Heavy/ABC "Dancing with the Stars" update.
Xochitl Gomez marked a major milestone.
In May 2024, the “Dancing with the Stars” season 32 champion officially graduated from high school. Gomez, 18, shared several photos to Instagram as she posed in her cap and gown and clutched a bouquet of flowers as well as her diploma from Oak Park Independent School in Ventura County, California. Gomez also shared some throwback photos from her younger school days.
“Lil buddy graduated,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe star captioned the slideshow.
Gomez also posted an Instagram reel that showed her walking to accept her diploma.
According to the Ventura County Star, Gomez was one of more than 350 high school graduates in the commencement ceremony held at Oak Park High School on May 24. The combined ceremony included students from Oak Park High and Oak Park Independent schools.
On Instagram, several “Dancing With the Stars” cast members posted congratulatory messages for Gomez, who won the season 32 Mirrorball trophy with Val Chmerkovskiy in November 2023.
“Yayyyy!!!!😍😍😍,” wrote pro dancer Rylee Arnold.
“Congratulations,” added Sasha Farber.
“MY baby!!! So proud! Congratulations!!!! ❤️🎓” wrote fellow “Dancing With the Stars” season 32 alum Charity Lawson.
“Adorable then, formidable now!!” added DWTS season 32 contestant Mira Sorvino.
Xochitl Gomez Previously Celebrated Her Impending Graduation With Some of Her ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Co-Stars
Gomez previously celebrated her graduation with some of her co-stars from the ABC celebrity ballroom show. As she prepped for the “Dancing With the Stars” Live Tour in January, she gave fans a look at a secret graduation party the other dancers set up for her.
Pro dancers Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Pasha Pashkov, Gleb Savchenko Rylee Arnold, Brandon Armstrong, and other friends celebrated with the teen with food, confetti, and a faux diploma.
Gomez’ DWTS season 32 partner Chmerkovskiy wore a graduation cap as he handed her a makeshift diploma. The phony certificate proclaimed, “Straight from high school to ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ You can do it all and you do it with a smile!!”
Xochitl Gomez is Not the 1st ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Champ Who Graduated High School After Winning the Mirrorball Trophy
While Gomez was one of the youngest “Dancing With the Stars” mirrorball champions in history, at age 17, she wasn’t the youngest winner overall. In 2016, Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez was just 16 years old when she won the mirrorball trophy with Chmerkovskiy during the finale of DWTS season 23. In an interview with Olympics.com, Hernandez shared that she was homeschooled for most of her childhood,
According to My Central Jersey.com, in 2018 Hernandez spoke at the commencement for Old Bridge High School in New Jersey, which is the high school she likely would have attended had she not been homeschooled. The high school also gave her an honorary degree following her speech. The outlet noted that the Olympic medalist attended Voorhees Elementary School in Old Bridge until two weeks into the third grade and then switched to homeschooling.
Hernandez went on to attend New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts in New York City.
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