From the 2025 graduating senior class of Pajaro Valley High School in Watsonville, four students shared their high school experiences and plans for after graduation.
Valedictorian Rosario Lopez-Garcia, 17, graduated with a GPA of 4.37.
She plans to attend Stanford University in the fall, where she will major in Human Biology on the pre-med track. Her goal is to specialize in pediatric or oncology, or to combine the two.
Some of her favorite high school experiences were participating in the Watsonville Ivy League Project, attending DIG Camp at UC Santa Cruz, and a student trip to Europe.
Garcia-Lopez’s advice for incoming freshmen is “to not limit yourself to a singular thing.”
“Freshman year is a time for exploration,” she said.
Jasmin Garcia-Ruiz, 17, the salutatorian with a GPA of 4.35, said she will attend UC Davis after graduation, where she plans to study animal science with the goal of becoming a veterinarian.
Garcia-Ruiz participated in many different activities during high school, both on and off campus. Some of her favorites were the Green Grizzlies environmental club which worked with the Watsonville Wetlands Watch, DIG Camp, color guard, and Empower Watsonville, which is a youth leadership program.
She said her friends were one of her greatest sources for motivation and support throughout high school.
“Most of them were my age so we were going through the same experiences,” she said. “We were there for each other.”
Izabella Brandon, 18, plans to attend Sacramento State University. She wants to major in public relations, and eventually work as a PR manager for a women’s soccer or rugby team.
Brandon played varsity girls’ soccer and flag football for PV High. That was part of an active student life, as president of both the Sexuality and Gender Alliance Club and the Black Student Union.
She was also a member of the Associated Student Body for three years as a PR writer and Commissioner of Multicultural Events. Additionally, she was a part of the city council’s Teen Action Council, and currently serves as a Tax Committee Youth Representative.
Brandon helped organize her school’s Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day during her senior year, which she said was one of her favorite high school memories.
Despite her involvement in different programs and groups, Brandon said she had a difficult high school experience.
“Being a black student here in this district has always been challenging,” she said. She recalled that most of the other black students at the school ended up leaving and transitioning to online courses.
“I feel like being one of the few black students in this district to graduate–to survive this long, actually–is an accomplishment.”
Brandon Lampon, 18, will graduate from PV High this spring as well. He’s unsure of his plans for after graduation, but is thinking of attending Cabrillo College to study either Business and Agriculture or Film Media.
During high school, Lampon played varsity football and baseball for two years.
He said that one of his favorite memories was senior ditch day, which he and his friends spent in downtown Santa Cruz.
Lampon said his father died last October, making his senior year harder, since he lists his parents as his biggest support system.
“I just wanted to make them proud,” he said.
Lampon said that last December a bunch of staff members got together and gave him a few Christmas gifts.
“It was really special because all the staff were there and they said, like, ‘You’re going to do well in life’ and ‘We all care about you.’”
In her Salutatorian address at the fairgrounds June 4, Jasmin Garcia Ruiz told her classmates, “We will continue to grow; our best is what comes next…and most importantly, make the most out of your adult life and always ask for help when struggling.”
