The LA Galaxy Academy has announced the 11 seniors that graduated as part of the Academy’s inaugural graduating class of 2016. The seniors were recognized at a private graduation ceremony at StubHub Center on Thursday, June 30.

“This inaugural graduation will serve as a historic mark for the LA Galaxy Academy,” said Pete Vagenas, Vice President of Soccer Operation. “This project has long been a vision of the organization and to see it come to fruition is a big achievement for the LA Galaxy. These 11 seniors are a testament to the success and quality of the program.”

All 11 seniors successfully completed the first year of the Academy’s Blended Learning Environment, a comprehensive student-athlete program that provides individualized and rigorous academic curriculum to the young athletes of the LA Galaxy Academy program.

The 11 graduating student-athletes are: Ethan Zubak (Valedictorian, LA Galaxy II), Brian O’Hara (University of California, Berkeley), Erick Gallinar (University of California, Irvine), Christian Onalfo (San Diego State University), Alejandro Vergara (San Diego State University), Hugo Arellano (undecided), Edwyn Gutierrez (Mt. San Antonio College), Jonathan Hernandez Silva (Mt. San Antonio College), Alex Ramos (Mission College), Luis Carbajal (Oxnard College) and Jorge Estrada (Irvine Valley College).

In 2015, the LA Galaxy Academy founded the Blended Learning Environment to expand on its soccer-exclusive academy. Set at the LA Galaxy’s StubHub Center campus, the LA Galaxy Academy’s Blended Learning Environment has enabled students to excel both on the field and in the classroom. On the field, the student-athletes train under the direction of world-class coaches. In the classroom, the student-athletes received academic instruction from qualified and credentialed teachers in the combination of a physical classroom setting and online curricula.

In total, 49 student-athletes were enrolled in the LA Galaxy Academy for the 2015-16 academic year. All 49 graduated or were promoted to the next grade level. The Academy also celebrated its inaugural 8th grade graduating class of 2016 as part of the graduation ceremony.

“The 49 student-athletes showed true dedication on and off the field,” said LA Galaxy Academy Academic Program Manager Stefanie Baduria. “The 11 seniors graduating are a testament to the professionalism being fostered by the LA Galaxy Academy School.”

Previous graduates of the LA Galaxy Academy include current LA Galaxy players Gyasi Zardes, Jose Villarreal, Raul Mendiola, Oscar Sorto and Bradford Jamieson IV, though none received the academic instruction of the Blended Learning Environment. For more information on the LA Galaxy Academy and its Blended Learning Environment, please visit www.lagalaxy.com/academy.