Senior Top Ten

Valedictorian Harvery Nguyen continues his family's legacy of being top of his class and carries the grand title with a 4.72 GPA this school year. While leaving his legacy as top of the 2023 class, he remembers enjoying AP World History his sophomore year, being a part of the Boy’s Varsity Tennis Team and volunteering an exponential amount of time into Environmental Science Club activities. He also thanks many of his AP teachers he had throughout his years, including Mr. Caron and Mrs. Brown. He will continue his excellent academic success by attending UCLA this upcoming fall and we believe that he will do nothing but great things. He leaves his senior year by making a foolish quote: “You miss 0% of the shots you don’t take”!

Salutatorian Mohammed Homsi carries a strong head on his shoulder and is glad to be salutatorian of his class with a 4.62 GPA. After taking nine AP classes throughout his high school career, he mentions how much he loved AP Calculus the most. Alongside his remembrance of favorite classes, he also expresses his love for Environmental Science Club and for being a part of its student board that helped run all the after school volunteer hours. He plans to continue his academic journey by attending UC Berkeley to pursue his dreams involving technology. Homsi also leaves a quote behind for his final school year: “You need a little bit of rain to have a little bit of rain”.

Caleb Esguerra, 4.62

Caleb Esguerra makes up the third placement of the top ten and is feeling very free but nervous about adulthood as he graduates Mayfair with a 4.62 GPA. After taking 10 AP classes -- including Human Geography, World History, United States History, Environmental Science, Computer Science Principles, Language and Composition, Psychology, Government and Politics, Calculus AB and Macroeconomics and Microeconomics -- as well as being vice president of ESC and being apart of MAP and CSF, Caleb has really left his mark here on campus. He applauds and acknowledges Mr. Nguyen, Mr. Tran and Mr. Bacay as they all made their AP classes full of laughter for him. When he wasn't actively involved on campus, Calen enjoyed playing video games and listening to music in his free time. Following his successful academic career, Caleb plans for his next chapter in life to attend UCLA in the fall and major in Civil Engineering and leaves his senior year with the final quote: "Every journey has its final day; don't rush."

Jasmeen Kaur, 4.60

Jasmeen Kaur is very excited for graduation, but also feeling bittersweet about leaving Mayfair, a home of about six years to her. She will leave her "home" in fourth place in the top ten class of 2023 with a 4.60 GPA. Jasmeen took a total of 10 AP course -- including Human Geography, Psychology, World History, United States History, English Language and Composition, Environmental Science, Calculus AB, Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, English Literature and Government and Politics -- as well as playing for our Girl's Tennis Team her sophomore and junior years. In addition, she was also heavily involved in UNICEF, Key Club, MAP, CSF and NHS in high school and Link Crew in middle school. Jasmeen will be attending UCLA in the fall as a biology major on a pre-med track. Her advice for her fellow Monsoons is "Enjoy the [high school] experience; once you are a senior, you will genuinely realize how fast time flies. Planning will allow you to allocate your time more wisely, and not being burnt out makes it possible for you to not only prioritize your work but also make time for your family and friends''.

Kathalia Wong, 4.60

Kathalia Wong is ranked fifth out of the senior top ten and is feeling a bit scared and sad to leave Mayfair behind, but is excited for the opportunity to grow elsewhere. Kathalia is graduating with a 4.60 GPA after taking 11 AP classes -- including Human Geography, World History, Psychology, United States History, Drawing, Environmental Science, Language and Composition, Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, Calculus AB, Studio Art and Literature and Composition -- as well as having officer positions in Art Academy, ESC and being president of UNICEF. She gives huge credit to Mr. Tran and Mr. Nguyen for carrying about their students and knowing how to balance a good relationship between work and social interactions throughout the year. Kathalia is very proud of herself with her long journey with her art and learning to express her love for her pieces and creating things she enjoyed throughout her high school years and also earning department rewards this past school year as it recognized her hard work to herself and her family and friends who continue to show amazing support towards her. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, painting and scrapbooking and pursuing her love for her art. She will be attending UCLA in the fall to major in English and hopes to pursue a career as a teacher or professor while still being able to publish her writing in some sort of way. She leaves her high school experience with a very strong message for future Monsoons: "Have a lot of compassion, not just for others but also for yourself. High school is a time when everyone is still figuring everything out, so remember that nobody can ever be perfect and that's okay"

Nicholas Chang, 4.55

Nicholas Chang is very proud of himself for achieving a 4.55 GPA and ranking sixth in the top ten as it shows his hard work and perseverance to himself and his family throughout his high school years. Throughout his years at Mayfair, Nicholas was a part of Boys Varsity Tennis, ESC, CSF, MAP and Boys Volleyball. While being a part of 2 sports teams, he heavily enjoyed spending his free time by practicing and playing sports. Nicholas committed to 9 AP classes throughout his high school career -- including Human Geography, World History, Computer Science Principles, United States History, Language and Composition, Psychology, Computer Science A, Government and Politics and Calculus AB -- he gives shoutouts to Mr. Nguyen, Mr. Headley and Mr. Caron for creating fun environments in his classes. He plans to continue his strong academic streak by attending CSULB and major in computer science in the fall. He leaves his future generations of Monsoons with the quote "Make the most of your time as a high schooler! Get your work done on time and don't procrastinate!"

Noah Calimquim, 4.49

Noah Calimquim is feeling excited, privileged, free, and ready for his future past high school after earning a 4.49 GPA and ranking seventh in the top ten seniors of the 2023 class. Noah was actively a part of ESC, MAP and CSF for all four years of his high school career and being a part of Boys Volleyball from freshman to junior year. Following the number 7, Noah took a total of 7 AP classes -- including Human Geography, World History, Psychology, Language and Composition, Calculus AB, Government and Politics and Computer Science Principles -- and gives Mr. Caron a shoutout for making AP Government a very comfortable and engaging class. In addition to his achievements at Mayfair, Noah is proud for making it into CSULB's nursing program and earning his first job at Ding Tea. He also loves to explore new boba places and listening to music in his spare time. He plans to continue on at CSULB in the fall and major in nursing to possibly become a nurse or PA in the future. With Noah juggling between school and social success, he gives his underclassmen the advice of "Keep a good balance between schoolwork and having fun. Make sure to make as many memories as possible!"

Jacob Quach, 4.45

Jacob Quach feels honored to be able to graduate being in the top 10. Jacob will be graduating Mayfair with a 4.45 GPA and is ranked 8th in his year. Some extracurricular activities that he has been involved in include; CSF, and he also played baseball for his first two years of high school. His main focus throughout high school was to get good grades and to enjoy his time as a senior in high school. One of his favorite classes as a Senior was AP Government. When asked why he stated, “Well because I had Mr. Caron before and it was and still is a comfortable environment to be in, especially with my friends.” As a hobby Jacob enjoys snowboarding when he has the chance to do so. When asked if there was any advice he had for incoming students, he suggested, “To enjoy your time all four years, because it does go by fast.” After high school Jacob will study kinesthesioology at UCI.

Norah Lee, 4.41

Norah Lee is feeling bittersweet about graduating from Mayfair this year. She gives a direct shoutout to her friend TeAnna who she will miss seeing the most on campus. As Norah graduates ninth in her class with a 4.41 and lots of academic and extracurricular achievements up her sleeve. She was heavily involved in ESC for three years, holding the position of historian in her junior year and president during her senior year, holding historian two times in Key Club, being a part of MAP as well as the North American Mycological Association and Association of Women's Rights and Development outside of school. She took a total of 7 AP classes -- including World History, Psychology, Computer Science Principles, Environmental Science, Language and Composition, Government and Politics and Literature and Composition -- as well as a handful of dual enrollment courses with History of Rock being a notable favorite. She gives kudos to Mr. Tran and Environmental Science as she claims him to be "very silly" as well as ceramics with Mrs. Brown as "she is the sweetest". In her spare time, you can catch her watching films, drawing, observing bugs and listening to music; she gives major shoutouts to Aphex Twins and Death Grips for being her go to study music and getting her through high school. As she continues her academic career, Norah will be attending UCLA as an environmental science major and declaring a minor in film. She ultimately hopes to go to graduate school, study abroad and get her PhD and eventually working on conservation work that branches into work with fungi and city ecology. Her long term goals are to be an environmental researcher, filmmaker and wildlife photographer.

Isabella Jones, 4.40

Isabella feels privileged and happy that she was able to graduate knowing she did everything she achieved in, for her high school years. She will be graduating Mayfair with a 4.40 GPA tied rank 10th with Caryn Zapon. Isabella played soccer through AYSO, is a girl scout and she works at Raising Cane’s. Isabella was also involved in the National Honors Society Club (NHS), Spanish club,Mesa,and SkillsUSA. To achieve her rank she completed 5 AP classes.Those include AP Spanish language, AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP World, and AP Human Geo. Another accomplishment Isabella made over the course of her high school years was her Biliteracy Seal. As stated, “The Biliteracy Seal was something that I have been working on since 7th grade.” Due to that she has taken a Spanish class every year since. When asked what her favorite classes were this year Isabela stated that, “I liked my Spanish, physics, and calculus classes this year.” Her advice to incoming students is, “...Students should take dual enrollment classes at Cerritos. I took 7 of them, and I feel like they’re easier than AP classes, and they still have the grade boost AP classes have.” After high school she will be attending Cal Poly Pomona and majoring in aerospace engineering. Then for a career, Isabella wishes to become an Astronautical Aerospace Engineer.

Caryn Zapon, 4.40

Caryn Zapon states how she is excited and relieved that this is one of the first summer in years where she won't have any summer homework, but also feeling intimidated with the sudden transition she's going to undergo of becoming an adult and being a student at the same time. Caryn is leaving Mayfair as one of the final top ten students (tied with Isabella Jones) with a 4.40 GPA. Caryn was involved in multiple clubs on campus, including MESA, Skills USA, Spanish Club, Key Club and NHS, and was also an active member of her youth group at church in her free time. She completed a total of 9 AP course throughout high school -- including Spanish Language and Culture, Human Geography, Spanish Literature and Culture, United States History, English Language and Composition, Calculus AB, Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, Physics and Government and Politics -- and shoutouts all of her classes this year for creating enjoyable communities of people with the small class sizes, specifically her Physics, Economics and Government classes. Caryn expresses her love for reading during her spare time and claims some of her favorite books/series to be Percy Jackson, Happy Place and Hunger Games as well as her love for watching K-Dramas, specifically Reply 1988 as it's "the BEST K-Drama I have seen to this day". She will be attending Cal Poly Pomona in the fall as an architect major and hopes to work at a mid-sized architectural firm where she can enhance surrounding communities without having to wipe away any land already existing in her future. Caryn leaves two pieces of advice for her fellow high school students who may be struggling to find ways to make the most of their time here at Mayfair, including "Join clubs on campus! I'm not involved in any sports and pretty introverted so joining clubs and through the effort I made to get to know the in the clubs I joined helped me find people who share common interests to get to know new people'' as well as "For those who don't know what they want to do in the future or just curious about different career paths, I recommend taking CalAPS classes! There are so many classes that you can take in all different career paths... even though they are a bit of a time commitment... I don't regret taking any of the classes because I have learned so much from them and have met teachers who have tons of experience in their respective industry".

Senior Top Ten Hall of Fame

Jennifer Esparza, 4.71

Valedictorian Jennifer Esparza feels honored as a hispanic woman to be at the top of her class. Being at Mayfair since 7th grade she has taken 10 Advanced Placement (AP) classes: Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, English and Composition, U.S. History, Psychology, Calculus, Macro-economics, Microeconomics, Government, and Biology. Among these AP’s she claims that her favo-rite was Biology and the hardest was Economy. While maintaining focus on her classes she is also a part of Leo Club, Spanish Literature Club, California Scholarship Feder-ation (CSF), Mayfair Academic Program (MAP), and stands as president of National Honor Society (NHS). Esparza plans on attending

the University of California, Irvine majoring in biomedical engineering in order to enter the medical field. Even though you may think that she is super stressed, she explains that she has built a schedule which allows her to use her time efficiently while also taking time to destress by hanging out with friends and admiring sunsets. Along with being top of her class she has gained other awards such as the math and science department awards. Now that she is moving onto the next stage in her life she is nervous to transition from the perks of high school into becoming more independent and responsible. Although she has sacrificed tons of time and energy being so involved in school along with keeping up in her rigorous classes she claims that it was all worth it because she is “making history” for her family and the school being Valedictorian and Hispanic woman. She says, “I feel like some people didn't expect me to be number one” so she urges underclassmen not to allow what others say “get to you because you know who you are and it doesn't matter what other people say.”

Matthew Bartschi, 4.62

Salutatorian of the class of 2022, Matthew Bartschi humbly says that although he is proud of himself he doesn’t think about it too much. During his 6 years at Mayfair he's taken AP Human Geography, World History, Physics, U.S. History, English Language and Composition, English Literature, Calculus, and Micro and Macroeconomics; 10 in total. He claims that AP World History was his favorite AP while the hardest has been AP Physics. He managed to keep up with his academics while also participating in various extracurriculars such as MAP, CSF, and varsity volleyball, all while working at Chick-fil-a. Given math is his favorite subject, he will be atten-ding Brigham Young University in Utah this fall to study mathematics.

He explains that he is able to stay on top of his studies so well because he works extremely hard to finish all of his work during class. When he gets home he then usually has time to wind down by playing volleyball, hanging out with friends, and most importantly reading. He describes leaving Mayfair as bittersweet. He is excited to begin a new chapter in BYU but intimidated that he will now have to be even more responsible and intentional over his studies. Regardless of the difficulties he faced in such demanding classes he is glad that he took said classes because they have allowed him to knock a year off of his college career due to the credits he received through passing all of his AP’s. He advises underclassmen not to overthink because they probably have more potential than they think in any aspect.

Mia Cuellar, 4.61

Mia Cuellar has been an addition to the Mayfair community since 7th grade. Since then she has taken a total of 9 AP classes, that includes: Human Geography, World history, Spanish Language, English Language and Composition, U.S. History, Calculus, Government, Spanish Literature, and English Literature. Her hardest and favorite AP class was Calculus. Cuellar has been involved in extracurriculars such as cross country, track and field, president of MAP, and other volunteer activities. Cuellar will be attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and will be majoring in biomedical engineering. Her plan is to transfer to a medical school and afterwards become an obstetrician gynecologist. Being a scholar athlete comes with many responsibilities but Cuellar learned that you need to prioritize some things more than others. An achievement that Cuellar is proud of is her improvement in track and field which led her to break the school record for the mile run. Now that she is a step closer to graduating she says she can't believe that the school year is coming to an end and that she's been at Mayfair since middle school. She says that she's definitely sad that she won't be around the same people anymore but excited to start a new chapter in her life. Cuellar then goes on to say that if she could give one piece of advice to underclassmen it would be, “ Enjoy every part of high school regardless of it being outside of high school there's always something to take out of it.”

Zachary Velasquez, 4.60

Zachary Velasquez expresses that his achievement of making the Top Ten was meaningful but definitely tough. While at Mayfair for 6 years he has taken a total of 10 AP’s: Human Geography, Physics, World History, English Language and Composition, U.S. History, Computer Science A, Biology, Government, along with Micro and Macroeconomics. He discloses that his favorite AP was Biology and the most difficult was Physics. Velasquez not only took a number of AP courses, but he also is involved in a variety of extracurricular activities such as cross country, track and field, MAP, CSF, Leo Club, and he occasionally volunteers as a youth leader at his church. This fall he plans to be at California State University, Long Beach in hopes to major in biomedical engineering to enter the Air Forces’ medical team as a flight surgeon. Even though every now and then he does procrastinate he makes sure to get everything done on time. He reveals that he personally got used to the workload after taking difficult classes continuously but he still takes time for himself through running. He says that he is ready to “get the future moving” but he is also sad to admit that he will likely have to leave a lot of people behind. Even though he doesn't necessarily believe that taking all of these AP classes was worth it for college he is glad that he took them because they taught him to “grind through everything.” When asked for a piece of advice for underclassmen he mentions, “you can't just focus on school or you'll just get burnt out. You need to find an outlet that works for you.”

Claudio Succar, 4.56

Claudio Succar has been at Mayfair since middle school totaling up to six years. While at Mayfair, he has taken a total of 10 AP classes which includes: Human Geography, World History, U.S. History, English Language and Composition, Computer Science A, Calculus, Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, Environmental Science, and English Literature. Succar was involved in Environmental Science Club (ESC), Key Club, MAP, and CSF. His favorite yet hardest AP class was Calculus. Succar has decided on committing to the University of California, Irvine and will be majoring in computer science. His dream job is being a front-end and software developer. He then states that his Top Ten placement doesn't matter to him nor does he care about his recognition but that he sees his placement as a gateway to better opportunities for college. He then expresses that balancing his school life and personal life is extremely hard and that if he had to stay up at 3 a.m. to study he would. He explains that he struggles with time management but tries to make up for it by being prepared for anything that is being thrown at him. Succar says his greatest achievement is being in the Top Ten because he couldn't believe how high of a ranking he got. He then goes on to say that he's glad his years are finally wrapping up because he is now on the path to college and success. His final words were “take AP classes because it will benefit you later on in college and join a sport because it can get you scholarships and other opportunities.”

Chiagozie Okoye, 4.55

Chiagozie Okoye has been a Mayfair Monsoon since middle school and has taken a total of 10 AP classes such as Human Geography, Computer Science A, English Language and Composition, U.S. History, Computer Science, Calculus, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, English Literature, and Government. He says that his favorite AP class was U.S. History because of the debate and discussions they had while his hardest AP was Economics. He’s been involved in extracurricular activities such as being drum major for the Marching Band, Amnesty club, Key club, MAP, and NHS. Okoye is very passionate about being able to help others receive electricity to their houses and help the environment. He says he is most proud of his scholarship given to him and will allow him to make a better future for everyone. Okoye will be attending Washington University in St. Louis and will be majoring in Mechanical Engineering. All in all Okoye expresses that during your years at Mayfair you should join a club, sport or performing art and hold on to something that will allow you to be a part of something great while in high school.

Kimberly Barajas, 4.53

Kimberly Barajas admits that she did not expect to make the Top Ten, but she feels proud and successful nonetheless. Being at Mayfair since 7th grade she reveals that has taken the following AP classes: Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, World History, U.S. History, Government, Psychology, and English Language and Composition. Her favorite AP has been Spanish Language but the hardest AP has been U.S. History. She also participates in MAP, NHS, CSF, and Leo Club. Barajas will attend the University of California, Irvine in the fall, majoring in business management with hopes to become a database administrator. She reveals that she mostly stays to herself and doesnt go out much but school has almost served as a destresser for her in itself. She also likes to read and watch videos in order to take a break from school. She is scared to enter college but she is ready to move on from high school. Although it was a lot of work she is glad that she took these classes because they opened the doors to college for her. She encourages underclassmen to be more involved and take more chances to make memories.

Michelle Lork, 4.49

Michelle Lork has been part of our Mayfair family since 7th grade in which she has been at Mayfair for a total of six years. Since then she has taken a total of 11 AP classes which includes: Human Geography, World History, English Language and Composition, U.S. History, Chemistry, Computer Science A, English Literature, Macroeconomics, Environmental Science and Calculus AB. She’s been a part of many clubs such as MAP, CSF, United Nations International Child Emergency Fund (Unicef), Key Club, and is the president of ESC. She says that her favorite AP class has to be either Chemistry or Environmental Science and says that the hardest was World History. After Mayfair, Lork will be attending University of California, Irvine and will be majoring in computer science. She says her dream job is becoming a software developer for Google or Amazon. Lork says, “It feels great to have your academic achievements recognized for being in the Top Ten but I don’t think it's worth all the stress because school is not your whole life. I wish in high school I was able to socialize more. Overall, I just dont think it's worth all the stress.” She then goes on to say that she balanced her school life by reserving weekdays only for school work, while having a stress free weekend and late nights that are strictly for family time unless there was a school event. Lork’s greatest achievements have been receiving a scholarship, committing to UC Irvine and making her family proud. Now that her days are coming to an end at Mayfair she says that she can't wait to graduate and is excited for what's to come. Lastly, Lork advises high school students to prioritize mental health and reserve time for family and friends because school work and grades are temporary but friendship and family is forever.

Emma Taing, 4.45

Emma Taing has been here at Mayfair since middle school and has been a part of many extracurricular activities and 6 AP classes such as Human Geography, U.S. History, English Language and Composition, Chemistry, Biology, and Statistics. She says her favorite AP was English Language while her hardest AP class was Chemistry. Taing says that balancing her classes was difficult but she says that she tries to just go with the flow and manage her time. As for extracurricular activities she says that she was involved in ASB, Key Club, Unicef, Laff club, NHS, and ESC. She goes on to express how she is so proud of becoming a strong person mentally and being able to accept my emotions. She says she is glad that she is able to balance her personal life from her school life. Taing is still undecided on what college she will plan to attend but her dream job is to become a nurse because it gives her a balance of science and health. I’ve also been interested in genetic counseling which allows me to work with genetics and DNA. She then goes on to say that being in the Top Ten was hard and that she regrets spending way too much time on academics rather than having fun. But continues on by saying that it’s an amazing opportunity to be honored for all your hard work. Taing says her last few weeks at school are bittersweet and that she’s just excited to move on with her life and to see what’s in store for her in the future. Her advice for our underclass students is to enjoy your time here at Mayfair and don’t focus on the drama; it's just temporary.

Salome Usim, 4.44

Salome Usim is excited and proud of all the accomplishments she's achieved throughout her 6 years at Mayfair. During her time here she has taken AP Human Geography, Psychology, English Language and Composition, U.S. History, Microeconomics, Biology, Calculus, and Government; a whopping total of 8 AP’s. Out of these classes she claims that her all time favorite AP that she took was Psychology while the hardest was Calculus AB. Although much of her time is spent dealing with schoolwork Usim is also involved in Amnesty International Club, CSF, NHS, MAP, and Showtime. She has decided to attend the University of California, Los Angeles majoring in Pre-Psychobiology in order to pursue her love of science and her dream of becoming a psychiatrist. In order to keep herself from getting overwhelmed with piles of homework she creates a schedule of times to study and times to relax. She takes time to loosen up by watching TV shows, taking pictures, and singing. She is ecstatic that her work has paid off and that she's finally going to get some time to rest but she is also sad that she will have to move on from friends and memories that she made at Mayfair. She was to to motivate underclassmen to“strive to be the best you can be but don’t forget to relax and reward yourself for your accomplishments”