Valedictorians

Ventura County students with the best grade point averages are honored each year as valedictorians. The ratings systems used to select these exceptional scholars vary, with 10 schools selecting multiple valedictorians. And top students at Ventura Unified’s two high schools are recognized in other ways. The following list spotlights the best and brightest of the Class of 1996.

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Conejo Valley Unified School District

Newbury Park High School

Colleen Ekberg

GPA: 4.00

College: UC San Diego

Career goal: Undecided

Patrick Reimnitz

GPA: 4.00

College: USC

Career goal: Electrical engineering

Thousand Oaks High School

Michael Bonebright

GPA: 4.00

College: The Master’s College

Career goal: Undecided

Benjamin Jones

GPA: 4.00

College: UCLA

Career goal: Engineering

Uday Mathur

GPA: 4.00

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Engineering

Joshua Mueller

GPA: 4.00

College: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Career goal: Business owner

Westlake High School

Lauren Elson

GPA: 4.00

College: Brandeis University

Career goal: Physician

Miwa Fukunaga

GPA: 4.00

College: Cornell University

Career goal: Business

Kari Ann Hong

GPA: 4.00

College: UCLA

Career goal: Physician

Annalise Keen

GPA: 4.00

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Undecided

Lisa Kim

GPA: 4.00

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Engineer

Danica Liberman

GPA: 4.00

College: Yale University

Career goal: Physician

Julie Lin

GPA: 4.00

College: UCLA

Career goal: Business / biochemistry

Mike L. McHargue

GPA: 4.00

College: USC

Career goal: Business owner

Alina Savulescu

GPA: 4.00

College: UC San Diego

Career Goal: Physician

Tracy Thall

GPA: 4.00

College: Harvard University

Career goal: Physician

Melissa VanDyke

GPA: 4.00

College: UCLA

Career goal: Physician

Carol Yeh

GPA: 4.00

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Electrical engineer / physician

Daniel Yen

GPA: 4.00

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Undecided

Fillmore Unified School District

Fillmore Senior High School

Yosely Vianet Cardenas

GPA: 4.04

College: Loyola Marymount University

Career goal: Communications / advertising

Moorpark Unified School District

Moorpark High School

Jolie Lin

GPA: 4.34

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Undecided

Oak Park Unified School District

Oak Park High School

Adam Kaplan

GPA: 4.57

College: UCLA

Career goal: Computer engineer / film director

Ojai Unified School District

Nordhoff High School

Angela Junck

GPA: 4.27

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Communications

Oxnard Union High School District

Adolfo Camarillo High School

Daniel Malashock

GPA: 4.00

College: UCLA

Career goal: Biochemistry / philosophy

Channel Islands High School

Corinne E. Brown

GPA: 4.46

College: USC

Career goal: Undecided

Hueneme High School

Ruth Nina Dimalanta

GPA: 4.27

College: UC Davis

Career goal: Pediatrics

Angela Lei Salanoa

GPA: 4.51

College: Stanford University

Career goal: Accountant

Thomas

GPA: 4.50

College: Brigham Young University

Career goal: English professor

Mimi Anh Mai Tran

GPA: 4.45

College: UC Irvine

Career goal: Surgeon

Oxnard High School

Alice Yan-Lin Tsao

GPA: 4.00

College: UCLA

Career goal: Undecided

Rio Mesa High School

Jessica Blois

GPA: 4.67

College: UC San Diego

Career goal: Neuroscience

Deborah Touchstone Pettit

GPA: 4.67

College: Brigham Young University

Career goal: Undecided / literature

Santa Paula Union High School District

Santa Paul High School

Jessica Baumgarten

GPA: 4.30

College: University of Notre Dame

Career goal: Environmental research

Simi Valley Unified School District

Royal High School

Michelle C. Arnold

GPA: 4.08

College: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Career goal: Neonatologist

John R. Bamford

GPA: 4.20

College: UCLA

Career goal: Financial advisor

Theresa Bartholomew

GPA: 4.20

College: Brigham Young University

Career goal: Undecided

Michelle Campbell

GPA: 4.14

College: UC Santa Cruz

Career goal: Actress / director / theater teacher Emily Chang

GPA: 4.24

College: UCLA

Career goal: Business

Patrick Clunis

GPA: 4.02

College: Reed College

Career goal: Physics researcher / professor

Sarah Cox

GPA: 4.24

College: UC Davis

Career goal: Undecided

Erin Cunningham

GPA: 4.12

College: Cal State Long Beach

Career goal: Elementary schoolteacher / author of children’s books

Descallar

GPA: 4.13

College: UCLA

Career goal: Undecided

Valerie Esser

GPA: 4.26

College: Colorado College

Career goal: Geologist

Stanislav Freidin

GPA: 4.11

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Computer programming

Kathleen Hall

GPA: 4.00

College: Smith College

Career goal: Undecided

Melissa Harvey

GPA: 4.00

College: Brigham Young University

Career goal: Elementary schoolteacher

Dominic Julian

GPA: 4.17

College: University of Notre Dame

Career goal: Lawyer

Brenda L. Kleidosty

GPA: 4.13

College: UCLA

Career goal: Undecided

Amy Libbon

GPA: 4.03

College: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Career goal: Undecided

Erin McKenna

GPA: 4.14

College: UC Davis

Career goal: Science

Nadiah Malik

GPA: 4.03

College: Boston University

Career goal: Biomedical engineering

Lynn Matsunaga

GPA: 4.00

College: UC Santa Barbara

Career goal: Undecided

Claudia A. Natera

GPA: 4.02

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Anthropology

Sharon Phuong Nguyen

GPA: 4.05

College: UCLA

Career goal: Chemist

Bridget Nibler

GPA: 4.10

College: U. S. Naval Academy

Career goal: Navy physician

Shannon Nowell

GPA: 4.08

College: UC San Diego

Career goal: Undecided

Cynthia Owen

GPA: 4.00

College: Moorpark College

Career goal: Undecided

Edward Elias Pascual

GPA: 4.10

College: Harvard University

Career goal: Physician

Kelly Ryerson

GPA: 4.16

College: UC Santa Barbara

Career goal: Undecided

Irene Shin

GPA: 4.16

College: UCLA

Career goal: Undecided

Jeffrey Sirkin

GPA: 4.02

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Physician

Kate Steffek

GPA: 4.26

College: Boston College

Career goal: Business

Shandiz Tehrani

GPA: 4.20

College: Occidental College

Career goal: Pediatrician

John Voegtli

GPA: 4.00

College: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Career goal: Aeronautical engineer

Alex Wernicke

GPA: 4.00

College: Complete school in Germany

Career goal: Undecided

Caleb Westbay

GPA: 4.06

College: UCLA

Career goal: Business / soccer player for the U.S. national team

Nathaniel Williams

GPA: 4.00

College: Moorpark College

Career goal: Biological engineer

Maria Julia Zawitkowski

GPA: 4.20

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Diplomat

Simi Valley High School

Tim Hawkinson

GPA: 4.26

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Undecided

Greg Ishimoto

GPA: 4.28

College: UC Berkeley

Career goal: Neuroscience