The Class of 2024 produced 39 valedictorians, and The Accolade interviewed each to reflect on their high school journeys and thoughts. This is a full version of the Q&A, of which the preview is included in our May magazine issue. Any remaining full-version Q&A will be posted in alphabetical order throughout the week in the Feature section.

Question 1: Which university did you commit to?
Answer: UCLA.
Question 2: Once you go to college, what do you think you’re going to major in?
A: Chemistry.
Question 3: What teacher do you think helped you most in high school?
A: I think definitely Mr. [Andrew] Colomac. I had him for two years for Honors Chemistry and AP [Advanced Placement] Chemistry, and I think he was just a really knowledgeable and understanding instructor who sort of guided us through that — it was a pretty tough class. But he was so knowledgeable and helpful that it made it enjoyable. And that influenced me to want to major in chemistry in college.
Question 4: What does it mean to you to be valedictorian?
A: I think it’s [an acknowledgment that] we all met that criteria and the hard work that we put in high school. But other than that, I don’t think it means much more than that.
Question 5: What advice do you have for underclassmen about maintaining their grades?
A: I would definitely say manage your time wisely. Prioritize most of those classes that you’re struggling with and try to ask for help from teachers or peers — that really helped me.
Question 6: Who did you get help from?
A: The first people I would reach out to are my classmates because there’s always someone in your class who’s doing well, right? So reach out to the people who are doing better than you are, and usually, they’ll be kind enough to help you out. And if not, then most of the teachers, the vast majority that I’ve had at Sunny Hills, have been pretty great and very open to helping you if you asked for it.
Question 7: So, have you had any inspirations during your time?
A: My mom; she’s a really hard worker.
Question 8: Any friends that you got help from?
A: Thomas Pennella. Smart guy.
Question 9: What was the hardest class you took?
A: AP Calculus BC is probably the most difficult. I’m taking that one this year. It’s pretty rough.
Question 10: What was your favorite class?
A: I think AP Chemistry. It was hard, but once it finally clicked, it was really rewarding. I wouldn’t say it was easy, but it was really satisfying once I started to understand it.
Question 11: What are you gonna miss the most once you’re gone?
A: Probably friends — the friends that I’ve met here. The teachers too; I’ve had really great teachers.
Question 12: Any in particular that you want to mention?
A: Definitely Mr. Colomac, Mr. [Tom] Wiegman and Mrs. [Nicole] Knutson were great.
Question 13: What are you most excited about once you’re in college?
A: Getting to explore the topics that interest me because in high school, we all have to take the same classes, but in college, I can really focus on what I find the most interesting. I’m going to major in the STEM field, so probably chemistry or something chemistry adjacent, just because of the impact that that AP Chemistry class had on me. I was planning to do something in the realm of business or economics before that.
Question 14: What part of chemistry made you change?
A: The teacher, the class, the experience and the labs we did in that class were super fun. I met great people in that class. The teacher was great, and I thought the material was interesting once I finally started to understand it.
Question 15: Who’s your biggest supporter and how do they support you?
A: Definitely my family. [They support me with] just the regular family stuff: food, a place to study, believing in me, etc.
Question 16: In 10 years, where do you see yourself?
A: I mean, hopefully, I graduated from college, maybe doing research or lab work for chemistry, but honestly, it’s a pretty versatile degree. So I honestly don’t know where I’ll end up with that. So we’ll see.
Question 17: What do you look forward to the most this summer?
A: I’m just looking forward to the whole orientation thing for college and figuring all that out. So that’ll be cool.