The Soquel High School Class of 2021, which spent the past 14 months learning in a worldwide pandemic, graduated with their well-deserved diplomas Friday, May 28.
Soquel High’s top students: Front row, from left, Kaia Evulich, Emma McCain, Ella Vilozny, Hana Blaustein, Jenny Rocha; back row, from left, Kevin Falkenroth, Mason Carlton, Madelynn Piona, Kailyn Winter, Madeline Weisblatt, Ava Adamsen. Absent: Christian Buse, Alexander Kronisch, Sarah Izenstark. • Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz
At Senior Awards Night, the school’s Jazz Band entertained attendees outdoors and the program featured a quotation from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”
The Capitola-Soquel Times is pleased to recognize the 11 valedictorians and the four salutatorians for their hard work that put them at the top of their class.
At Soquel High, the valedictorians have earned all A’s with an unweighted grade-point average of 4.0; salutatorians have earned all A’s and one single B.
Here some of these top students share their post-graduation plans:
Valedictorians
Ava Adamsen
Activities: Superintendent’s award for top weighted grade-point average of 4.48; English Award; Community Foundation Burton Scholarship; Louise & Henry Parker Scholarship; California Seal of Biliteracy; volleyball setter
Ella Vilozny
Activities: Soquel High Fund Academic Achievement Award, English Award
Kevin Falkenroth
Future plans: UC Berkeley, to study nutritional sciences
Activities: Running, Soquel High Community Scholarship; Digital Media Award; California Seal of Biliteracy
What I enjoyed most: Being on the cross-country team
Madeline Weisblatt
Future plans: UC San Diego, major in clinical psychology and critical gender studies
Activities: Social Studies Award; California Seal of Biliteracy
What I enjoyed most: Everything we did in Leadership, Link Crew and Winter Formal 2020.
Emma McCain
Future plans: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, public health major, competing in track and cross country
Activities: 4.42 grade-point average; Soquel High Fund Scholar Athlete Award; Louise & Henry Parker Scholarship; California Seal of Biliteracy
What I enjoyed most: Returning to in-person school in 2021
Mason Carlton
Future plans: Indiana University Bloomington, major in information systems
Activities: Kiwanis Club Mas Sugimoto Memorial Scholarship for Engineering, Science Award
What I enjoyed most: Homecoming
Christian Buse
Activities: Math Award
Kaia Evulich
Future plans: UCLA to study biology
Activities: Angell Family Scholarship, Omega Nu scholarship, Science Award, World Languages Award; California Seal of Biliteracy; class vice president
What I enjoyed most: Homecoming 2019
Madelynn Piona
Future plans: Biology pre-med at Johns Hopkins University, plans to become a doctor
Activities: Palo Alto Medical Foundation Scholarship, $30,000; Community Foundation Barbara J. Thompson Scholarship, Daughters of American Revolution Scholarship local and regional winner, Sunrise Rotary Club scholarship; ASB Executive Council
What I enjoyed most: Homecoming 2019
Hanako Blaustein
Activities: Played tennis on 2021 team that co-won SCCAL championship with 9-1 record
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Salutatorians
Jennifer Rocha
Future plans: UC Berkeley, major in sociology
Activities: Morales Meta Scholarship, Omega Nu scholarship, Capitola-Aptos Rotary scholarship; California Seal of Biliteracy
What I enjoyed most: Blevins’ lectures and rants
Alexander Kronisch
Activities: Varsity baseball pitcher
Sarah Izenstark
Future plans: University of San Francisco, major in nursing
Activities: World Languages Award; California Seal of Biliteracy
What I enjoyed most: Physical education kickball tournament with Ms. Locke’s class vs. Mr. Wilson’s and Mr. Dahlen’s class because there was never a dull moment.
Kailyn Winter
Future plans: University of Alabama, major in kinesiology or biology, compete in swimming
Activities: Social Studies Award
What I enjoyed most: Swimming for Soquel and representing Soquel High with my teammates at the CIF State Championship swim meet.
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Thanks to assistant principal Derek Kendall, who is leaving Soquel High to become principal at Mission Hill Middle School, and Valerie Goodwin, counseling secretary for their assistance.