After hours of commemorating all of Los Alamitos High School’s exceptional students on May 22 during Senior Awards Night, students and families anticipated the final
award of the evening – the naming of the class of 2025 valedictorian.
However, at LAHS, the announcement didn’t end with one name. For this year’s senior class, 10 students were honored with the title.
The 10 valedictorians for the class of 2025 are: Lucas Beltran, Jeffrey Chung,
Alexandra Hatakeyama, Phoenix Huynh, Adam Kogen, Jacob Leung, Daniel Li, Vivian Moore, Emma Osborne and Kaylah Rhee.
In previous years, the number of students chosen has ranged from 10-13 as the top 10 students, and all who are tied for 10th, are honored
This year’s
top scholars also recently participated in a campus tradition known as the “Valedictorians Signing Ceremony.” Held inside the school’s gym with family and friends
watching, each valedictorian was able to share where they are headed after graduation and offer thanks to their supporters. All ten are attending top-tier colleges and universities including Stanford, UCLA and UC Berkeley.
“We are so proud of these extraordinary students—not only for their academic excellence, but for the integrity, curiosity, and leadership they’ve shown throughout their time
at Los Al,” LAHS principal Christiana Kraus said in a press release.
The topic of valedictorians was once a heated one at LAHS. Following student and parental arguments of resentment after failing to win the title in the past, administrators decided to take a different approach to the coveted role: choosing multiple people for the honor.
The title “valedictorian” has conventionally equated to the singular student ranked at the top of each senior class with the highest academic achievement or best grade-point average (GPA). Salutatorian was earned by the student with the second highest GPA. Fifteen years ago, LAHS modernized its tradition and chose 10 students to be “valedictorians.”
“There was a decision made at that time where (administrators) felt at our school, (choosing one student) just did not represent truly what a valedictorian was,” said Kraus. “(The students chosen) are all equitable and equal. It was a decision made well over a decade ago, and it’s been one that’s been very consistent on our campus.”.... Read the rest of the story here....
Photo Credit: Nichole Pichardo
