• Valedictorian and top student profiles
2. Quinn Schwabauer
GPA: 4.75 Parents/guardians: Stephen Schwabauer and Charla Kuykendall. Post-graduation plans: Undergrad school for chemical engineering at UCLA. Goals for next 10 years: Become involved in environmental research and development. Clubs/activities: Environmental Club president, UNICEF Club president, GSA. Most memorable experience: Traveling to UC Berkeley with Sam Wright to visit friends and see a prospective college. Who would you like to thank and why?: I would thank Ms. Ota, my AP Chemistry teacher last year, for making me love chemistry and helping me figure out what I wanted to major in and also Mr. Atwater, my AP Environmental Science teacher, for teaching me how my actions impact the environment and how I can live more sustainably.
3. Andrew Metz
Metz. GPA: Parents/guardians: 4.68 Chris and Kim Poly Post-graduation SLO and major plans: in architecture. Attend Cal What are your goals for the next 10 years: Graduate from Cal Poly and become an architect. Clubs/activities: Track and field, cross country, Skills USA (engineering club), Science Olympiad, CSF. Most memorable experience: Going to the Skills USA state competition with friends three years in a row. Who would you like to thank and why?: My parents because they encouraged me to explore my every interest.
4. Alexander Elrod
GPA: 4.57 Parents/guardians: Robert Elrod/Amanda Linn. Post-graduation plans: Attending Loyola Marymount or Oregon State. What are your goals for the next 10 years: Graduating from college, finding an occupation I am passionate about pursuing. Clubs and activities during high school: Varsity water polo, varsity swim, UNICEF club, CSF club, Christian Club, basketball.
Most memorable experience: Receiving all-league first-team honors in water polo in my senior year. Who would you like to thank and why?: My parents. They are the driving force behind my focus, work ethic, and confidence approaching both academics and extracurricular activities.
5. Khwal Rafique
GPA: 4.54 Parents/guardians: Father Mohamad Rafique, mother Dilshad Rafique. Post-graduation plans: Will be attending the University of California, Berkeley.
Goals for next 10 years: During the next 10 years, I hope to be attaining a law degree after receiving my bachelor’s degree in political science and Middle Eastern studies.
Clubs/activities: Girl Up (10-12): President American Chemical Society (ACS) (11-12): Founder/President NorCal Science Festival (11-12): Festival Chair California Scholarship Federation (CSF) (10-12): President Club S.T.A.R. (Students Taking An Active Role): Secretary/Treasurer. Most memorable experience: Stopping for just a moment from my hectic schedule the day of the NorCal Science Festival to stop and watch us have more than 3,000 members of our community enjoy the activities, booths, presentations, etc., that we took the effort to organize truly gave this indescribable feeling of serving my community.
Who would you like to thank and why?: As cliché as it sounds, the most important people to thank are my parents. Coming from traditional Pakistani backgrounds where norms had to be broken for them to allow me to take part in the load that I have done such as spending hours at NorCal Meetings, tutoring ESL adults, and having to spend countless number of hours on homework once returning home. It's difficult for any immigrant to hold on to their heritage while also accepting the values of the new country, but living in America and wanting their children to have a chance to pursue a better future for themselves, my parents had to make huge sacrifices throughout the process of raising my four siblings and me, always urging us to do better and greater things at all times.
6. Ruth Hernandez
GPA: 4.50 Parents/guardians: Ruth Aguirre Post-graduation plans: I plan on attending Notre Dame de Namur University where I will run cross country and track. I plan to major in biology which will set me up for medical school after my undergraduate years. Goals for next 10 years: I hope to graduate from Notre Dame de Namur University and attend UC Davis for medical school. I aspire to become a pediatrician in the future and hope to better my athletic abilities doing collegelevel running.
Clubs/activities: GSA, BSU, UNICEF, CSF, cross country, track and field.
Most memorable experience: My most memorable experience happened this year when our 4x800 team which consisted of Brooke Aberle, Jackie Westerterp, and Paige Sefried, attended the Arcadia Invite. I felt a rush of pride and happiness as I not only was able to be part of something huge, but got to experience it with athletes that I love and look up to.
Who would you like to thank and why?: My success stems from my mother and a group of teachers that sought to help a girl who had nothing but a penny in her pocket. Therefore, I would thank my mother for doing a great job in providing a home for the only child she has in the United States. I would thank her for all the sacrifices she has had to make so that I could live out my American dream. I would thank Ms. Leach, my first-grade teacher, for highlighting the life that I could have instead of the one I was living in. I would thank Ms. Jacinto, Ms. Puga, Ms. Cervantes, the Phillips Family, the Schwabauers, and the Wrights for the constant support in every aspect of my life. I would thank them for taking me in as their own and believing in me when I didn’t. I have been blessed with many individuals who have done so much for me.
7. Sophia Reiff
GPA: 4.4762 Parents/guardians: Gary and Jeannette Reiff.
Post-graduation plans: I plan to attend University of Oregon in the fall and major in mathematics.
Goals for next 10 years: My goals in the next 10 years are to graduate from college and have a stable job. Clubs/activities: I was a part of CSF, and tutored students in math in the after-school program.
Most memorable experience :My most memorable experience was attending a leadership seminar for the weekend, called HOBY, where I learned more about becoming a leader in my community. I was also able to make connections with the people I met, which is how I got my roommate for college.
Who would you like to thank and why?: I would like to thank Mrs. Winterhalter for contributing to my education. She was my teacher for math for 2 years. She was encouraging and supportive throughout those years. I was able to learn more than I ever thought I could in math and she made the class enjoyable even though it was early in the morning.
8. Megan Kim
GPA: 4.4286 Parents/guardians: My mom is Beth Kim and my dad is Kyu Kim. Post-graduation plans: I will be attending UC Davis as a neurobiology, physiology and behavior major. Goals for next 10 years: I hope to finish pre-med at UC Davis and continue on to medical school and earn my degree in medicine. My goal is to specialize in cardiology and work with humanitarian organizations. Clubs/activities: I was communications director of Science Olympiad, a member of the NorCal Science Festival planning team, and I played varsity tennis.
Most memorable experience: Meeting my best friends has been my favorite part of high school.
Who would like to thank and why?: It has to be my parents. The support that they provide me continually astounds me, and if I can be sure of anything in this life, it’s that no one could purely desire my success the way they do. I never understood why my mom pushed me as hard as she did, but I see now that her efforts were all for her dream of me tapping into my fullest potential and becoming selfsufficient. My dad taught me algebra when I was in the third grade and I’m pretty sure he’s the reason I love calculus, which is kinda crazy but it just goes to show what kind of parents I have. I love you guys!
9. Andrew Clemons
GPA: 4.38 Parents/guardians: David and Lisa Clemons. Post-graduation plans: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, civil engineering major.
Goals for next 10 years: I plan to attend college and obtain a degree in civil engineering. I would like to return to the community of Lodi and make viable contributions as a civil engineer in our community. Additionally, I would like to coach soccer within our community to work with our local youth, as so many coaches have helped me.
Clubs/activities: CSF, Skills USA, FNL, AP Team, track and field, high school soccer, basketball, cross country, Student Athlete Advisory Council, club soccer, City of Lodi lifeguard. Most memorable experience :In track and field my freshman year my coach pulled me up to varsity. I was able to work my way up to being top two on the team thanks to Coach Oesterman. In the TCAL League meet I ran the 300 hurdles, taking fourth place. I got more points for my team than predicted and tied the freshman record at school and qualified for sections as a freshman.
Who would you like to thank and why?: My parents have been instrumental in teaching me the importance of getting a good education. They have always felt that education should be first and foremost. Both of my parents are educators and know the importance of getting a college degree. They have been there to support me unconditionally in both athletics and academics.
10. Ryan Kenneth Flesher
GPA: 4.3571 Parents/guardians: Kelli Flesher and Chuck Flesher.
Post-graduation plans: Go to community college and figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life.
Goals for next 10 years: I want to find out what I’m going to make a career out of, get an associate’s degree, then pursue higher education in that field. AFter that,
Clubs/activities: Chess and Card Club, student tutor (at Millswood), CSF, Science Olympiad (briefly), Robotics and Rocketry (briefly), Coastal Clean Up, Love Lodi, and Avenue of the Vines (I worked at the water stations).
Most memorable experience :I got my eyebrows when I entered high school. Even up until eighth grade, my hair was so light colored that my thinly haired eyebrows were nearly invisible. Freshmen year, my hair started to darken and my eyebrows finally revealed themselves for the whole world to see.
Who would like to thank and why: There are many people to thank for contributing to my education. An education is built over many years and requires the support of many people. I would like to thank my parents for always supporting me. My many teachers have always been kind, fair, and informative. Even school administration and staff (in my brief encounters with them) have been a tremendous help.