June 10, 2004

Students shine at Leland, Pioneer, and Leigh high schools

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

Thoughts of high school bring to mind cliques, football games, peer pressure, fun with friends, self-expression, and for some who strive to succeed, absolute academic excellence.

Leland High School’s valedictorians include Eryn Elash, Youh-Hua Lo, Tamara Reyda, Michelle Rodriguez, Bao Mai T. Truong, and Ke Xu.

“To maintain a 4.0 for four years is truly an incredible feat. School is very difficult, and for a student to maintain that in every class that they have ever taken, is absolutely awesome,” states Leland High School Principal Susan Votaw. “They need to be congratulated, and looked at with awe.” Votaw also notes that the student body at Leland High School is focused on academics on the whole. “They know why they’re here—to learn, to get good grades, and to go to college,” she comments. “They also know it’s important for them to be involved in a variety of activities, so they do community service, play athletics, and belong to clubs. Many of them took more than six classes, including college classes, sports, drama, and music. It’s an incredible group of kids.”

“I’m the kind of person who does all my work, and has to do my best at everything I do,” says senior Eryn Elash. “This year especially, maintaining a 4.0 average became a goal. I felt that I had made it this far, and I wanted to continue.” Elash knows that her parents are happy with her grades, but says that they didn’t pressure her to succeed. “I did it for myself, really,” she asserts.

Because she enjoys singing and intends to major in vocal performance, Elash chose to attend Chapman University next year due to its noteworthy voice and music program. Advantageously, Elash not only received the Academic Presidential Scholarship to attend Chapman University, but also received a scholarship from the music program.

Following her passion, Elash currently teaches voice, and performs in theater and restaurant shows. She has been singing in plays for as long as she can remember, and has focused on performing opera for the last four years, and will continue to pursue it in college.

“I always try to do the best I can academically, and the 4.0 was sort of a side benefit,” shares senior Tamara Reyda. “I’m kind of amazed I came out of some really hard classes with the 4.0 still intact. Reyda plans to pursue engineering this fall at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as she is impressed with the academics as well as the people there. She enjoys singing, and in fact, will be going on tour with a choir to Australia this summer.

Senior Michelle Rodriguez didn’t set out to become a valedictorian, but after achieving straight As during her first year of high school, she realized what she was capable of. “I just worked really hard at it,” she says. “I took accelerated English my sophomore year, which was so difficult, but after I got an A in that class, I said to myself, ‘Wow! If I can do that, I bet I can keep the A’s up!’ and I did.” Rather than feeling pressured by her parents, it was Rodriguez’s own determination that led to her success. Due to its strong business program, she chose to attend California Polytechnic State University, and plans to concentrate on marketing there. “I also fell in love with the campus when I went to visit it. I felt like I belonged there,” she remarks. Outside of school, Rodriguez enjoys dancing, and has taken tap, hip-hop, and jazz classes since seventh grade. She is also involved in her church.

“My parents brought me up on the notion that you should always do hard work, because it will help you in life,” attests senior Bao Mai T. Truong. She has participated in several clubs, including the Vietnamese Student Association, the Robotics Club, National Honor Society (NHS), and Key Club. Truong plans to study finance at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas Business School.

“With Leland being as highly academic as it is, and having the quality and caliber of teachers that we have, for students to get a 4.0 for four years is pretty amazing,” commends Assistant Principal of Guidance, Nancy Dauenhauer. “I’m really proud of them.”

Pioneer’s 4.0 students include Daniel Guin, Sarah Misherghi, Stephen Murphy, and Vivan Tran.

To senior Daniel Nguyen, achieving success is important. “I believe hard work pays off,” he contends. “I didn’t really strive for the 4.0, I just worked as hard as possible, and the 4.0 is a result of that.” Nguyen plans to study biology at Stanford University. “I chose Stanford due to its prestige and facilities,” he states. Nguyen credits his parents’ support and emphasis on education and doing the best you can with instilling within him the desire to succeed. Besides participating in school clubs like NHS and California Scholarship Federation (CSF), his true hobby is restoring cars.

“My parents have always taught me the importance of a really good education,” attests senior Sarah Misherghi, “not only for excelling in a career sense, but also, for self-empowerment. It shows that I’m capable of doing whatever I put my mind to, be it in school, or extracurricular activities. It’s just part of my nature to ‘go for the gold,’” she contends. Misherghi, who is musically inclined, plays clarinet in Pioneer High School’s Wind Ensemble.

She also participates in NHS, CSF, Mesa, and Key Club. “I knew that in order to get into an excellent university, I had to be competitive, and to be competitive nowadays, a 4.0 is expected, as well as being involved in extracurricular activities,” she notes. Misherghi plans to study genetics at the University of California at Berkeley, from which she was awarded a Regents and Chancellor Scholarship. “My parents are so happy for me,” she beams. “They have always been so supportive, but they told me that if it didn’t happen, it wasn’t the end of the world. They didn’t care what grade I received, as long as I put 100 percent into it.”

For Stephen Murphy, reaching valedictorian status was something he was hoping for. “I’ve been looking forward to it for a while,” admits Murphy. “It’s been my plan since my freshman year as my brother almost got it. I was like, ‘I’m not going to mess up—I’m going to win this one.’” As he maintained straight A’s and stayed on track, Murphy says the 4.0 wasn’t too much of a surprise, but he was relieved and delighted when he was told he made it.

Murphy, who plans to study mathematics at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), attributes his success to a lot of hard work and being consistent. “You can’t have an ‘off day.’ You have to be consistent all the way through to the end,” he states. “When you put hard work into something, it helps keep you determined and results in a natural progression; you get better and better, and you keep progressing.” Murphy also believes that his academic focus and discipline have carried over into other areas of his life. He is “pretty big” into music and especially enjoys jazz and classical music. He has played trombone and guitar in different bands since sixth grade. “A lot of my extracurricular activities focus around music,” he says. “It helps in every aspect of your life to have a passion—something you’re interested in more than just getting good grades.”

“Of course, my parents were happy when I became a valedictorian,” laughs Vivan Tran, “but it’s expected of me, since my sister was. I really wanted them to be proud of me, and I knew that I could get A’s if I tried.” Although she would have been disappointed at not making valedictorian, Tran says she would have accepted it if she had tried her best. Tran plans to study medicine at the University of California at Berkeley, and has wanted to be a pediatrician since she was young. She chose the school for its prestige, as well as the fact that it is something of a family tradition to attend there. Tran is president of the International Club, treasurer of the Anime Club, and has participated in NHS, and CSF. She also volunteers in various capacities at a Vietnamese school.

“What’s just so amazing about these kids is that they are not just studious kids that do nothing else,” comments Pioneer High School Principal Barbara Lepiane. “They are the kind of kids who are there for everybody. Stephen Murphy was honorable mention in the Bank of America Awards in the performing arts, and Sarah Misherghi won her top award in liberal arts,” enthuses Lepiane. “Each one of these students, aside from their academic achievements, is a dynamic, wonderful individual. They’re very well rounded, and are very involved in community service, our Service Learning Pro-gram, and giving back to the school. They are just genuinely nice kids, and we’re very proud of them.”

Leigh High School’s straight-A students include Soula Danopoulous, Roland Fung, Cody Gray, Lucia Nguyen, Scott Riley, and Aaron Solin.

According to senior Soula Danopoulous, her straight A’s are simply a result of her hard work and doing her best. Danopoulous plans to study biology at the University of California at Berkeley. “It’s a good school and I really like the campus,” she says. In school, Danopoulous participated in basketball, Key Club, CFS, ASB, leadership, and journalism. Outside of school, she tutors children in Greek and has enjoyed Greek Dancing since the tender age of five.

“It was important for me to make sure that I did my best,” contends senior Roland Fung. “I think my parents expected me to, as well.” Fung plans to study biology at Cornell University in New York. He played badminton in school, belonged to the Key Club, and Photo Club. He also won a school district award for his photography.

Senior Cody Gray worked hard for his straight A’s all through high school. “It was a tough road, but I’m glad that I got there,” asserts Gray. “My parents were really proud and excited for me. They supported me the entire way.”

Gray will attend the University of California at Berkeley, where he plans to study political science, history and economics. He also hopes to play softball there. Gray played varsity soccer all four years of high school, and was also in the Photo Club, band, and Wind Ensemble. One of the highlights of his high school experience was performing at Carnegie Hall, in New York.

Senior Lucia Nguyen plans to study chemistry at the University of Southern California at Irvine. She chose the school for its students and staff, environment, and programs. Nguyen played badminton for all four years of high school, and belonged to the CFS, NHS, and Key Club. “My parents always held education as an important value,” she affirms.

“I work hard at everything I do,” attests senior Scott Riley, who received a Regents Chancellor Scholarship for the University of California at Berkeley. Riley plans to focus on peace and conflict study, which includes statesmanship and the relationships of third world countries. He plays guitar, piano, French horn, and saxophone, as well as baseball, and running track and cross country. Riley is also president of the Student Advisory Board.

Senior Aaron Solin made maintaining an A average his goal since the beginning of high school, especially after achieving straight A’s his first two semesters. “I started working really hard,” recalls Solin, “even though there were times I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.” He plans to study chemical engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. “It’s the best public school in the country,” he states. Solin also enjoys playing guitar and on the Leigh High School Tennis Team.

Leigh High School Principal Rick Costanzo views high school graduation as a significant moment in the lives of the students, as well as their parents. “As for the students who managed to make it all the way through high school, while taking college prep classes, to maintain all A’s for four years, that speaks for itself,” he says. “It just shows the level of commitment and dedication those students possess. It’s an extremely big accomplishment, and we’re tremendously proud of them.”

Leland High School’s graduation is set for Wednesday, June 16 at the Rose Garden at 6 p.m.

Pioneer High School’s graduation is set for Tuesday, June 15 at the Rose Garden at 6 p.m.

Leigh High School’s graduation is set for Thursday, June 10 at 5 p.m. at their campus football bowl.