Meet Lakewood High School's seven valedictorians. Smart, unique, and ambitious, these outstanding students took the time out of their busy schedule to chat with 908 to talk about their future goals and some favorite pastimes in high school.
Jacob Paredes
JM: Congrats on being Valedictorian! What were some of your favorite memories here at Lakewood and what are your future goals?
JP: I’ve committed to UC Irvine in the fall, majoring in public health sciences. I would also like to get my nursing degree to work in hospital administration. I loved all my teachers here at Lakewood. They’ve taught me everything I know! I will miss Lakewood. I also really enjoyed playing on the tennis team here at Lakewood!
JM: Nice! One-handed or two-handed backhand in tennis?
JP: One-handed all the way!
Jenna Reed
JM: What were some of your greatest passions while in high school at Lakewood?
JR: I’m really passionate about science; I’m taking two science classes as a senior. I took AP Chemistry as a junior. I’ve also been a dancer since I was in fourth grade. I dance at Long Beach Ballet and rehearse countless hours a week while also balancing school and work!
JM: Wow! What are some of your future goals?
JR: Well, I’ve committed to Long Beach State University; I’m enrolled in the kinesiology program for the honors and I would like to enter the field of physical therapy.
Gina Marie Maglanoc
JM: What were some of the activities you were involved in during high school?
GMM: I’m passionate about the Key Club at Lakewood, a volunteer service club, and playing tennis.
JM: What are some of your future plans?
GMM: I will attend UCLA in the fall, majoring in biology. I want to be a veterinarian. I love animals. I’ve always had small animals growing up — parrots, guinea pigs, fish. Whenever I needed to go take them to a vet, there was never one around, so because of that, I want to be that vet for small animals. Even though they are small, they still matter. “Succeeding is putting forth your best effort at everything you do” has been my mantra throughout high school and I plan to continue holding onto that mantra in the future.
Krystal Flores
JM: What was your favorite subject here at Lakewood?
KF: Well, I never took physics until this year. I took AP Physics and I really liked the class. It’s a different way of thinking and it challenges me in a good way. I started a physics club at school this year. We do different activities that get people into physics. We build rockets and we have a contest where we build bridges out of popsicle sticks and we test to see whose is the strongest when we put objects on top.
JM: What are you going to do now?
KF: I received a scholarship to go to Chapman University; I will major in physics.
Jasmine Doan
JM: Congrats, Jasmine on being named Valedictorian here at Lakewood! Tell me a little bit about yourself.
JD: Well, my favorite subject here at Lakewood is math. I’m enjoying taking BC Calculus right now. I like to play the guitar in my spare time and listen to music. My nationality is Vietnamese. I actually visited Vietnam in second grade. It was pretty cool over there. We walked through a bunch of mud out in the countryside and you can knock on strangers’ doors and they will let you into their house and let you wash their feet. I want to go back soon.
JM: Great, that sounds fun! What will you do now that you’re graduating?
JD: I will attend UC Irvine, majoring in engineering. I would like to enter the computer engineering field.
Benjamin Rothery
JM: Congrats, Benjamin on being named Valedictorian! Tell me about your time here at Lakewood and a little bit about yourself.
BR: Well, my favorite class was Mr. D’s chemistry class. I enjoyed learning about alchemy and enjoyed setting up all the glass equipment, that’s when the fun happens. I’m currently a Life Scout, working up to an Eagle Scout. I also like board games — ‘Catan’ and ‘Seven Wonders’ being some of my favorite. They are city building games where you collect resources to try and win.
JM: Where are you going to college and what would be your dream job?
BR: I’m going to UCLA as an undeclared physical sciences major. My dream job is to help aid in the research of quantum physics, in the area of replication. I’m a dedicated Star Trek fan and believe that replication is the key to fixing the world’s problems.
Daphne Rios
JM: So Daphne, what was your hardest, and most fun or easiest class at Lakewood?
DR: My AP Seminar class was probably my hardest. On the other hand, my most fun was accelerated geometry. Mathematics has always been the easiest for me in school and I’ve always done well on my math tests. I plan to study mathematics in college; I was accepted early decision at Cornell University in New York. My dream job is to become an actuary so I can make a lot of money!
JM: What are some fun facts about you?
DR: I played tennis all four years at Lakewood in both singles and doubles. I also have a twin sister named Chloe.