With graduation just around the corner, La Jolla students are looking toward the future. Some envision themselves as doctors who will help cure the ailments of the sick and wounded. Some see themselves as business leaders or entrepreneurs, launching themselves into economics and business programs at their upcoming universities. Some may simply be thinking about the impending summer vacation or feeling relief for making it through the last four years. Regardless of the diversity of short-term sentiments or long-terms goals graduating seniors hope to accomplish, all are caught up in the same flurry of excitement that generates this time of year. Here are a few of the area’s standout stars and their hopes for the future: The Bishop’s School
• Monica Kim, this year’s Harvard Cup award recipient, was honored for her scholastic achievement in earning the highest cumulative grade-point average of the entire graduating senior class at The Bishop’s School. The Harvard Cup tradition began in 1953 when the first award was given to the senior with the highest academic record at the then-San Miguel School for Boys, and the tradition continued in 1971 when San Miguel merged with The Bishop’s School. Kim, a member of the Girls’ varsity golf team and 2011 All-Academic girls’ golf team, will attend Brown University next year.
•Samuel Jacobs was awarded this year’s Michael W. Teitelman Loyalty Cup, The Bishop’s School’s top award. Jacobs was recognized for his demonstration of loyalty, excellence and integrity in all aspects of student life. He will attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology next year. La Jolla Country Day School
Valedictorian
• Sibo Cai of Carmel Valley joined Country Day in the sixth grade. She excelled in all subjects throughout her tenure at the school, enjoying her English classes the most. Cai will attend University of Chicago next fall. Salutatorian
•Lindsey Kostas of Pacific Beach has attended Country Day from pre-school through the 12th grade. She will attend Stanford University in the fall, where she will play tennis and major in economics, management science and engineering. La Jolla High School
Valedictorian
•Sophia Lin has always worked hard to challenge herself academically. Throughout high school, she has pushed herself to take rigorous and demanding advanced placement classes, working hard to succeed in a competitive academic environment. In school, she is an active member of CSF and Interact club. Outside of school, she volunteers at the Remington Health Club of San Diego, a rehabilitation center of seniors, and is an active member of her youth group. Her favorite activities are reading, shopping and playing music. She hopes to study linguistics at the University of Chicago in the fall, and her biggest fear about college is the cold weather. Salutatorian
•Yuhao Wang will attend the University of Chicago next fall, where he plans to major in biomedical sciences and Latin and pursue his interests in science, the classics and quizbowl. Throughout his high school career, Wang has served as president of the science team, Junior Engineers and Greek and Latin club, played for the LJHS badminton team, and has participated in the Academic League and National Academic Quiz Tournament. Wang received a number of national awards and distinctions, including National Merit finalist, national AP scholar and Questbridge finalist over the years. The Preuss School
Valedictorian
•Sharon Vongvanith will attend the University of Pennsylvania next fall, where she plans to major in economics and pre-med. She envisions herself attending a business or medical school after her undergraduate career and returning to California to volunteer her time to Preuss students and the squash program at Access Youth Academy. Salutatorians
• Lucy Luong will attend Dartmouth College, where she plans to major in chemistry. She hopes to work with advanced technology in order to someday resolve modern dilemmas in health and medicine.
• Mustafa Malik will attend Yale University, where he intends to major in molecular biology in order to pursue his continued interest in biology and the human body. He intends to go to medical school after his time at Yale so he can someday become a doctor to heal the sick and injured. University City High School
Valedictorian
•Hailan Pang is proud to have been a UCHS Centurion. Throughout her high school career, she served as president of the Key Club, co-president of Science Olympiad, member on the Academic League team, member of the varsity badminton team and senior class treasurer in student government. She enjoys English classics, especially those of Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell. She will attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall, where she hopes to study electrical engineering and comparative literature. She is excited to explore all types of activities and studies in college and beyond. Salutatorian
•Austin Fikes is dedicated to his studies, as well as myriad extracurriculars including Academic League, Science Olympiad, the Aaron Price Fellows Program and numerous internships. In his free time, Fikes enjoys participating in a number of Internet discussion boards. In addition to his online presence he is an avid cinephile, and his favorite directors include Jean-Luc Godard, Andrei Tarkovsky and Lars Von Trier. He will be studying engineering at Harvey Mudd College next year.
