Valedictorians

They may come from various walks of life and have had different experiences, but they share one thing: They are the best and brightest high school graduaes from the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys. Schools use a variety of criteria to choose the honorees, which produced up to 30 at some schools. Some, pictured below, share their thoughts as they embark on their journeys into adulthood. Included in the list is the student’s home, grade point average and college he or she will attend.

*

Jagdeep Singh Khangura

Residence: Tujunga

School: Verdugo Hills High

GPA: 4.038

College: UCLA

Career goal: electrical engineer

“I’m excited, nervous and kind of sad, too, leaving all my friends, teachers and the school itself. I’m looking forward to a new life and adventure. I came here from India at the end of 9th grade and was in English as a Second Language (ESL) for a total of 13 weeks before I moved to regular English. I knew some English when I arrived, but can still look back on my ESL work and laugh at myself. I hate to admit it, but I went from being a ‘C’, ‘C+’ student in India to an ‘A’ student here. In India, I wasn’t sure I would go to college, so I never really worked hard. Things are different here and I had to try hard.”

Rosie Castro

Residence: Pacoima

School: San Fernando High

GPA: 4.384

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: civil or electrical engineer

“Beginning in elementary school, you meet people who say you can do much more than you thought you could. I just thought I’d be a hair stylist or a secretary. I never saw beyond that. What really made me push myself was when my brother took me to visit MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). I always thought I would (go to college), but didn’t know what it took to get there. I stayed on campus with a San Fernando High School graduate and I saw myself in her. She said it was hard, but that could make it. I figured if she can do it, I can, too.”

Aric Zamel

Residence: Van Nuys

School: Grant High

GPA: 4.84

College: UCLA

Career goal: medical researcher

“I’m very anxious to embark on an new journey. I’m looking forward to it. I have many opportunities available to me and I’m pleased that I’m going to UCLA. Ever since I took biology in high school, I have enjoyed performing experiments. In May, I was named the most promising scientist at the California Science Fair and this summer, I will be in Tennessee on a scholarship from Earthwatch. I’m interested in so many things. One of my favorite activities is martial arts, which given me a sense of discipline, confidence and motivations. The qualities I have developed outside of school are related to my success in school.”

Heather Kettenis

Residence: Sherman Oaks

School: Campbell Hall

GPA: 4.8

College: Wellesley College

Career goal: undecided, leaning toward the sciences

“I’m kind of nervous graduating because I have to leave the school I’ve been at for the past six years. But you get to do a whole new thing for the next four years. I chose Wellesley because it’s smaller. I enjoy the personal attention and smaller classes where you get to know your teachers. Plus, it has a good reputation. The idea of a women’s college is interesting to me. There’s a lot of support there. I haven’t decided on a major. I enjoy both science and liberal arts, but science fascinates me more. All the time, you hear about progress that’s made in science. It would be interesting to be a part of it.”

Jennifer Lake

Residence: Hidden Hills

School: Calabasas High

GPA: 4.3

College: Stanford University

Career goal: equine veterinarian

“I’m really excited to be graduating. As the oldest of four kids, I’m happy to leave home; it’s crazy here. Stanford was my first choice. Some of my family has gone there and I have relatives in northern California. I didn’t want to go back east. It’s too cold....I’ve never studied that much. I’ve just learned how to manage my time well. I try to do a lot of my work at school and I do it as quickly as I can. I’m lucky in that if I write something down, I usually remember it. I have been fortunate to attend a strong, academically oriented high school where my teachers have encouraged and challenged me.”

*

Public School Valedictorians

AGOURA HIGH SCHOOL

(Agoura Hills)

Ruhai “Ruth” Lin

Agoura Hills

4.36

Stanford University

ANTELOPE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

(Lancaster)

Kimberly Brown

Lancaster

4.0

Antelope Valley College

Stacie L. Warren

Lancaster

4.0

Cal State Long Beach

BIRMINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL *

(Van Nuys)

Elizabeth Defensor Diaz II

Northridge

4.0

UCLA

Joshua Michael Eichenbaum

Encino

4.26

Brown University

Karen Jacome

Reseda

4.0

Cal State Northridge

Jennifer Marks

Encino

4.1

UC San Diego

Ramin Ram

Encino

4.0

UCLA

Michael Siegel

Woodland Hills

4.2

UC Berkeley

Sherry Yafai

Encino

4.17

UCLA

BURBANK HIGH SCHOOL

(Burbank)

Kiabod Afshar

Burbank

4.73

UC Berkeley

JOHN BURROUGHS HIGH SCHOOL

(Burbank)

Bartek Malecki

Burbank

4.47

UCLA

Michael Umpierre

Burbank

4.47

Stanford University

CALABASAS HIGH SCHOOL

(Calabasas)

Elizabeth Delshad

Woodland Hills

4.3

UCLA

Polly Niravath

West Hills

4.3

USC

ViJay Rao

Calabasas

4.3

Stanford University

CANOGA PARK HIGH SCHOOL

(Canoga Park)

Khatareh Tabatabai

Woodland Hills

4.03

Cal State Northridge

CANYON HIGH SCHOOL

(Canyon Country)

Jeffrey J. Wannares

Canyon Country

4.51

Cornell University

CHATSWORTH HIGH SCHOOL *

(Chatsworth)

Christina Bishop

Northridge

4.07

UCLA

Vanessa Carlisle

Chatsworth

4.1

Reed College

Judd Devermont

Northridge

4.17

UCLA

Amy Drell

Chatsworth

4.03

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Jonathan Isaacs

Northridge

4.03

UC San Diego

Gina E. Kim

Northridge

4.19

UCLA

Meena Said

Canoga Park

4.13

UCLA

Natha Surinsuk

Winnetka

4.13

UCLA

Alfred Valera

Chatsworth

4.16

UCLA

GROVER CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL *

(Reseda)

Pegah Alavi

Reseda

4.16

UCLA

Mariam Aristakesyan

Los Angeles

4.0

USC

Galit Avitan

Granada Hills

4.25

UC Berkeley

Evangeline Bermas

Reseda

4.0

Boston University

Laura Bogard

Van Nuys

4.1

New England Culinary Institute

Eurie Dahn

Northridge

4.31

UC Berkeley

Aparna Dandekar

Chatsworth

4.22

UC Berkeley

Sirinun Ektanitphong

Reseda

4.0

UC Irvine

Dave Ellend

North Hollywood

4.37

UC Santa Cruz

Rebecca Fisher

Canoga Park

4.0

UC Berkeley

Talia Inlender

Van Nuys

4.18

UC Berkeley

Lora Isavi-Saatloei

Canoga Park

4.0

Pierce College

Asima Khan

Northridge

4.18

UCLA

Micah Lapidus

Encino

4.1

Stanford University

Eunyoung Lee

Los Angeles

4.0

University of Chicago

Laura Lee

Granada Hills

4.24

UC Berkeley

Lilach Levinkron

West Hills

4.16

UC San Diego

Jessica Levy

Sherman Oaks

4.24

UC Berkeley

Grace Lim

Northridge

4.15

UCLA

Betsy Pachikara

Chatsworth

4.0

UC Berkeley

Tuyen Pham

Reseda

4.13

Cal State Northridge

Quoc Anh Phan

Chatsworth

4.1

UCLA

Diem Thai

Winnetka

4.0

USC

Quan Tien

Reseda

4.0

UC Irvine

Christine Tran

Reseda

4.12

UCLA

Scott Tyson

Encino

4.14

Duke University

Lora Victorio

Northridge

4.1

Syracuse University

Linda Vo

Reseda

4.0

UCLA

Dahvi Wilson

Woodland Hills

4.25

Brown University

Sandy Yang

Reseda

4.21

UCLA

AMELIA EARHART HIGH SCHOOL

(North Hollywood)

Robert Andrew Saman Jr.

Sylmar

3.1

Valley College

ALBERT EINSTEIN HIGH SCHOOL

(North Hills)

Carlos Ancheta

Panorama City

3.5

U.S. Marine Corps

EL CAMINO REAL HIGH SCHOOL *

(Woodland Hills)

Shirin Bahmanyar

Calabasas

4.19

UC Berkeley

Jessie Bandur

Woodland Hills

4.08

Boston University

Armen Berjikly

West Hills

4.32

Stanford University

Sook Hyun “Susana” Choi

Los Angeles

4.11

UC Berkeley

Michal Engelman

Woodland Hills

4.27

Harvard University

Jessie Harding

Woodland Hills

4.1

Cal Lutheran University

Dong Kang

Los Angeles

4.25

UC Berkeley

Emery Kuo

West Hills

4.3

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Chiung Heng “Henry” Lin

Canoga Park

4.01

UC Berkeley

Yu-Chih “Eileen” Lin

West Hills

4.07

UC Berkeley

Sabrina Ment

West Hills

4.03

UCLA

Alex Moskowitz

Woodland Hills

4.34

University of Pennsylvania

Danielle Ohana

Woodland Hills

4.11

UC Berkeley

Dawn Robinson

Woodland Hills

4.06

Brandeis University

Ramona Shelburne

West Hills

4.23

Stanford University

Ellen Silver

Woodland Hills

4.01

University of British Columbia

Melody Wendorf

Woodland Hills

4.03

Cal State Humboldt

Jonlin Wung

Canoga Park

4.11

UC Berkeley

Sharon Yeshaya

Canoga Park

4.25

University of Pennsylvania

Ji Hye Yun

Los Angeles

4.1

UCLA

GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL **

(Glendale)

Cheryl C. Tan

Glendale

4.5

Duke University

Saujin Yi

Glendale

4.5

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

GRANADA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL *

(Granada Hills)

Jennifer Carlos

Northridge

4.17

UCLA

Angela K. Chang

Northridge

4.45

Princeton University

Lily Yuen Ling Cheung

Los Angeles

4.04

UCLA

Li-Chung “John” Chi

North Hills

4.1

UCLA

Julia Ting Chu

Northridge

4.17

UCLA

Joshua S. Fried

Northridge

4.2

Stanford University

Amira A. Ghoniem

Granada Hills

4.07

UCLA

Aaron R. Goldstein

Northridge

4.06

UCLA

Livia R. Hirsch-Shell

Northridge

4.27

UC Berkeley

Daniel S. Huang

Northridge

4.43

UC Berkeley

Benjamin Jackson

Northridge

4.17

UCLA

Udai M. Jayakumar

Northridge

4.03

UCLA

Gloria Sunghyun Kim

North Hills

4.09

Oberlin College

Lila Kopelioff

Granada Hills

4.06

UC San Diego

Stephanie Lee

Los Angeles

4.29

UCLA

Seth B. Mason

Northridge

4.03

UCLA

Scott D. Meselson

Northridge

4.06

UCLA

To Minh Nguyen

Northridge

4.05

Cal State Northridge

Ashwin Mamidi Reddy

Northridge

4.03

UC Berkeley

Francisca Hong Soat Tan

Northridge

4.24

UC San Diego

Long Tieu Thang

Los Angeles

4.05

Harvey Mudd College

Jeremy Daniel Wendt

North Hills

4.16

Brigham Young University

Marc J. Wolf

Northridge

4.08

UC Berkeley

Stephanie W. Wong

Northridge

4.0

UC San Diego

Anne Wu

Northridge

4.06

USC

Achi Yaffe

Northridge

4.28

USC

Amelia Young

Los Angeles

4.06

USC

ULYSSES S. GRANT HIGH SCHOOL *

(Van Nuys)

Panuwat Boriboon

North Hollywood

4.0

Pierce College

Truong Le-Nguyen

Van Nuys

4.0

UC Berkeley

Stacy Marble

North Hollywood

4.07

Northwestern University

Gayane Mkrtchyan

Sun Valley

4.0

UCLA

Jason Ouaknine

Sherman Oaks

4.14

UC Berkeley

Alex Salguero

North Hollywood

4.13

UCLA

Jeffrey Wong

Tarzana

4.22

UCLA

Joselle Zamora

Sherman Oaks

4.07

Binghamton

HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL ***

(Palmdale)

Michael Berry

Palmdale

4.0

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jeffrey F. Butler

Palmdale

4.0

Yale University

David A. Carey

Palmdale

4.0

Antelope Valley College

vl,2

Elissa Ferguson

Quartz Hill

4.0

Providence College

Wendy Katzenberger

Palmdale

4.0

Antelope Valley College

*

Andrea McKinlay

Palmdale

4.0

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Danielle Ondarza

Palmdale

4.0

USC

*

Mattie Schmidt

Palmdale

4.0

Colorado State University

Adam Michael Wooten

Palmdale

4.0

Brigham Young University

JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL*

(Granada Hills)

Jennifer Capehart

Granada Hills

4.033

Cal State Northridge

Fe Virginia C. del Casal

Granada Hills

4.18

University of Rochester

Bernice C. Hwang

Mission Hills

4.3

Wellesley College

vl,2

Jae Kim

Granada Hills

4.091

UC Berkeley

Jenny Phan

Granada Hills

4.34

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sour “Ryan” Tang

North Hills

4.029

UC Irvine

LITTLEROCK HIGH SCHOOL

(Littlerock)

Leticia Renee Perez

Palmdale

4.0

Pepperdine University

JAMES MONROE HIGH SCHOOL*

(North Hills)

Amir Aazami

North Hills

4.11

Columbia University

Christopher Duenas

North Hills

4.09

UCLA

Kaz Gohlke

Northridge

4.31

UC Berkeley

Jessica Guinto

North Hills

4.03

UCLA

Vilija Gulbinas

Los Angeles

4.2

UCLA

Trina Henry

Panorama City

4.15

USC

Marcel Hovsepian

North Hills

4.2

UCLA

Chrisley Macaraeg

Panorama City

4.0

UCLA

Jason McDonald

Pacoima

4.09

USC

Amy Messigian

Northridge

4.03

UCLA

Melissa Onken

North Hills

4.2

UCLA

Sharon Paulson

North Hills

4.0

Houghton College

Pirapat Sindhuphak

Pacoima

4.07

UC Riverside

Macarena Toledo

North Hollywood

4.0

Valley College

Robert Weisler

Panorama City

4.16

UCLA

NORTH HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL***

(North Hollywood)

Krystal Chang

Northridge

4.438

Cooper Union

Adrienne Cheng

Northridge

4.469

UCLA

vl,2

Soo-Jean Chi

Northridge

4.571

Stanford University

Ellen Choi

North Hollywood

4.559

UC Berkeley

Matthew Gleeson

Los Angeles

4.483

UC Berkeley

Rachel Greenstadt

Chatsworth

4.469

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Takako Mukai

Sherman Oaks

4.701

Stanford University

Nayereh Rooholamini

Granada Hills

4.467

Pomona College

Robert Shmerling

Van Nuys

4.375

UC Berkeley

Jeffrey Singerman

Tarzana

4.508

Duke University

Cathleen Sullivan

Topanga

4.419

Amherst College

PALMDALE HIGH SCHOOL***

(Palmdale)

Karen Jeanne Rollberg

Palmdale

4.0

Northwestern College, Iowa

Traci Jean Tekulve

Palmdale

4.0

Purdue University

JOHN H. FRANCIS POLYTECHIC HIGH SCHOOL*

(Sun Valley)

Syed Hossain

Sun Valley

4.25

UCLA

Vy Thuc Lam

Arleta

4.197

UCLA

Rosalyn Wong Sayaman

Panoroma City

4.371

UC Berkeley

Tina Won

Los Angeles

4.121

Bryn Mawr College

Jenny Yang

Chatsworth

4.088

UC Berkeley

QUARTZ HILL HIGH SCHOOL*

(Quartz Hill)

April Garza

Lancaster

4.0

University of Texas, El Paso

Anne Renee Miszklevitz

Lancaster

4.0

UC Santa Barbara

RESEDA HIGH SCHOOL

(Reseda)

Kim-Dung Nguyen

Reseda

4.465

Mount St. Mary’s College

SYLMAR HIGH SCHOOL

(Sylmar)

Sonia E. Villalobos

San Fernando

3.9

UCLA

SYLMAR MATH SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL

(Sylmar)

Ana Maria Ulloa

Sylmar

4.21

Claremont McKenna College

WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT HIGH SCHOOL

(Woodland Hills)

Hyun Jin Kim

Tarzana

4.47

UC Berkeley

VALLEY ALTERNATIVE MAGNET SCHOOL

(Van Nuys)

Vyacheslav “Steven” Averbukh

Tarzana

3.91

Occidental College

VAN NUYS HIGH SCHOOL

(Van Nuys)

Esther Lee

Van Nuys

4.615

Stanford University

VERDUGO HILLS HIGH SCHOOL*

(Tujunga)

vl,2

Sung Hyun “Tiffany” Kim

Sunland

4.125

UC Berkeley

Sergio Lazatin

Tujunga

4.134

UCLA

Silvia Yaneth Lopez

Los Angeles

4.197

UC Berkeley

Aileen Quitoriano

Tujunga

4.152

UC San Diego

PRIVATE SCHOOL VALEDICTORIANS

ALEMANY HIGH SCHOOL

(Mission Hills)

Michele Frawley

Chatsworth

4.667

Loyola Marymount University

Heather Mostman

Granada Hills

4.667

UC San Diego

ANTELOPE VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

(Lancaster)

Cameron Ian Jones

Lancaster

3.8

College of the Sequoias

ARMENIAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT UNION MANOOGIAN-DEMIRDJIAN SCHOOL****

(Canoga Park)

Karoun Bagamian

North Hollywood

3.97

Tulane University

Helen Mardirosian

Woodland Hills

4.01

UCLA

Sasoon Sardarian

Woodland Hills

4.56

UCLA

Jenny Yazedjian

Northridge

4.07

USC

BELLARMINE-JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL

(Burbank)

Elna Santos

Tujunga

4.25

UCLA

BETHEL CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL*

(Lancaster)

Jyoti Chokshi

Lancaster

4.18

UC Irvine

Emilie Fitzhugh

Lancaster

4.07

Pepperdine University

Emily Jackson

Quartz Hill

4.17

Christian Liberal Arts College

Michelle Moreau

Lake Elizabeth

4.21

Antelope Valley College

Bradley Swenson

Lancaster

4.05

The Master’s College

Johny Younan

Lancaster

4.02

Antelope Valley College

BUCKLEY SCHOOL*****

(Sherman Oaks)

Carolyn Nosrat

Encino

4.33

UCLA

CHAMINADE COLLEGE PREPARATORY

(West Hills)

Ryan Erlich

Simi Valley

4.479

Georgetown University

CRESPI CARMELITE HIGH SCHOOL

(Encino)

Michael LaFemina

Thousand Oaks

4.6

UCLA

DESERT CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL

(Lancaster)

Brian Gork

Palmdale

3.88

Cal State Long Beach

FAITH BAPTIST SCHOOL

(Canoga Park)

Jennifer Labins

West Hills

4.04

Pensacola Christian College

vl,2

Amber Misseijer

Simi Valley

4.15

UCLA

Brian Tran

Tarzana

4.12

UCLA

Jennifer Wang

Thousand Oaks

4.13

UC San Diego

FIRST LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL

(Sylmar)

Jacquelyn York

San Fernando

3.9

Azusa Pacific University

HARVARD-WESTLAKE SCHOOL

(North Hollywood)

vl,2

Stephen Fishbach

Los Angeles

4.25

Yale University

HIGHLAND HALL

(Northridge)

vl,2

Kelly Ferris

Canoga Park

4.01

UC Santa Cruz

Jessica Seward

Van Nuys

4.05

University of Durham, England

HOLY FAMILY HIGH SCHOOL

(Glendale)

Monica Bilog

Los Angeles

4.35

Mount St. Mary’s College

HOLY MARTYRS FERRAHIAN ARMENIAN SCHOOL

(Glendale)

Patil Armenian

Tarzana

4.366

UCLA

Rosine Barsamian

North Hills

4.166

UCLA

Tamar Buchakjian

Encino

4.13

UCLA

Alice Geuydjian

Granada Hills

4.333

CSUN

Taline Gulesserian

Reseda

4.065

UCLA

LANDMARK CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL

(Palmdale)

Serena Romero

Palmdale

3.8

Undecided

LOS ANGELES BAPTIST HIGH SCHOOL

(North Hills)

Davida Wegner

Lake View Terrace

4.229

Dartmouth College

LOS ANGELES LUTHERAN

(Sylmar)

Krista Majamaki

Reseda

4.149

University of the Pacific

MONTCLAIR COLLEGE PREPATATORY SCHOOL

(Van Nuys)

Ashwin Ashok

Northridge

4.5

UCLA

Betsy Watkins

Canoga Park

4.5

Grinnell College

NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL

(Sherman Oaks)

Laura Wozniak

North Hollywood

4.38

UCLA

PARACLETE HIGH SCHOOL*****

(Lancaster)

Neha Shah

Palmdale

4.06

UC Berkeley

Jenny Urquhart

Palmdale

4.06

Sonoma State University

Alexander Harry Wilkins

Lancaster

4.07

Harvey Mudd College

PRINCETON COLLEGE PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL

(North Hollywood)

Al Pavangkanan

Van Nuys

3.95

UC San Diego

PROVIDENCE HIGH SCHOOL

(Burbank)

Jennifer Aguayo

Glendale

4.54

Stanford University

ST. GENEVIEVE HIGH SCHOOL

(Panorama City)

vl,2

Nanette Bullecer Villanueva

Arleta

4.235

UCLA

SANTA CLARITA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

(Canyon Country)

Christyl Rose

Canyon Country

4.0

The Master’s College

STONERIDGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL

(Tarzana)

Jacob Cohen

Sherman Oaks

4.0

Cal State Northridge

VALLEY TORAH HIGH SCHOOL******

(North Hollywood)

Allen Ardestani North Hollywood

5.0

UCLA

David Tobin

North Hollywood

5.0

UCLA

Merav Mayouhas

Van Nuys

4.4

Bar Ilan University

VIEWPOINT SCHOOL

(Calabasas)

Bijan Berenji

Westlake Village

3.985

UCLA

VILLAGE CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL

(Sun Valley)

Andrew D. Taylor

Sunland

4.291

UCLA

WEST VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

(West Hills)

April Leigh Alford

West Hills

3.89

Westmont College

Shana Lisette Fitz Maurice

West Hills

3.89

Pierce College

*: Valedictorian awarded to all students with 4.0 and above.

**: Valedictorian awarded to top two students.

***: Valedictorian awarded to all students with straight A’s.

****: Valedictorian awarded to top four students.

*****: Valedictorian awarded by committee to student(s) based on academics and contribution to school.

******: Valedictorian awarded to boy (tie this year) and girl.

Compiled by Stephanie Stassel and Donna Mungen