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 have you committed to?
Answer: University of California, Irvine.
Question 2: What will you major in?
A: Public health.
Question 3: What’s your favorite movie or TV show, and why?
A: I like “Star Wars” because it has a good amount of sci-fi, but it isn’t overdone like some other movies.
Question 4: Are there any quotes you live by that guided you through your academic journey?
A: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Question 5: What extracurricular activities or hobbies did you enjoy in high school, and how did they complement your academic success?
A: I played volleyball all four years of high school and I feel like having both volleyball and homework, it made sure I got everything done.
Question 6: What subject did others find hard, but in your opinion, was the easiest for you?
A: AP [Advanced Placement] Bio [Biology]. A lot of people thought it was hard, but I like science, so it was fun for me.
Question 7: What extracurricular activity did you struggle to balance with your grades?
A: Volleyball. It’s just so much time to dedicate, so it was hard to fit everything in.
Question 8: What did you sacrifice to maintain your grades?
A: A lot of times, it was just not hanging out with friends, like on the weekend when I knew I had homework I had to do. [Was it] worth it? Yeah, because I had plenty of other times to hang out with them.
Question 9: How did your surrounding friends/family support you throughout your high school years?
A: I think friends because many of us always have the same classes so we could work together on homework or ask each other questions. My family just makes sure I do well in school, so they’re always pushing me to do my best.
Question 10: Who is one teacher you are thankful for/ look up to and why?
A: I liked Mr. [Mike] Schade when I had him for Bio [Biology Honors]. He would put everything real nice on the board so it was easy for us to understand and he just made sure that he did his best to explain things in a comprehensive way.
Question 11: What is one study habit you recommend to underclassmen?
A: Whenever there’s a review, you should spread it out over the days; like don’t just do the review the day before because you end up googling stuff or rushing through it. But if you spread it out, you can actually take time to understand everything.
Question 12: How did you discover what you wanted to major in college?
A: All throughout high school, I never liked English. I didn’t like the books that we read and I hated writing essays and stuff. But to me, just like numbers and math and science made more sense to me and it was more fun.
Question 13: What career do you eventually want to have in the future?
A: Anesthesiologist.
