from his school, as he is familiar with Gasia Mikaelian’s reporting. “The news is always on when I’m getting ready in the morning, I’m always hoping a high-speed chase will pop off.” In 2015, Gasia Mikaelian visited GHS to do an interview with the school’s studio broadcast program. In the interview with the studio broadcast, Mikalian said, “It’s okay to not know exactly what you wanna do…if you really do pour your love of what you’re doing into your profession, it’s going to be recognized and it’s going to be rewarded.”

James DePaiva

James DePaiva was born and raised in Livermore and graduated from Granada High School in the 70s. Before his acting career, DePaiva was the bassist of the Livermore-based band Live Wire. He is best known for his acting in long-running network soap operas. Some of his best-known roles include Max Holden on One Life to Live, which aired on ABC. Another well-known role is his portrayal of Dr. David Bensch on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. “My earliest memory is my grandmother kicking us out of the room so she could watch General Hospital in peace,” said art teacher Ms. Malson. He would also direct installments of ABC dramas himself such as One Life to Live and As the World Turns.

Josh Cooley

Josh Cooley is a writer and director best known for his work for the animation studio Pixar. Whilst still attending Granada High School, a 15-year-old Josh Cooley would buy tickets to see the new animated movie being buzzed about, Toy Story. Twenty-four years later, he was directing it. Two years after seeing Toy Story, Cooley graduated from GHS as part of the class of 1997. Recruited to Pixar in 2003, Cooley was a storyboard artist for the films, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, Cars 2 and Up. Cooley would go on to write and direct the Pixar short George and AJ marking his first directorial role. For his work as a screenwriter and storyboard director on the Pixar film Inside Out, Cooley received an Academy Award nomination. This worked as a stepping stone for his first major motion picture directorial debut for Toy Story 4. “Toy Story 4 turned out really good, I like the ending they gave Woody because I love Woody,” said GHS senior Jeremy Webb. His work on the movie would win him an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

The handful of people in this article is just a small sample of the long list of famous personalities who once attended Granada. Even with the long list of graduates recognized for their success, many more have found success in a vast variety of fields, simply with less recognition. Celebrities and equally important, yet less recognized, highly successful graduates have walked the halls you’ve walked in and felt the same stress you have. If you’re a matador, you’re in good company.