Valleydictorians 2017

valleydictorians Our annual salute to the valedictorians of the Valley as they head off to college. Indeed, the future looks bright… PHOTOGRAPHED BY TAMEKA JACOBS

Congratulations Class of

Congratulations, Class of 2017!

Colleges and universities that the Class of 2017 graduates will be attending include:

Barnard College

Lewis and Clark College

University of California, Santa Barbara

Berklee School of Music

Loyola University New Orleans (3)

University of Chicago

Bennington College

Loyola Marymount University

Boston College

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Boston University (2)

McGill University

Bucknell University

Middlebury College

Cal Lutheran University

California Institute of the Arts

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (2)

California State University, Northridge (2) Carleton College

Chapman University (2)

Occidental College

Ohio State University

Pacific Northwest College of Art Rhode Island School of Design San Francisco State University Santa Monica College (2)

Colby College

Sarah Lawrence College

Colgate University

Scripps College

Colorado College

Skidmore College

Columbia University

Stevens Institute of Technology

Emerson College

Feather River College

Syracuse University (2)

Franklin & Marshall College Georgetown University Grinnell College

Hamilton College (2)

Johns Hopkins University King’s College London

New York University (5)

The New School Trinity College

Tulane University (5)

University of Alabama University of Arizona

University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Los Angeles (6)

University of California, Santa Cruz (7) University of Colorado, Boulder (3) University of Denver

University of Edinburgh University of Iowa

University of Miami

University of Michigan (5) University of Oregon

University of Pennsylvania University of Portland

University of Puget Sound University of Redlands (2) University of San Diego

University of Southern California (8) University of Texas at Austin University of Utah

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin-Madison (4) Vassar College

Washington University of St. Louis (2) Whitman College

Willamette University

Campbell Hall is a community of inquiry committed to academic excellence and to the nurturing of decent, loving and responsible human beings.

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Episcopal, independent, coeducational college preparatory day school for grades kindergarten through 12. campbellhall.org • 4533 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, North Hollywood, CA 91607 • 818.980.7280

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Cameron Aaron Bridges Academy Connecticut College I hope to use all my skills to create a better world—one where being divergent is celebrated and every person feels safe to be themselves. I encourage everyone to raise their voice.

Stay true to yourself and let creativity and passion drive you to find your heart’s calling.”

Henri Stern The Buckley School Stanford University I’m a little worried that we—the youngest of the millennials—may be becoming the generation of meh—the generation of overblown, manufactured, internet outrage with nothing to back it up. My worry is that I have landed in the apathetic generation.

We are supposed to be the generation to change the world, yet 38 million eligible voters in our generation stay at home on polling day.

We complain about policy, the direction of our nation, and the myriad of problems 4

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gripping this country and this earth, and yet we don’t do the most basic of things to stop events from going in the wrong direction. In a few years, we will be the most politically powerful age demographic in this country and we need to start exercising that power.

This is not about being liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, independent, libertarian or socialist. This is about being actively engaged.”

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CLASS OF 2017!

Milken students were admitted to over 100 universities and colleges for fall 2017 including: The University of Alabama American Jewish University American University The American University of Paris Arizona State University The University of Arizona Berklee College of Music Binghamton University Boston University Brandeis University University of British Columbia Brown University California Institute of Technology California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo California State University, Northridge California State University, Sacramento University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Merced University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University

Chapman University University of Chicago Claremont McKenna College University of Colorado at Boulder Colorado College Columbia College Chicago Cornell University University of Delaware University of Denver DePaul University Drexel University Duke University Eastern Washington University Emory University Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Franklin & Marshall College The George Washington University University of Idaho University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Indiana University at Bloomington Jewish Theological Seminary of America Johns Hopkins University University of Kansas Kenyon College Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College Los Angeles College of Music Loyola Marymount University

University of Maryland, College Park McGill University Miami University, Oxford University of Miami Michigan State University University of Michigan University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Montana State University, Bozeman The University of Montana, Missoula New York University The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Northeastern University Northern Arizona University University of Northern Iowa Northwestern University Occidental College Oregon State University University of Oregon Pace University, New York City Pepperdine University Princeton University Purdue University University of Redlands Rhode Island School of Design Rice University Rochester Institute of Technology San Diego State University San Francisco State University

University of San Francisco Santa Monica College Sarah Lawrence College Sonoma State University University of Southern California Southern Methodist University Stanford University Stetson University Stony Brook University Syracuse University The University of Texas, Austin The New School Tufts University Tulane University Union College, New York Vanderbilt University University of Victoria University of Virginia Washington State University Washington University in St. Louis University of Washington Wesleyan University Western University University of Wisconsin, Madison Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Katie Chiou North Hollywood High Brown University Thanks most of all to my mom, who not only will do the heavy lifting when it comes to tuitions, but also believed that I could get into great colleges and sat through my touchiness during application season. I’m excited for the independence and exploration of college, taking all the classes that I can manage in whatever subject I so choose, whether it be raising plants in a lab for medicine or finally joining an a capella group. It’s a great place to be in—a senior waiting for graduation. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Gift Riley-Norman iLEAD North Hollywood University of California, Los Angeles We’ve been taught that a one-sizefits-all model must to be applied to all of our relationships. But every person is different and so is every relationship. Luckily this isn’t the only approach. It is only through the conscious pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement that we can realize the full extent of human happiness.”

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CONGRATULATIONS TO VIEWPOINT SCHOOL’S 143 SENIORS IN THE CLASS OF 2017 FOR THEIR ACCEPTANCES TO OUTSTANDING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.

Amherst College • American University • Arcadia University • Arizona State University • Auburn University • Baldwin Wallace University • Bard College • Baylor University • Belmont University • Boston College • Boston University • Bowdoin College • Bradley University • Brandeis University • Brown University • Bucknell University • California Baptist University • California Institute of Technology • California Institute of the Arts • California Lutheran University • California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo • California State Polytechnic University, Pomona • California State University, Channel Islands • California State University, Chico • California State University, Dominguez Hills • California State University, Fullerton • California State University, Long Beach • California State University, Los Angeles • California State University, Monterey Bay • California State University, Northridge • California State University, San Bernardino • California State University, San Marcos • Carnegie Mellon University • Case Western Reserve University • Chapman University • Claremont McKenna College • Clark University • Clemson University • Colby College • Colgate University • College of Charleston • College of William and Mary • Colorado College • Colorado State University • Columbia College Chicago • Columbia University • Cornell University • Cornish College of the Arts • Dartmouth College • Denison University • DePaul University • Dominican University of California • Drexel University • Duke University • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott • Emerson College • Emory University • Fordham University • Franklin Pierce University • Furman University • George Mason University • Georgetown University • Georgia Institute of Technology • Gordon College • Green Mountain College • Harvard University • Hawaii Pacific University • High Point University • Hobart and William Smith Colleges • Hofstra University • Humboldt State University • Illinois Wesleyan University • Indiana University at Bloomington • Ithaca College • Johns Hopkins University • King’s College London • Knox College • Lafayette College • Lehigh University • Lewis & Clark College • Loyola Marymount University • Marist College • Marquette University • Marymount Manhattan College • Massachusetts Institute of Technology • McDaniel College • Miami University, Oxford • Middlebury College • Moorpark College • Mount Holyoke College • New York University • North Carolina State University • Northeastern University • Northern Arizona University • Northwestern University • Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences • Occidental College • Oregon State University • Oxford College of Emory University • Pace University, New York City • Pacific Northwest College of Art • Pennsylvania State University • Pepperdine University • Pratt Institute • Purdue University • Reed College • Rice University • Ringling College of Art and Design • Robert D. Clark Honors College, University of Oregon • Rochester Institute of Technology • Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology • Saint Mary's College of California • San Diego State University • San Francisco State University • San Jose State University • Santa Clara University • Santa Monica College • Savannah College of Art and Design • School of the Art Institute of Chicago • Scripps College • Seattle University • Smith College • Sonoma State University • Southern Methodist University • Stanford University • Susquehanna University • Swarthmore College • Syracuse University • Temple University • The American University of Paris • The George Washington University • The London School of Economics and Political Science • The New School - All Divisions • The Ohio State University • The University of Alabama • The University of Arizona • The University of Edinburgh • The University of Georgia • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • The University of Texas, Austin • The University of Texas, Dallas • Trinity College • Trinity University • Tufts University • Tulane University • Union College (New York) • University at Buffalo The State University of New York • University College London • University of British Columbia • University of California, Berkeley • University of California, Davis • University of California, Irvine • University of California, Los Angeles • University of California, Merced • University of California, Riverside • University of California, San Diego • University of California, Santa Barbara • University of California, Santa Cruz • University of Chicago • University of Cincinnati • University of Colorado at Boulder • University of Denver • University of Hawaii at Manoa • University of Illinois at Chicago • University of Kansas • University of La Verne • University of Maryland, College Park • University of Massachusetts, Amherst • University of Miami • University of Michigan • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities • University of Mississippi • University of Missouri Columbia • University of New England • University of New Mexico • University of Notre Dame • University of Oregon • University of Pennsylvania • University of Portland • University of Puget Sound • University of Redlands • University of Richmond • University of San Diego • University of San Francisco • University of South Carolina • University of Southern California • University of St Andrews • University of Tennessee, Knoxville • University of the Pacific • University of Utah • University of Vermont • University of Virginia • University of Washington • University of Wisconsin, Madison • Ursinus College • Vanderbilt University • Villanova University • Wake Forest University • Washburn University of Topeka • Washington and Jefferson College • Washington College • Washington State University • Washington University in St. Louis • Wesleyan University • Western New England University • Western New Mexico University • Whittier College • Whitworth University • Willamette University • Williams College • Xavier University • Yale University

WE WISH THEM WELL IN THEIR BRIGHT FUTURES AHEAD.

23620 Mulholland Highway | Calabasas, California 91302 | 818.591.6500 | www. viewpoint .org

Jason Muljad Crespi Carmelite University of California, Los Angeles When I stepped into the corridors of Crespi, I was queasy and I felt unsettled. I stepped out of a community that I relished as home and I flew forward into a future that allowed for great expectations. Wide-eyed, somewhat fresh-faced and absolutely clueless, I did not know much about the ideals of being a Crespi man, much less understanding the complexity of brotherhood. It took me four years and a retreat with K138, but I’m proud to say that the neophyte who once cowered at the prospect of talking to crowds has become a confident Celt that has so much love for this school and the guys right in front of me.”

Brendan Rose Harvard-Westlake School Yale University Teenagers tend to think of old books, or even old people, as completely irrelevant to their lives.

Especially with self-driving cars and artificial intelligence on the horizon, society only seems to look ahead. But I know better. I looked to the past, and it helped me move forward.”

Seva Castleberry North Hollywood High Duke University

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Take a moment to remember the people that were with you on this journey—the ones that can be called nothing but truly, genuinely, your friends. And without this huge and complex amalgam of experiences, maybe you wouldn’t have them.

The nostalgia that I feel right now, that I think you might feel as well, this is what this school means to us. So let’s try to appreciate it, at least for a moment, before we are off. Off and never truly the same, because we will be something greater.”

iLEAD NoHo is now accepting enrollment for Fall 2017.

Come and tour our campus or join us for our next Open House. iLEAD NoHo 14701 Friar St., Van Nuys

iLEADNoHo.org iLEAD NoHo congratulates its second graduating class – Class of ‘17!

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They will attend a wide a array of four-year colleges and universities in Fall 2017, such as Oberlin College, Columbia University, Wellesley College, Brown University, Skidmore College, Dickinson College, UCLA, Sarah Lawrence College, Trinity College Dublin, School of Visual Arts, Hampshire College, Eckerd College and many others.

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Congratulations to the YOUNG EXPERTS of the Class of 2017, Cameron Aaron and Grady Shoemaker.

Over the course of three years, Cameron and Grady focused on areas of interest, acquiring highly advanced interdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and experiences in their chosen fields.

Cameron’s exploration of artificial intelligence and neural networks connected him with experts in the industry - including members of Google’s DeepMind project (deepmind.com) - and his Ted-Ed talk on the topic attracted the interest of technology professionals, who contacted him for exploratory discussions about future collaboration. Grady’s work in video game design and production included a mentorship with a professional from DigiPen, a top design school. This resulted in the production of several games utilizing engines that manufacture dynamics of physics and motion, creating realistic, intuitive, and engaging experiences for players. www.bridges.edu

818.506.1091

“The opportunity to explore, discover, and develop talent is the greatest gift we can give children. Passion and curiosity are a wonderful combination.”

- Doug Lenzini Admissions Director

doug.lenzini@bridges.edu

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Lorenzo Sampson iLEAD North Hollywood Columbia University I came to this school where students are free to express themselves and where teachers and staff trust us enough to give us more independence and responsibility than we’d be able to get anywhere else. When I first got here, it seemed too good to be true. Never before had I been to a school where teachers cared so deeply about their field, their students or just teaching in general. I think the faculty and their closeness with the student body are what make this school so damn exceptional, and I think we owe them a huge thank you.”

Christina Boatwright Campbell Hall Johns Hopkins University The future will entail that we use the intellect we have gained throughout our education but will also teach us something in every experience it hands us. As we step into the years to come, it is important that we take with us all that we have learned and keep an open mind to the wisdom that is waiting for us.”

Aidan Faustina Sierra Canyon School Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Don’t be afraid to do what feels right, even if that means doing something really weird or pursuing a “useless” passion just because it piques your interest.

The best advice I can give you about the future is not to worry about it too much … because you owe it to yourself to pursue your own future differently

from the way society or anyone else told you to. Because if you can do that, that’s poetry, and as the German philosopher Martin Heidegger believed and Elon Musk and his tunnels exemplify, when we do right by ourselves today, tomorrow can’t help but come easy.”

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Kourosh Ghaemmaghami Crespi Carmelite Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art In the words of Randy Pausch: “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” High school has been a roller coaster. Although sometimes the cards we were dealt weren’t the best, we all played beautifully to get to this point. I have each and every one of my peers, all 118 of my Crespi brothers, to thank for helping me through the tough times and helping me in getting to this point. I have to thank them for helping me to play my hand properly. I never thought it was possible for a bond this powerful to exist.”

Richard Liu Highland Hall Waldorf School University of California, Santa Cruz ‘Honing gives a sharp edge to a sword, and bitter cold adds keen fragrance to plum blossom.’ This poem is one of my favorite Chinese poems. Since I made a decision to study abroad, I have experienced a lot of changes and difficulties.

In the past two years in the U.S., every time I’ve been badly shaken by the unknown quantity around me, the poem has helped me to get through the rough times. It also inspires me.”

Zoe Beckman Viewpoint School Brown University

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The best advice I’ve received in a while was from a twenty-something-year-old named Phil who worked at a ropes course. He said: the bravest people are those who are the most afraid. If you take someone who calmly walks across a log 30 feet in the air and compare them to someone else whimpering and barely moving, you assume the

calm person is more brave. However, the terrified person actually has to overcome so much more fear to cross the same distance. Therefore, if you want to know how strong you are, you have to try the things that scare the living daylights out of you, because they give you the greatest opportunities to test your courage.”

Louisville High School A L e g a c y o f E x c e l l e n c e i n C a t h o l i c E d u c a t i o n f o r Yo u n g Wo m e n 22300 Mulholland Drive Woodland Hills, CA 91364 818-346-8812 www.louisvillehs.org Half Page June 2017.indd 1

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Congratulations

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Members of the Westridge Class of 2017 will continue their educational pursuits at the following institutions:

Boston University (3) University of British Columbia California Baptist University California Institute of Technology California Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis Obispo (3) University of California at: Berkeley (9) Los Angeles Santa Cruz

Carnegie Mellon Univ. (2) Chapman University University of Chicago (2) Claremont McKenna College Univ. of Colorado Denver Columbia University (2) Cornell University Davidson College University of Delaware Georgetown University (2)

Howard University Johns Hopkins University Lehigh University Loyola Marymount University New York University (4) Northeastern University Northwestern University (2) Occidental University (2) Ohio Wesleyan University Pasadena City College

University of Pennsylvania Pomona College Purdue University Rice University Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Scripps College (3) Univ. of Southern California St. Olaf College (2) Stanford University (3)

Swarthmore College Tulane University (2) Vanderbilt University Vassar College Washington University in St. Louis (2) University of Washington Willamette University

W E S T R I D G E S C H O O L • 324 MADELINE DRIVE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91105 • 626.799.1153 • WWW.WESTRID GE.O RG

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 6TH GRADE GRADUATES

Milan Bachar Ryan Brunswick Alex Dienstag Nicole Diner Oren Figenblat Jadyn Greene Natalie Herskovitz Abby Macarah Solomon Margolis Shahar Ohev-Zion Tomer Ohev-Zion Joel Osher Jacob Silverstein

We are so proud of the amazing individuals they are and wish them lots of good luck as they move on to the following middle schools: The Buckley School • Brentwood School • Campbell Hall • Geffen Academy • Heschel Day School • Milken Community Schools 12020 Burbank Blvd., Valley Village, CA 91607 • 818.766.4992 • aaedayschool.org

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Grady Shoemaker Bridges Academy University of California, Santa Barbara

Abigail Urbina Providence High School University of California, Los Angeles There is a fine line between being irrational and being dauntless. Never let the fear of failure prevent you from venturing out of your comfort zone and exploring new things. Always continue to be open-minded and willing to take risks, because you never know what life has in store for you. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes because no matter how vulnerable you may feel at times, these learning experiences will help you grow. You alone hold the pen to write the script of your life; don’t let others take that pen from you.”

Other Notable Valleydictorians Mariam Baghdasaryan

Ulysses S. Grant High School University of California, Los Angeles

Micaela Cole

Oaks Christian School University of Southern California

Tamar Shine

Milken Community High School Wesleyan University

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