2024-2025 GGUSD Valedictorians

Bolsa Grande High School

Andrew Huynh will attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall to major in Cellular Biology with a minor in Computer-Integrated Surgery. He hopes to earn both medical and doctorate degrees to pursue a career as a Medical Scientist studying Epigenetics. Andrew’s top accomplishments include raising funds to provide 125,000 meals for the Hope Mead School in Kenya as the Financial Director for the nonprofit Orphan Assistance Fund, earning the top score on the Academic Decathlon Team for four years and earning in the top 8% at the state level, as well as receiving state honors in the Certificate of Merit Advanced Piano Exam as directed by the Music Teachers’ Association of California. Andrew’s favorite activities include participating in Honor Orchestra for six years, enjoying fun conversations about life and writing with his English teachers, and going to Mr. Aviles’s Saturday tests and eating delicious Mexican food. Prior to Bolsa Grande High School, Andrew attended Excelsior and Peters 4-6 elementary schools and Jordan Intermediate. A resident of Garden Grove, Andrew is the son of John Huynh and Suong Vu.

Garden Grove High School

Hung Phu Nguyen will attend UCLA in the fall to major in Pre-Human Biology and Society with the career goal of becoming a physician specializing in Anesthesiology or Cardiology. Hung’s top accomplishments include interning at the med tech company DrKumo to assist the elderly community, earning the Rensselaer Medal Scholarship, taking AP classes while also playing tennis, earning the AP Scholar with Distinction award and earning the State Seal of Civic Engagement. Hung’s favorite high school activities include playing tennis, practicing physics in Mr. Luong’s AP Physics C: Mechanics class after school during tutoring sessions and serving as a board member for the Chess and OAFC clubs. Prior to attending Garden Grove High School, he attended Sunnyside Elementary School and Jordan Intermediate School. Hung is the son of Amy Truong and Hiep Nguyen.

Hare High School

Julian Garibay Sosa will attend Santa Ana Community College in the fall with plans to transfer to UCI to study Psychology. He hopes to be an in-patient therapist in an intensive care hospital. His top accomplishments in high school are serving as ASB President, earning the State Seal of Civic Engagement, maintaining a 4.0 throughout his time at Hare, working to produce Hare’s weekly news show named Top Dawg for two years and earning the Youth Ambassador Certification from Orange County Youth Council. His favorite high school activities include participating in ASB and working with other students toward common goals, joining Hare’s video production class and making numerous appearances on the show while contributing to the school-spirit filled environment at Hare and participating in Hare’s athletic program. Prior to attending Hare, Julian attended Heritage Elementary, Fitz Intermediate and Los Amigos High School. A resident of Santa Ana, he is the son of Ana and Erwin Sosa.

La Quinta High School

Vanessa Rios-Carachure will attend Cal State Fullerton to major in Economics with the goal of pursuing a career as a Financial Analyst or Accountant. In addition to being named co-valedictorian, Vanessa’s accomplishments include being named an AP Scholar with Distinction, a Simon Scholar, MVP of the Cross Country Season and earning second place in the Garden Grove League in 2022. Vanessa’s favorite high school activities include participating in Cross Country, Latinos Unidos and the Simon Scholar program. A resident of Westminster, Vanessa previously attended Murdy Elementary and McGarvin Intermediate. She is the daughter of Vanessa Rios and Telesforo Rios.

La Quinta High School

Ayaan Qureshi plans to attend UC Berkeley to major in Computer Science and pursue a career as an AI Engineer. His accomplishments include being a three-time CyberPatriot Semi-finalist, a member of the National Honor Society, earning the State Seal of Civic Engagement and being recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction. In high school, he most enjoyed the CyberPatriot program, playing tennis and participating in a CTE internship. Prior to high school, he attended Allen Elementary School and McGarvin Intermediate School. A resident of Westminster, he is the son of Farzeen Qazi and Ahmad Abrar.

Los Amigos High School

Alexander Lozano will attend Stanford University in the fall to major in Public Policy and Economics and plans to become a Lawyer. His top accomplishments include completing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Latino Leadership Program, being named a QuestBridge and a Gates scholar, sharing his immigrant family’s story to more than 400 students during the 2025 Latinos Unidos Leadership Conference and successfully getting many Los Amigos students to register to vote. His favorite high school activities include participating in Latinos Unidos to collaborate with friends to honor the Latino culture and serve the community, participating in water polo and swim, and helping to create one of the school’s best yearbooks. Prior to high school, Alexander attended Russell and Allen elementary schools and Fitz Intermediate. A resident of Santa Ana, Alexander is the son of Alejandro and Teodula Lozano.

Los Amigos High School

Cat Pham will attend Columbia University in the fall to major in Astrophysics with a minor in Philosophy to become an Astrophysics Researcher and Professor. Her top accomplishments include becoming a USC Bovard Scholar, winning a full-ride scholarship from the QuestBridge National College Match Program, establishing the Vietnamese Student Association and Lion Dance Team at Los Amigos and serving as a Youth Commissioner for the city of Santa Ana. Her favorite high school activities include singing karaoke on the bus with her tennis team, practicing Lion Dancing and drumming for shows, making Spam Musubis for VSA and hanging out with A³BC at school. Prior to high school, Cat attended Rosita Elementary and Irvine Intermediate. A resident of Santa Ana, Cat is the daughter of Tram Nguyen.

Pacifica High School

Cat-Tuong Ngo will attend UCLA in the fall to major in Political Science and Business Economics and plans to pursue a career as a corporate or constitutional lawyer. Her top accomplishments include earning the President’s Volunteer Service Award and AP Scholar with Distinction Award, spending more than 100 hours canvassing in Garden Grove, playing water polo for four years and serving as captain senior year. Her favorite high school activities include Senior Homecoming, Clash of Classes and Senior Sunrise. Prior to Pacifica, Cat-Tuong attended Patton Elementary and Bell Intermediate. A resident of Garden Grove, Cat-Tuong is the daughter of Haley Ngo and Nambinh Ngo.

Rancho Alamitos High School

Pauline Do plans to attend UCI to major in Psychology with the goal of becoming a Forensic Psychiatrist. Her top accomplishments include accumulating 183 community service hours through school clubs, serving as an intern at the Orange County Department of Education, receiving the English Department and Math Department Awards and being a Student Ambassador for the California Student Aid Commission. Her favorite activities include working with peers to create service opportunities as an officer in the American Cancer Society and Red Cross Clubs, volunteering with friends by cleaning beaches, packing boxes at food banks and supporting the Vietnamese community during the Lunar New Year; as well as collaborating with students on school projects. Prior to high school, Pauline attended Bryant Elementary and Alamitos Intermediate schools. A resident of Garden Grove, Pauline is the daughter of Duc Do and Phuong Tran.

Santiago High School

Doanh (Yuuki) Dinh will attend Carnegie Mellon University to major in Mechanical Engineering. Her top accomplishments include surrounding herself with the right people who challenge and support her, graduating high school with an Associate of Science degree, and participating in a 9:00 to 5:00 p.m. high school internship. Her favorite activities include working in the school cafeteria, participating in Key Club’s Fall Rally South and competing at MESA Day. Prior to high school, Doanh attended Clinton Elementary and Doig Intermediate. A resident of Orange, Doanh’s parents are Nhan Tran and Dung Dinh.

2024-2025 GGUSD Salutatorians

Bolsa Grande High School

Kevin Tran will attend Princeton University in the fall to major in Computer Science with the goal to pursue AI Research in Finance. His top accomplishments include leading Bolsa Grande Academic Decathlon team to their first ever State Championship, receiving the GGEA Scholarship, winning 1^st place in the UCI Mesa Day Coding Solutions (Novice), winning 3^rd place in the California State Academic Decathlon in Economics and receiving the Congressional Certificate of Recognition for his achievements in Academic Decathlon. Kevin’s favorite activities include being the Academic Decathlon President and competing with friends for the past four years, being the Cyber Patriot President and working in the school cafeteria everyday before school and during lunch for the last three years. Prior to high school, Kevin attended Sunnyside Elementary and Jordan Intermediate. A resident of Garden Grove, he is the son of Kenny Tran and Lieu Nguyen.

Garden Grove High School

Elkan Nguyen is currently deciding on college choice but was accepted into UC Berkeley for Bioengineering and UC San Diego as undeclared. Elkan is hoping to pursue a career in the medical field. His top accomplishments include performing a duet in his final concert in Chamber Orchestra, scoring gold in the CyberPatriots competition, picking up piano in his free time and earning Student of the Month. Elkan’s favorite activities include Chamber Orchestra, the engineering club MESA and volunteering for Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California. Prior to high school, Elkan attended Ethan Allen Elementary School and Irvine Intermediate School. A resident of Garden Grove, Elkan’s parents are Lan Nguyen and Thao Tran.

Garden Grove High School

Ronald Tran will attend UCLA in the fall to major in Biochemistry with the goal of being a part-time Japanese language and ethnomusicology professor and a maxillofacial surgeon emphasizing care on food-related jaw injuries. An accomplishment Ronald is proud of is serving as Field Ambassador for Southern California Red Cross where he created a guidebook for Red Cross to support all Southern California chapters and earning a Red Cross Regional Volunteer recognition award recognizing the impact of his project. Other accomplishments include earning the UCLA Freshman Alumni Scholarship program, a merit and leadership award only given to 110 students per incoming class, earning AP Scholar with Distinction and receiving fours and fives on ten AP Tests. His favorite high school activities include serving as American Red Cross president expanding the largest Red Cross Club in the U.S. from 210 to 520 volunteers, founding Hack Club to create a platform for students to explore game development and STEM-related projects and serving as a camp staffer for the GLOW Red Leadership Development Camp where he mentored other kids. Prior to being an Argo, Ronald attended Evans Elementary and Peters 4-6 Elementary and Ralston Intermediate. A resident of Garden Grove, Ronald is the son of Kha Nguyen and Danny Tran.

Hare High School

Fiahna Vuong will attend Golden West College and transfer to California State University of Long Beach to earn her teaching credential to pursue her dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. Her top accomplishments are raising her grades from D’s and F’s to a 4.0 after transferring to Hare, receiving the Principal’s Honor Roll, receiving the Student of the Quarter award, earning perfect attendance, and being named salutatorian. Her favorite high school activities include hanging out with her ASB family including attending the Friday Night Live event at Disneyland, representing Hare in parades, hosting toy and food drives and connecting with classmates through Project Kinship Circles. She also enjoyed helping produce videos for Top Dawg Video Production and serving as an Office TA all four quarters of her senior year. Prior to attending Hare, Fiahna attended Sunnyside Elementary, Jordan Intermediate and Bolsa Grande High School. A resident of Garden Grove, Fiahna is the daughter of Andy Vuong and Tran Tuyet Lam.

Hare High School

Esperanza Zamarripa will attend Cal State University Fullerton in the fall to major in Criminal Justice with the goal of becoming an Immigration Attorney. Her top accomplishments include making the Principal’s Honor Roll, earning the Student of the Quarter award, having artwork in the Imagine This Art Show and First Impressions Art Show, and getting accepted to a four-year university. Her favorite high school activities include participating in Top Dawg Video Production, ASB and Latinos Unidos. Prior to attending Hare High School, Esperanza attended Violette Elementary and Walton Intermediate. A resident of Garden Grove, Esperanza is the daughter of Patricia Gonzalez.

La Quinta High School

Sophia Tran will attend the University of California, Irvine to major in Biology with the goal of becoming a doctor. Her top accomplishments are earning a Silver Medal in CPR/First Aid in 2024 and a Bronze Medal in CPR/First Aid in 2025 at the HOSA (Health Occupations Student Association) Leadership Conference, getting into UCLA, and earning a 5 on her AP Physics Exam. She previously attended Murdy and Allen elementary schools and McGarvin Intermediate School. A resident of Westminster, Sophia is the daughter of Thuy-Han Nguyen and Minh Tran.

La Quinta High School

Phillip Tran will attend Harvard University to major in Government with a Pre-Law concentration. His accomplishments include being an Aztec of the Year finalist and being nominated for Student Representative on the Board of Education, as well as being selected as salutatorian. His favorite activities in high school include participating in Boys’ League, ASB, and football. Previously, he attended Allen Elementary and McGarvin Intermediate. Philipp is the son of Ngoc Anh Huynh and Van Son Tran.

Los Amigos High School

Brianna Li will attend UCLA in the fall to major in Chemistry with the career goal of conducting research to innovate the world of medicine to invent new life-saving drugs and improve upon existing medicine. Brianna’s accomplishments include being named a Gates Scholar, being a members of the girls’ tennis team as undefeated league champions, and earning Los Amigos Kiwins Officer of the Year in 2024. Her favorite activities include Girls Tennis, Kiwins, and serving as co-founder of Thrift n’ Drift, a project aimed towards combatting clothing insecurity among those in need. Prior to attending Los Amigos, Brianna attended Northcutt Elementary and Fitz Intermediate. Brianna is the daughter of Jing Yi Wu and Huibin Li.

Pacifica High School

Yuri Jung will attend UCLA in the fall to major in Statistics and Data Science. Her top accomplishments include being named Mariner of the Month, earning second place in singles at the Girls Tennis North Hills League contest, receiving the Tennis Varsity Mariner Coach’s Award, participating in an externship with Boeing and serving as president of CSF and vice president of NHS. Her favorite activities in high school were traveling to her first CIF game with tennis, Homecoming Dance freshman year, and Senior Sunrise. Prior to attending Pacifica, she attended Patton Elementary and Bell Intermediate. A resident of Cypress, Yuri is the daughter of Soyoung Jung and Byng Ho Jung.

Pacifica High School

Katherine McCarthy will attend UCLA in the fall to major in Psychology with the goal of becoming a Psychiatrist. Her top accomplishments are being named Mariner of the Month, receiving multiple Social Science ACE Awards, being lettered for academic achievement, earning the Seal of Biliteracy for German and receiving a Certificate of Merit for Advanced Level Piano. Her favorite high school activities are participating in Literature Club and Book Club, taking field trips to Santa Monica and participating in String Orchestra and other classes with fun teachers and classmates. Prior to high school, she attended Barker Elementary and Patton Elementary. A resident of Garden Grove, Katherine is the daughter of Michael and Zoe McCarthy.

Rancho Alamitos High School

Kenny Vo will attend Stanford University in the fall to major in Human Biology with the goal of becoming a pediatric dermatologist. His top accomplishments include earning the prestigious QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship, being named a Horatio Alger Melvyn N. Klein Scholar, earning the Seal of Biliteracy, being named an AP Scholar with Distinction and receiving the Social Science Department Award in ninth and eleventh grade. Kenny’s favorite high school activities include serving as Vice President of the American Cancer Society Club and enjoying connecting with students, fundraising and karaoke during meetings; serving as Social Justice Club Vice President and joining the Club on trips to Cal State Fullerton, participating in Pride Week activities, Voter Registration Drives and Donation Drives; and participating in Quiz Bowl Tournaments in San Diego. Prior to high school, Kenny attended Bryant Elementary and Alamitos Intermediate. A resident of Anaheim, Kenny is the son of Oanh and Linh Vo.

Rancho Alamitos High School

Tammy Tran will attend University of California, Irvine in the fall to major in Pharmaceutical Sciences with the goal of working in the research and development of medicine. She hopes to find cures for illnesses and prevent future health issues and provide affordable treatment to underprivileged communities. Tammy’s top accomplishments include earning the State Seal of Civic Engagement, State Seal of Biliteracy, QuestBridge College Prep Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction. In high school, Tammy’s favorite activities were organizing the annual Pennies for Patients Donation Drive as American Cancer Society Club Treasurer and witnessing the club’s growth and accomplishments, performing at schools and festivals for the Lunar New Year as a fan dance performer for the Vietnamese Student Association Performance Team and volunteering for local organizations and community events as part of the Garden Grove Teen Action Collaborative. Prior to high school, Tammy attended Brookhurst Elementary and Alamitos Intermediate. A resident of Garden Grove, she is the daughter of Tinh Tran and Hong Nguyen.

Rancho Alamitos High School

Elizabeth Lee will attend University of California, Los Angeles to major in Public Health with the goal of becoming a psychiatrist. Her top accomplishments include getting accepted into UCI and UCLA, passing all seven of the AP exams she has taken so far, and being part of the first season of band in which Rancho Alamitos performed in the CSBC finals. In high school, her favorite activities include rehearsing with the school band, watching the performances at Rancho’s Talent Show and volunteering in community service events with friends. Prior to high school, Elizabeth attended Lawrence Elementary and Alamitos Intermediate. A resident of Garden Grove, Elizabeth is the daughter of Davidson Lee and Chi Lam.

Santiago High School

Nguyen (Jason) Dinh hopes to pursue a career as a civil engineer. His top accomplishments include second place in the MESA Moon Base Design Competition, third place in the STEM on the Sidelines Competition and surrounding himself with positive and motivated peers. Nguyen’s top three favorite high school activities include ROTO Science Jeopardy, assisting teachers with grading and keeping classrooms organized, and tutoring friends during Cav Time. Prior to high school, Nguyen attended Riverdale Elementary and Doig Intermediate School. A resident of Santa Ana, Nguyen’s parents are Binh Dinh and Ly Dang.

Santiago High School

Dung Linh will attend UCLA in the fall to major in Finance with the goal of becoming a Financial Acturarial. His top accomplishments include earning Scholar of the Quarter, Honor Roll, becoming salutatorian and getting into UCLA. His favorite high school activities include swim, starting a baking club and spending time after school at Boys and Girls Club. Prior to attending Santiago High School, Dung attended Riverdale Elementary and Doig Intermediate School. A resident of Santa Ana, he is the son of Son Linh and Giang Nguyen.

Santiago High School

Kristine Nguyen will attend Princeton University in the fall to major in Computer Science with the goal of becoming and Artificial Intelligence Engineer. Her top accomplishments include serving as Drum Major of the marching band for two years, earning a full ride scholarship through the QuestBridge National College Match, receiving the Simon Scholars scholarship, earning the Horatio Alger State Scholarship and working as a CLAOC Artificial Intelligence student intern. Her favorite activities in high school include marching band, concert band, conducting the Santiago Marching Band and winning 7^th out of 20 schools at the California State Band Championships SoCal 2A Division Finals. Prior to attending Santiago, Kristie attended Mitchell Elementary and Jordan Intermediate School. A resident of Garden Grove, Kristine is the daughter of Khai Nguyen and Ngoc Vuong.

Santiago High School

Gia Phu Do Le will attend UC Berkeley in the fall to major in Computer Science with plans to pursue a career in software engineering. His top accomplishments include being named both a Gates Scholar and Simon Scholar, being named an Angels Eighth Grade Standout Student, getting into Berkeley for Computer Science, and being named salutatorian. His favorite activities in high school are serving as Red Cross President where she coordinated with local non-profit organizations to provide community service opportunities to students, oversaw the fundraising of more than $3,000 in donations to LA Fire victims, and coordinated disaster preparedness workshops. He also enjoyed growing his public speaking skills and study habits through participation in Academic Decathlon where he won first through fourth place medals in individual and team events. Gia also enjoyed playing varsity tennis in 2023-2025 and participating in league competitions as doubles. Prior to high school, Gia attended Stanley Elementary and Walton Intermediate. A resident of Garden Grove, Gia is the son of Huyen Do.

Santiago High School

Amy Thi will attend UCLA in the fall to major in Biochemistry with plans to pursue a career as a nurse or physician’s assistant. Amy’s top accomplishments include finishing UCI’s Summer Youth Science Fellowship Program, earning first place in MESA’s Bio Breakthrough Competition and co-founding Santiago High School’s MESA Club. Her favorite high school activities include playing tennis, volunteering for Key Club and going on late night ice cream runs with friends. Prior to high school, Amy attended Ethan Allen Elementary and Doig Intermediate. A resident of Santa Ana, Amy is the daughter of Thanh Thi and Cathy Nguyen.