Ramona High School

Ramona High School Valedictorian Mary Wexman will be attending the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash.. She plans on majoring in biology with a minor in English. She then plans on attending medical school to become a general practitioner.
One of the people who inspired her throughout her school journey was her grandfather, who died a few years ago.
“He was a brilliant man,” she said. “He could translate many languages due to his involvement in World War II. I always aspired to be just as good as he was.”
During her high school years, Wexman participated in the school’s academic league for four years—a competitive question-and-answer group dedicated to scholastic excellence—and was involved in set design for many of the RHS drama productions.
When she looks back at her high school career, she specifically remembers one course, her ninth grade honors English course with Mrs. Sawada.
“It was a starting point for me,” she said. “It got me out of my shell and I started to do new things. It also helped me realize what I want to do and how I can start doing it.”

Ramona High School Salutatorian Elizabeth Branco will be attending the University of California, Los Angeles next year. She plans on majoring in biological sciences with the goal of studying genetics. She hopes to do genetic counseling as a career.
Her mother is her most inspirational influence.
“She worked hard to get me involved,” she said. “When I did Girl Scouts, she signed on as a leader. When I wanted to play tennis, she was the one spending hours throwing the ball to me. She got me started in community service and by the time I got to high school I knew what I wanted to do. She is also a teacher and is very dedicated to her own students, so I really admire that.”
Branco was the 2009 tennis MVP this year and also served as team captain. She was on the tennis team since her freshman year. She also was the president of two clubs this year, National Honors Society—an academic service club—and Students for Environmental Awareness and Protection—an environmental community service oriented club.
She credits teacher Mr. Koch with really helping her out at RHS.
“He wrote several letters of recommendation for me that helped me win scholarships and he really was there for me during my junior year when I was stressed out from my three advanced placement courses and my other honors classes,” she said.

Mountain Valley Academy
Mountain Valley Academy Valedictorian Chris Fabian will be attending the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. He plans on studying aerospace foundations and will pursue a career in military research and development.
His parents are his biggest inspiration.
“They had the biggest impact on me,” he said. “They imbued me with a sense of values and then let me express myself. They basically told me I can do whatever I want as long as I stick to my core values, so I did.”
Fabian logged more than 6,500 miles this year as a runner on the track team and the cross country team. He also is very involved in a fitness program called Cross-Fit, where he recently set a Helen world record and will be featured in a video for the program.
He thoroughly enjoyed his experience at MVA and was grateful to all his teachers.
“Just coming to MVA challenged me,” he said. “My teachers challenged me to take all the advanced placement courses I could and they rose to whatever level you were at and would challenge you personally.”

Mountain Valley Academy Salutatorian Karl Hujsak will be attending the University of California, San Diego next year. He is undecided on his major but hopes to pursue engineering or bio engineering.
His dad was his career inspiration.
“He is an engineer and he is always excited about what he is doing. It kind of rubbed off on me,” he said.
At MVA, he was president of the Robotics Club, which earned a coveted Imagery Award this year in a national competition. He was also vice president of his class when he attended Sun Valley Charter High School before its closure. He was grateful to MVA for how welcoming it was.
“When I transferred from Sun Valley, it meant a lot to be welcomed at MVA,” he said. “I was really thankful for the ease of starting a new school and how I was welcomed in.”
Hujsak is the youngest graduate this year at 16.


Montecito High School
Montecito High School Valedictorian Melissa Predmore will be attending Palomar College to earn her associate’s degree and then wants to transfer to a four-year university. She has her sights set on Stanford. She plans on studying journalism and wants to pursue a career in writing for magazines or newspapers and later becoming a young adult novelist.  
Her greatest inspiration is her neighbor Laurie Gammon.
“I used to babysit for her and I never had a mom, so she sort of adopted me and is like a sister to me,” she said. “She has been there for everything.”
At MHS, she wrote for the newsletter and also worked on the yearbook. She was a member of the school’s Star Club, which organized special days and spirit events on campus.
The teachers who made a difference during her school career were Mr. Tennebaum and Mrs. Taber.
“He always encouraged me and always looked at my writing and gave me tips,” she said. “Mrs. Taber pushed me to really do what I could. For example, no one thought I would finish because I had to make up so many credits, but I did.”

Montecito High School Salutatorian Fabiola Soto plans on attending Cuyamaca College. She will major in business. She hopes to pursue business after college and wants to work for a bank.
Her parents have always been very inspirational to her.
“I was always thinking about them,” she said.
She credits all her teachers at MHS with her success.
“They were always there to give me their support. I will miss everyone,” she said.