• Valedictorian, top student profiles
With a total weighted GPA of 4.76, Kristen Fukunaga holds the title of valedictorian for Tokay High School’s Class of 2017. A three-year varsity tennis player, Fukunaga’s other achievements include membership in both the National Honor Society (NHS) and the California Scholarship Federation, serving as the Tokay Go Green Club’s President during her senior year, coaching the Science Olympiad Team from 2013 to 2016 and helping to organize the NorCal Science and Technology Festival from 2015 to 2017. The top student in her class, Fukunaga was also a member of the Lodi Storm Drain Detectives, as well as participating in the Paterson Park Tree Planting and Stockton’s Earth Day Festival.
One of Fukunaga’s favorite memories of her senior year is going to the NorCal Science and Technology Festival with the Tokay High Steam Team, a club for students interested in science, technology, engineering and math, also known as the STEM field. Fukunaga’s passion for STEM has motivated her to pursue a degree in financial and actuarial mathematics at UCLA, before pursuing a Master’s degree and finding a career related to data science or actuarial math.
An AP Scholar with distinction, Fukunaga received a National Merit Letter of Commendation, took first place at the Sacramento Youth Energy Summit, won the Pinnacle Award and the California Seal of Biliteracy. For all these accomplishments, she thanks her parents, Mark and Cham, and her sister Julie for their support throughout the years and the opportunities they provided for her. Her advice for incoming ninth graders would be: “Don’t be afraid to meet new people and join clubs; they’ll help you find your place in a big school.”