High School Graduation Program

C lass 2023of

Pledge to the American Flag

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Pledge to the Christian Flag

I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands. One Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty for all who believe.

Class of 2023 Blessing

Blessing bestowed on the graduates by parents and relatives

As you embark on your next journey in life, I pray that you will never doubt that I love you, and that my heart is forever yours. I bless you as you enter college and I pray protection over your spirit, soul, and body. I pray for divine guidance as you choose your new friends. I pray that God will grant you Grace to accept the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

“The LORD bless you, and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

Yes, I speak blessings over you, today and forever.

COMMENCEMENT 2023

“DoitheartilyastotheLord.” Colossians 3:23

Ceremony begins at 6:00pm

View vcs.net/hsgraduation for Livestream

Special Music “Castle in the Sky”

Joe Hisaishi

Jeston Lu & Celina Chen

Conservatory Students, Piano and Cello

Processional

Welcome Dr. Jennifer Silva Griffin

VCHS Principal

Invocation Ava Jane Mitchell

ASB Representative

Pledges Praneeth Tummala

ASB Representative

Emma Balog

ASB Representative & VCS Lifer

Student Address Chloe Lam

High Honors Graduate & VCS Lifer

Introduction of Speaker Mary Charlotte Peacock

ASB Representative

Main Commencement Address

Dr. Sean McDowell

Biola Professor/Author/Apologist

Student Address Sophia Abbey VCS Lifer

Class of 2023 Blessing

Dr. Ed Silvoso Chaplain to the VCS Board of Directors

Special Awards

Founder’s Awards

Dr. Clifford Daugherty VCS President

Mrs. Barbara LeBaron

Daughter of Mr. David Wallace, VCS Founder

Quest for Excellence Award

Dr. Clifford Daugherty VCS President

Presentation of Diplomas

Dr. Clifford Daugherty VCS President

Dr. Jennifer Silva Griffin

VCHS Principal

Mr. Michael Sprauve VCS Board Chair

Presentation of the Class of 2023

Dr. Jennifer Silva Griffin VCHS Principal

Benediction Nick Laugharn ASB Representative

Recessional

Award Descriptions

Founder’s Award:

Chosen by the senior class and presented to a student who best meets the following criteria:

• A committed Christian who loves God’s Word

• A diligent student

• A loving, compassionate person who exemplifies the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) in relationship to family, church, teachers, friends, and community

The President’s Quest for Excellence Award: Recognizes a senior who:

• Demonstrates an extraordinary personal Quest for Excellence through his/her God-given talent and hard work

• Acknowledges that the ultimate measure of excellence is the nature, character, and works of God

• Understands that excellence brings influence and that all endeavors should be done heartily as to the Lord to transform the world through virtue, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit (Colossians 3:23, Romans 14:17)

GRADUATING

Valedictorian

Roshan Bellary

Salutatorians

Dylan Li

Vivian Li

Abbey, Sophia Jasmine 

Aboujudom, Matthew Samer

Achanta, Varnika Syamala

Addison, Iman Anaya

Acuat, Danieli Marguerite Batala

Agrawal, Ria

Agrawal, Rishaan Ritesh

Allen, Zoe Ashley

Asiaba, Benjamin Kiruthu

Avila, Evan Daniel 

Bai, David Ming 

Baird, Nikko Koshiyama

Balakrishnan, Advay Bhupesh 

Balog, Emma Katherine 

Bang, Allison Haewon 

Barck, Kaitlyn Sydney

Beier, Lindsay Ann 

Belardes, Alec William

Bellary, Roshan 

Benjamin, Ashton Adrian

Bhatia, Ria Meher

Bhutani, Esha

Billimoria, Neel Jatin

Billups, Shane Austin 

Blais-Savoie, Philippe Edouard 

Blando, Emma

Boch, Pedro Angel

Bourland, Tyler Robert

Brady, Daniella Zöe

Brannon, Blake Thomas 

Britt, Cameron William

Bui, Toan Minh 

Byrd, Synise Ray

Campagna, Zoe Nicole 

Carlson, Caden Brand 

Carriere, Joseph Matthew

Castaneda Jr, Michael Anthony

Castanon, Jacob

Castillo, Anthony G.

Cavers, Matthew Tyler

Chan, Vivian Kay

Chang, Emily Weiling 

Chang, Rosaleen 

Chau, Kayla Nguyen Anh 

Chen, Annabelle Athena 

Chen, Athena Xue Song

Chen, Celina Danielle

Chen, Nathan

Chen, William Jian Rui 

Chinthalapati, Sumaswara 

Chiodo, Joseph Ernest 

Chiou, Ryan Nicholas 

Chipman, Shelby Anne

Choi, Mindy Haemin

Chow, Annabelle Wai-Tong 

Christensen, Owen Thomas

Chu, Phoebe 

Ciprian, Hannah Jordan

Clement, Cyrus Raj

Cocozza, Camden Michael

Cordero, Alexandra Kiera

Corie, Jonah Nicholas Reagan

CLASS OF 2023

Cossy, Andre Carl

Crotty, Alicia A. 

Daniel, Erena

Dash, Siddhesh

Datla, Akhil 

DeFreitas, Logan Scott

DeSantis, Chase Armas

Deshpande, Diya Parag 

Dickie, Julia Marie 

Diep, Jamie Chunyu 

Ding, Devin Chen

Dong, Clare Mingxin

Dore, Nicholas Joseph

Du, Hao Nan

Du, Yuxin

Dudyala, Shivani 

Duong, Alice

Elson, Carissa Carmen

Elvander, Brandon Louis 

Erisman, Alison Taylor 

Ersinger, Tom Marekc

Fasheh, Janna Hiyam 

Fiorito, Ashlee Nicol 

Fletcher, Jonathan Thomas Philip

Flores, Gianlucca

Foley, Tsala Mae

Fu, Mengxue 

Fujitaki, Lea Kazue Song Hee

Gakhal, Tajveer

Ganje, Brooke Lee

Garcia, Brianna Kristine

Garcia, Josue Caleb

Gervacio, Alejandro Manuel

Gharat, Rohil Sunil

Gil, Hannah Elyse

Gill, Kayley May

Giri, Swathi

Gonzalez, Aaliyah Kiara

Goodarzi, Pasha

Grabinger, Katharina Viktoria

Griffin, Paris Jane 

Griffiths, Jacob Sharil

Gu, Shiyu 

Guan, Emily Lee 

Guardino, Jessica

Guo, Audrey Yanran 

Guo, Oscar Jiayuan

Guo, Shenghao

Gupta, Arushi

Gupta, Priya Anjali

Gustafson, Riley Mackay 

Gutierrez, Alejandra Isabella

Ha, Chloe Dang 

Hall, Andrew Lawrence

Han, Christine 

Han, Suhyun

Han, Yimeng

Hanquist, Lauren Victoria

Hardt-Mason, Kaitlyn Rose

Hardt-Mason, Nicholas Michael

Harper, Kenneth Hugo Emeka

Harvey, Isabel Irene 

He, Stephen Zhifei

Heard, Joshua Stanley

Henry, Kylie Joanna

Heo, Ashley Hyunwoo 

Herrera, Isaiah Santos

Hockett, Stephanie Grace 

Hofstedt, Michaella Vilchis

Holmes, Brady Andrew 

Hong, Rachel Rui 

Hsieh, Alex Ming

Hsieh, Matt Sihsian

Hu, HuiDi 

Huang, Elena 

Huang, Renee 

Hudson, Jacob Thomas

Iacomini, Mia Daniela

Ip, Alysia Siyan

Isaac, Eleanor Marie

Iyer, Pranati Padma

Jagadish, Kriti

Jebaraj, Samuel Enoch 

Jiang, Elizabeth Y. 

Jindal, Reema

Jisser, Lauren 

Jones, Taye Michael

Joo, Annie Hamin

Kalns, Armand Kristians

Kandadai, Annika

Kasmalkar, Parth Maheendra 

Kasralikar, Riddhi Rahul

Kayser, Connor Michael

Khanna, Anisha Sophia

Khitrykh, Nicholai

Khomchenko, Maxwell

Kim, Anna Hahun 

Kim, Minseong

Kim, Sian

King, Amelia Keiko

Kirchenbauer, Katelyn Anne

Kirkpatrick, Lindsay Jewel 

Kitajima, Kennedi Elizabeth 

Kitsis, Abigail Sabrina 

Knauss, Trey Everett

Ko, Joseph Urjin

Kole, Carter James

Kong, Lauren Isabella

Kuan, Nathan Jann-Chien

Kulkarni, Vedant Swaroop 

Kumbla, Samarth 

Lam, Chloe Nga-Yat 

Lam, Curtis James 

Lammers, Alexander Jason

Lan, Emily Yihui 

Lao, Jacqueline

LaPorte, Beck Edward

Lau, Anson Hong

Laubach, Troy Mark

Laugharn, Nicholas Joseph

Lazzaroni, Sy Douglas

Le, Alissa Elizabeth

Le, Jeremy Eduardo

Le, Marisa Kay 

Le, Laura Ngoc-Quyen 

LeCompte, Chloe Miette

Lee, Breanna de Asis

Lee, Calvin Jisoo 

Lee, James Hyunseung 

Lee, Janelle Qing Yuan

Lewis, David Isaac

Lewis, Kayla Berteliza

Li, Allyson Wen

Li, Dylan Xia 

Li, Ethan Hewitt 

Li, Vivian Heying 

Lim, Breanna H. 

Lin, Joshua

Lin, Dolsey Xiang 

Liu, Nikki Jiang 

Liu, Lucy Jiyu

Llamas, Anastasia

Lopez, Neiko Marin 

Low, Keira Isabella

Lu, Jeston Wong 

Luna, Ryan Christopher

Luo, Joanna Tong 

Luong, Emily Patricia 

Maghsoudnia, Katrina Tara

Mahadik, Rahul

Maheshwari, Ananya Aditya 

Malipeddi, Bharath R.

McAnear, Grace Ann

McEvoy, Ian Lir 

McGinley, Hannah 

McGinley, Ida Concetta

McIntire, Sierra Michele 

McIntyre, Rhys Taylor

Melia, Conor Michael

Metz, Lilly Amber 

Metz, Willow Rose

Miller, Madison Nichole

Mistry, Shiv N.

Mitchell, Ava Jane Marcos

Moezidis, Ryan Francis

Mohapatra, Ronak

Moutzouridis, Peter John

Mpambara, Jacob Fred

Mulinyawe, Hazel Leia Barrett

Munro, Sharanya Anuksha

Murgulescu, Alexander Victor 

Murphy, Andrew Timothy

Nadig, Vivek 

Namala, Medha 

Neven, Colby J.

Ngo, Mae Thuy 

Nguyen, Brandon Tan 

Nguyen, Lan Pham Hoang

Nguyen, Ngan Hoang Thien

Nguyen, Quy Bao

Nguyen, Teya Quynh-Thy

Ni, Sylvia W. 

Ning, Leah Yuen 

Norris, Keaton Linden

Nwodo, Oluwatobiloba Chibueze David

O’Brien, John Joseph

Okamoto, Erin Itoko 

Okoro, Munachi Jordan

Oltmann, Jayden Steven

Ott, Alexander Hermann

Padalkar, Anit Sarang 

Palivela, Abhinav

Pande, Mira Vinay 

Park, Roy Hyunbin 

Park, Sophia Yeahee 

Patel, Kareena Satish 

Patel, Maithili N.

Patel, Nikhil Hitesh

Pawar, Aditya Madhukar 

Peacock, Mary Charlotte Branyan

Pershall, Kamryn G. 

Pham, Benjamin Le

Pham, Claire Anne 

Pham, Vickie N

Pham, Vivian Tran

Pham, Yvonne Hua

Phan, Ethan Ke

Pirouzi, Gizelle

Pittenger, Averie Juliana

Polo, Raul Alejandro

Pomele, Winston Del Arona

Portera, Camryn A

Puri, Ira

Puvvala, Varun Pratham 

Qin, Hao

Rahn, Sofia Julia Michelle

Ramirez, Xavier

Reddy, Esha Chintakuntla

Reilly, Hudson David

Rezaee, William Iman

Riley, Nicholas John 

Rios, Oscar Walenty

Rivera, Anthony Manuel

Rivera, Carmelo Noe’l

Rivera, Ivan

Rock, Naomi Elizabeth

Rogy, Jessica Catherine

Rosas, Christian Diego 

Rowatt, Hannah Margaret

Ryali, Sanjana 

Ryan, Adeline Lucille

Sachdeva, Rohan Vishal 

Sacks, Grace Katherine

Saifi, Jonathan Aryan

Saipaia, Nathan King

Sampat, Jay Manish

San Luis, Nathan Joseph

Sanchez, Mateo Acevedo

Sands, Anika Marie

Sanghani, Aditya Amit

Saqui, Jacob Lu

Seshadri, Karthik Krishna

Severson, Mailynn Phuong

Shi, Michael W. 

Shin, Minjin

Siegle, Aaron Jeffrey

Singh, Navya 

Slocum, Zoe-Demetria Pia

Smith II, Christopher Michael

Sparks, Kasey Rae

Sribhashyam, Sarieli Lakshmi 

Srinivas, Meera 

Stahl, Sarah Elizabeth

Steckmest, Owen Carson

Stone, Connor Kainalu 

Su, Emma Grace

Subramanian, Kieran Michel

Sumcad, Francesca Simone

Sunil, Samiksha

Tam, Brayden Sze-him 

Tan, Joanna Jia En 

Tan, Kenneth Ivan 

Tang, Samuel Zhou

Tatipamula, Vaishnavi Satvika

Taylor, Kayla Dominique

Tedeschi, Molly Rose

Teng, Xiongzheng

Thomas, Shannon Fei Charlotte

Thor, Vendela Anja 

Tigue, Ashley Nicole

Toro, Alexandra Bella

Torres, Taliah Emilia

Tran, Cathy D. 

Tran, Huan Vu Tuong

Tran, Khoa Anh 

Tran, Randy 

Tran, Sonia Dieu

Trang, Karisa

Trigg, Aaron Christopher

Tsai, Madeleine

Tu, River Yu

Tummala, Praneeth 

Tzamaloukas, Sofia Phuong Uyen

Umansky, Darina Victoria

van de Waerdt, Marieke Lilly

Van Dyke, Jenna Elizabeth 

Vaughan, Ryan James

Vaughn, Sydney Nikole 

Veeraraghavan, Adya 

Venneman, Aidan Jackson Hernandez 

Vidhani, Jiya

Virk, Meher

Virk, Rhea 

Vogler, Nicholas John

Vu, Lam Gia

Wang, Elaine Xuan

Wang, Justin Mitchi

Wang, Vivien Han 

Wang, Xiyan

Wang, Zijian

Watts, Joshua Stone

Webb, Stephen Wayne

Webster, Zane Marshall

Weng, Nathan 

Werder, Julian Daniel

Wilson, Zoe Madelyn

Wolfgram, Azia Madison

Wong, Bryant Kaiyin 

Worcester, Ryan Wynn

Wu, Claire

Wu, Jonah Manxi 

Wu, Oliver Yuchen 

Xu, Cindy

Xu, Mark Y.

Yang, Austin Wenhao 

Yerganian, Talar

Yoon, Darrin Lucas

Yoon, Irene Sarah

Yun, Yebon

Zahrt, Samuel Chitnis

Zhang, Adeline 

Zhang, Catherine 

Zhang, Christine E 

Zhang, Christopher 

Zhang, Emma Victoria 

Zhang, Kevin Xinyu

Zhang, Xuan Emerald 

Zhang, Yilan 

Zheng, Kyle Kai

Zhong, Yanni 

Zhou, Tony Yutong 

Zhu, Yingshu 

Zhuang, Max Weihong 

Zielinski, Dillon Ryan

 High Honors Graduate, Top 5%

 Valedictorian

 Salutatorian

 Valley Christian Lifer

Cord:

Double Gold – Highest Honors GPA 4.41-4.66

Single Gold – High Honors GPA 4.0-4.40

Royal Blue/Silver – AMSE Honors Fellows

Silver – AMSE Honors

Blue/Gold – AMSE Artist

Antique Gold/Brown – Conservatory of the Arts Fellows

Antique Gold – Conservatory of the Arts Honors

Burgundy/Silver – Dance Honor Society

Lt. Blue/Gold Double Cord – Mu Theta Alpha National Honors (Math)

ASA Medals – American Statistical Association Medals

Royal Blue/White - BEI DECA Honors

Red/Grey – BEI Speech and Debate Honors

Lt. Blue/White – BEI Quest Incubator Honors

Red – International Student

Red/Gold – Spanish Honors Society

Purple/Silver – Latin Honors Society

Navy Blue/Lt. Blue – Chinese Honors Society

Royal Blue/Red/White – Americal Sign Language Honors Society

Navy Blue/Red/White – French Honors Society

Teal – First Generation Graduates

Stole:

Gold – Top 5% GPA 4.67 or higher

Blue – ASB Members

White – Valley Christian Lifers

WARRIOR FUND

While tuition covers 100% of our daily operational needs at Valley Christian Schools, it is through philanthropy that we enhance our campuses and programs. Donating annually to the Warrior Fund ensures that we can provide world-class educational opportunities to every student and nurture their unique God-given talents and abilities. We are committed to attracting and retaining top-tier educators and providing tuition assistance for families with a demonstrated need. Every gift makes a difference for our students; please consider donating to the Warrior Fund today. Learn more at give.vcs.net

GIVING CAMPAIGNS

WARRIOR WELLNESS INITIATIVE

Make double the impact when you give to our Warrior Wellness Initiative! Our students’ mental health and wellness are our top priority, and a generous donor has agreed to match each gift up to 250k. Please consider giving today!

Christi Stockhaus, Director of Advancement cstockhaus@vcs.net | 408-362-7649 give.vcs.net

Wherever you may be, we’re always here to support our amazing alumni like you.

As you continue to make a positive difference in communities around the world, we want to stay connected! We currently have 29 ambassadors all over the country that have connected with fellow alums near them. This past year we have visited 11 cities across the US and look forward to hosting an alumni dinner near you soon. Simply scan the QR code and fill out our “Alumni Connect Form” to stay updated on news and events. Let us know about where you’ve been, where you’re headed and stay connected with us today!

MISSION STATEMENT

Valley Christian Schools’ mission is to provide a nurturing environment o ering quality education supported by a strong foundation of Christian values in partnership with parents, equipping students to become leaders to serve God, to serve their families, and to positively impact their communities and the world.

VISION STATEMENT

A world where every student pursues their personal Quest for Excellence™

FOUNDING STATEMENT

Valley Christian Schools supports the homes and churches of students in providing an education that is grounded in the Judeo-Christian values of the Bible, as reflected in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. Valley Christian Schools is committed to a Quest for Excellence™ in all of its educational programs, and provides a comprehensive kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum with a rigorous college preparatory program. Firmly founded on Christian values, Valley Christian Schools challenges youth to aspire toward lives of character, service and influence while pursuing their individual Quests for Excellence

valleychristian vcs_warriors

apply.vcs.net

To support VCS, please call the Extend the Gift Advancement O ce at (408) 362-7644 or visit vcs.net/give.