College Prep High School: Calysto Patrick is the Valedictorian for College Prep High School’s class of 2017. Calysto has managed to earn an overall GPA of 4.19 and an SAT score of 1180. Calysto has been a great asset to our school leading our Associated Student Body as President this year. She has earned 14 college credits through dual enrollment and is currently enrolled in five more credits this semester. She has maintained all A’s in her college courses and also passed AP classes on our campus. Calysto has already been accepted to her top choice college, California State University, San Marcos, and is waiting to hear back from University of California, Riverside and University of California, Davis. Her goal is to become a registered nurse.
Ruth Amaro has been a dedicated student on our campus and has earned her spot as Salutatorian for College Prep High School this year. Ruth’s overall GPA is 4.09 and she scored a 1070 on the SAT. Ruth has completed several college classes through dual enrollment and a few AP classes. Ruth has been volunteering as a cross-age tutor for our middle school students and has made some amazing connections with the teachers and the students. Ruth also helps as a member of our Associated Student Body. She has applied to University of California, Davis, University of California, Santa Barbara, and California Lutheran University. Ruth hopes to become a veterinarian and enlist in the navy reserves.
Hamilton High School is proud to present Matthew Collins as Valedictorian. Matthew has an SAT score of 1250 and a grade point average of 4.0. He plans to attend the Honors College at The University of Northern Arizona or a University of California school to study Computer Science and pursue a career in research and development for unmanned aerial systems. For many years, Matthew has served as a student-athlete and a leader in numerous clubs. While juggling his school work, community organizations, and school clubs, Matthew challenged himself with the most difficult Advanced Placement courses. He has earned academic honors as a perennial principal’s honor roll recipient. He has been the vice president of the National Honor Society, a member of the California Scholarship Federation and the founder of the Drone club. He has been a tremendous asset to our varsity sports program earning the most valuable player award on the track team for two consecutive years.
Hamilton High School is honored to recognize Russell Collins as this year’s Salutatorian. Russell ranks number one in his class, carries a GPA of 4.14 and scored a combined 1220 on the updated SAT. He plans to attend the Honors College at The University of Northern Arizona or a University of California school to major in Civil Engineering. With incredible teamwork and leadership skills, Russell is a key influence in the continuous development of our school’s positive culture. Russell has been an instrumental participant in numerous clubs, service projects, and community organizations. Russell has dedicated over 1,000 hours of community service earning a Presidential Volunteer Service Gold Award. Russell was nominated to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) youth leadership retreat where he worked with other leaders with the mission of service. Russell is the captain of the soccer team participating for four years at Hamilton High. He is the president of the National Honor Society and a member of the California Scholarship Federation. His teachers selected him to represent our school at the district’s student of the month program.
Hemet High School is proud to announce Michael McGivney as the Valedictorian out of a 583-student senior class. Michael earned the Valedictorian honors with a GPA of 4.44 and SAT score 1550. Michael has been actively involved the past four years in our Associated Student Body (ASB) and is currently its President. He is a member of our Water Polo team and served as captain this year. Michael has been a distinguished member of our Academic Decathlon team and Math League, and also earned second in the state in the TrigStar competition. Michael is an Eagle Scout and has won multiple awards and recognition during his time at Hemet High, including four years as a Presidential Gold Award for Academic Excellence. After high school, his aim is to attend California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and major in Bioengineering with the goal of creating prosthetics and engineering tissue.
Representing Hemet High as the Salutatorian is Anusha Koka with a GPA of 4.52 and an SAT score of 1460. Anusha founded the school’s Habitat for Humanity Club during her high school tenure and has been an active member. She is a member of the Chamber Singers, Mock Trial Team, is a Track Athlete, and has participated in Advanced Women’s Ensemble and Tennis. Anusha is serving her senior year as the ASB Vice President. Anusha earned Citizen of the Year honors during her junior year and has earned numerous academic awards, including AP Scholar and AP with Distinction. She enjoys service to others and is actively involved in her community devoting countless hours of her time to community service throughout the past four year. Anusha hopes to attend a major medical program and major in Biology, Pre-Medicine with the goal of becoming a Physician.
Tahquitz High School is proud to announce leader and Valedictorian, Zachary Miller. Zach has earned the Valedictorian honors with a GPA of 4.35 and SAT score of 2190. He is currently serving as Associate Student Body President, which he has been a member of all four years. Additionally, Zach is President of the Key Club and Calculus Club. For the past three years, he has participated in the school’s Water Polo and Swim teams and this year served as Captain for both. Zach was a founding member of the school’s Academic Decathlon team, represented Tahquitz as a Boys State Delegate, earned recognition through the California Scholarship Federation, and received National Merit Commendation for scoring in the 99th percentile on the PSAT. During his tenure at Tahquitz, Zach has taken six Advanced Placement exams and earned a perfect score of five on each test. He has already been accepted into Yale University and University of California, Berkeley, but is waiting anxiously to hear from Harvard University and Columbia University.
Representing Tahquitz not only as one of the sweetest and most genuine students ever to attend, but also as the Salutatorian, is Elise Thrift. Elise has an overall GPA of 4.47 and an SAT score of 2030. She is an active member of the Key Club, where she plays a critical role in supporting community events, a member of the California Scholarship Federation, and an accomplished piano player who has been playing for the past seven years. Elise has been accepted to University of California, San Diego, San Diego State University, as well as several others. Once she has decided on a college, she plans to study medicine and eventually become a physician and continue her passion towards helping others and giving back to the community. Elise represents what Tahquitz hopes to embody in all of the students: determination, hard work, high quality character, and someone you can count on to do what is right.
West Valley High School is pleased to announce the Valedictorian for the class of 2017 is Isabel Michel. Isabel is ranked first amongst West Valley’s graduating class of 394 students, with a GPA of 4.49, in addition to earning a score of 1450 on her SAT. Over four years, Isabel has shown a tremendous level of dedication to the school, running on both the Cross Country and Track & Field teams, serving as President of the California Scholarship Federation, and leading the school’s Academic Decathlon team for three years, including two Riverside County Championships. Isabel has taken every Advanced Placement course at West Valley, and has served as the Secretary for the Associated Student Body during her senior year. Isabel is also an avid volunteer, helping to facilitate the Hemet Public Library’s Summer Reading program since 2012. Although she is not sure what she wants to do with her life just yet, Isabel hopes to attend either Stanford University, or the University of California, Berkeley, which she has already been offered admission to.
Kristina Usenko was announced as the Salutatorian for the Class of 2017. Kristina currently has earned a 4.18 cumulative GPA, and a composite SAT score of 1370. During her tenure at West Valley, Kristina has played water polo for four years, including three years as a Varsity player, and helped lead her team to a second round CIF appearance. She has been involved with Link Crew for two years, and serves as an AVID tutor for underclassmen. In addition, Ms. Usenko is very involved with her youth group. She plans to attend Loma Linda University, after either Biola University, or UC Irvine. Kristina dreams of becoming a Registered Nurse, specializing in either pre-natal care or pediatrics.
Western Center Academy inaugural senior class is proud to recognize Elisha Dayag as Valedictorian. Elisha has an overall weighted GPA of 4.26 and a nearly perfect SAT score of 1580. Elisha has demonstrated a high level of success during his high school career both in the classroom and in a variety of student activities. He has been a cross-country runner throughout high school and is heavily involved in West Valley’s Academic Decathlon team. This year in the Academic Decathlon competition, he earned five gold medals and four silver medals. In addition, he broke the Riverside County record for total points earned in the competition’s history. During his high school career, Elisha has successfully taken eight Advanced Placement courses and completed eight college courses. After high school, Elisha plans to major in applied mathematics and is currently deciding where he wants to attend college in the fall, but he is leaning towards a smaller, private college.
Representing the Western Center Academy as our Salutatorian is Cole Alley. Cole has an overall weighted GPA of 4.36 and an SAT score of 1450. Cole is an active member of the WCA Robotics program and participates on a team that has been to the World Championships three times in the past five years, and was most recently ranked seventh out of more than 11,000 teams world-wide. During his three years at WCA, Cole has taken a rigorous course of study including eight Advanced Placement courses and eleven college courses. Cole has been involved in Civil Air Patrol at the Hemet Ryan Airport for the past four years. Cole plans to attend the Air Force Academy, but since he is only 16 years old, his goal is to attend another college for two years until he is old enough to apply.