At CI’s academic rally, two valedictorians from the graduating class of 2025 were announced: Breanna Silva and Jerold Domingo. These students were recognized for their consistent excellence, hard work, and dedication.
Valedictorians are the students with the highest academic standing in a graduating class. This title is typically awarded based on cumulative GPA over the four-years of high school. Valedictorians also deliver a farewell speech at graduation. However, there can be co-valedictorians (two or more valedictorians) chosen if they share the same GPA.
Breanna Silva, who is 17-years-old and one of our co-valedictorians, is planning to attend Cal Lutheran University to study psychology with an emphasis on clinical studies after high school. Her goal is to become a clinical psychologist and work at an inpatient clinic. During her time here at CI, she joined AVID club in her Freshman year and tutor
ed students at Williams with Leading the Youth during her last two years of high school. Her favorite teacher was Mrs. Plascencia, one of CI’s health teachers, and her favorite class was her Digital Drawing class.
However, she also had her fair share of obstacles throughout her academic journey, with the biggest challenges coming from her English classes. “Definitely every one of my English classes was challenging for me,” she said, “so I was always worried that any one of them would ruin my streak. But after lots of late night studying and putting 100% of my effort into assignments, I was able to pull it off.”
By prioritizing school and organizing her time effectively, she was able to successfully reach her goal. Addit
ionally, her parents and her boyfriend were her greatest support and encouragement during times of stress.
Jerold Domingo, the second student to be announced as valedictorian, is 18 years old and will be attending UCSB to pursue mechanical engineering. He dreams of working for an aerospace contractor company that primarily serves government agencies like NASA. As for his academic career, he joined boys’ tennis for 3 years, MESA, FCC, and Chess Club. His favorite teacher was Mr. Corona, who teaches physics, and his favorite class was AP Psychology.
His biggest challenge was balancing his athletic activities with his studies. “I definitely had to face a few challenges throughout the years,” he said, “some of which include having to manage sports and school at the same time, especially because my season is super close to the AP exams.”
In order to keep up with his social life as well as tennis practice and games, while maintaining a consistent GPA, he decided to always make time for studying to compensate for the days he went out. His motivation to keep moving forward was his family, whom he calls his “biggest inspiration.”
Not only does this achievement mark the end of their high school careers, but it also signifies the start of their lives outside of dependency and adolescence as they leave behind a legacy of perseverance and academic excellence. With graduation just around the corner, the school celebrates the accomplishments of this year’s co-valedictorians and wishes them continued success as they move forward in their academic and personal journeys.
