June 1, 2022

Dear San Benito High School parents, students, staff and community:

I am proud to announce San Benito High School’s Top 10 students in the Class of 2022, based on grade point average and other academic factors. Our valedictorian this year is Nicholas Carpenedo, and our salutatorian is Charlotte Meredith.

The remainder of the Top 10 seniors includes Kyleigh McMullen, Alfredo Vazquez-Aguilar, Slater Krokower, Joseph Fata, Jasmin Reyes, Jaime Regalado, Erendida Corona, and Mia Villegas. Their academic achievements are just part of the story -- as these students also excel in other aspects of life, including clubs, leadership, athletics and community service.

Valedictorian

Nicholas Carpenedo will attend U.C. Berkeley and major in electrical engineering and computer science. His most memorable accomplishment at San Benito High School was programming the robot for the robotics team during his freshman year. At the time, he was the only programmer on the team, so he had to teach himself how to code the robot that went on to win the Cal Games Competition 2019. He said he will miss all the people he got to know during these past four years, including friends, his water polo and robotics teammates, and especially the incredible teachers that have done so much for him throughout high school.

Nicholas said that in 10 years, he hopes to be working on artificial intelligence and robotics for a cutting-edge tech company.

While he stated there are “too many people to list” to thank for where he is today, he is especially grateful for his parents who have been there and supported him through all of his endeavors. 

Salutatorian

Charlotte Meredith Charlotte will also attend U.C. Berkeley and majoring in Celtic Studies while completing pre-med requirements. Reflecting on her time in high school, Charlotte said she will miss all her teachers and the opportunity to stop by and chat with them. Her most memorable accomplishment during the past four years was starting her own small business and teaching herself Victorian sewing methods from dress-cutting manuals. She sees herself in the future as a fashion designer who runs her own vintage-inspired pattern company, creating designs inspired by the 1940s. Then again, she might go to medical school and become a neurosurgeon or cardiovascular surgeon.

Charlotte would like to thank her parents, brothers, and friends for being her biggest supporters. She also shared a special thank-you to teachers Vanessa Kirchner, Pat Schleeter, Rick and Christine Dukes and librarian Mariel Wrobel. Charlotte said she loved that the Davis Library on campus was always open before and after school.

Kyleigh McMullen will attend Brigham Young University in Utah and hopes to study abroad in the next few years. Ten years from now, she hopes to have earned a Ph.D. and have a dog of her own.

Kyleigh said she will miss all of the friends she has been blessed with during high school and she noted that making her mom proud was her most memorable accomplishment the last four years. Reflecting on her time in high school, she thanked her parents, siblings, and grandparents for “being so amazing” and supportive of her. She also thanked Baler Band Director Joey Fortino, who helped her “become a better person as well as a better musician.”  Kyleigh also thanked teacher Thien Vu-Nguyen for being such an inspiration to her and she appreciates Genesis Maravillan for sticking with her since kindergarten and Jade Wright for being a “steady and uplifting presence in her life.”

Alfredo Vazquez-Aguilar will attend U.C. Davis and major in biomedical engineering. Ten years from now, he sees himself continuing to pursue his education and accomplish his dream career as a data analyst in both the social sciences and sciences. 

One of his most memorable accomplishments during high school was figuring out what works best for him: his interests, strengths, and weaknesses. He said that he will “definitely miss San Benito High School teachers and peers' support over the past four years” and he offered a special thank-you to his parents for always being there for him throughout his high school years.

Slater Krokower will attend U.C. Santa Barbara this Fall and major in financial statistics and mathematics. Earning a spot among the Top 10 graduating seniors is his most memorable accomplishment during high school. A decade from now, Slater hopes to be working in a career related to statistics and to be the proud owner of two dogs. He said will miss the great teachers at San Benito High School and that he is thankful for the opportunity to be so close to his mom, Cindi, who is our district’s human resources director. Slater thanked his teachers for making the effort to always make their classes interesting and noted his appreciation for his parents for always inspiring him and pushing him to do his best. 

Joe Fata will attend Stanford University and study political science and communication. He said his most memorable accomplishment during high school was getting into Stanford, where he will be the third SBHS graduate in the past four years to attend. It has been his dream school for as long as he can remember. He said he is so grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend such a prestigious university. In 10 years, he is hoping for a few options, including having finished law school and either clerking in Washington, D.C. or working in business law for a tech company in the Silicon Valley. Or, he may work as a correspondent for one of the major news networks or possibly be a part of a medical residency. Joe said he will miss being involved with the Associated Student Body, which over the past four years has given him wonderful memories along with the opportunity to work with so many talented students. Among those whom he thanked are SBHs Activities Director Catalina Lemos, teacher Marlene Villegas, and Counselor Tiffany Cotter “for being his second moms on campus.” Joe thanked this year's ASB council for making his senior year so much fun and gave a special thank-you to his parents and siblings for their continued love and support.

Jazmin Reyes will attend Boston University and major in economics and mathematics. She said that one of her most memorable accomplishments during high school was earning an Instagram follow by Baler News social media. She said she will miss many teachers at San Benito High School, especially Hayley Vandercook, whom she said “really took the time to get to know me” and genuinely made her feel valued. “People like her created such a strong relationship with her students to welcome and create a comforting environment with motivation to persevere in the final months of high school,” Jazmin said. She said she sees herself as having gained a worldly perspective on life during the next 10 years as she accomplishes years of studying and traveling. She hopes to settle back in California as a homeowner and have a successful career. Jazmin thanked Rick Dukes for always being her biggest fan. She said that made it her goal to make him so proud and because of his unconditional support, she was able to have so much confidence in all of her abilities.

Jaime Regalado will attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and major in English. He hopes to be traveling around the world 10 years from now and settle into a job with which he is happy and successful. Jaime said his most memorable accomplishment during the past four years was maintaining his high grades for the entirety of high school. He said he will definitely miss not having to pay for education and all the wonderful free lunches offered by the Baler Food Service team. Jaime specifically thanked his mother for providing and caring for him throughout his life. He said he knows how hard it must have been doing it all alone and he is so thankful to her for helping him become the person he is today.

Erendida Corona is the third member of the Baler Class of 2022 Top 10 who will attend U.C. Berkeley, where she will major in math. Her most memorable accomplishment during high school has been learning how to manage her time and prioritizing her well-being. She has been able to balance a rigorous course load and still has time to unwind in art classes. One of the things she will miss most about San Benito High School is the time she has gotten to spend with her friends and the people she has met. This year especially, Erendida noticed that there were a substantial amount of more photos in her camera roll. She loves that she will be able to look back on these photos and smile. In 10 years, she hopes to be traveling to different countries, own her own home, and have a wonderful career. She said she’d like to thank Rachel Flores for being such a positive influence and her counselor, Tiffany Cotter, for being “so kind, helpful, and supportive -- always.”

Mia Villegas will be attending U.C. Davis and majoring in human biology. In 10 years, she hopes to be finishing medical school and pursuing a career as an OB/GYN. Her most memorable accomplishment during high school is having participated in nine varsity sports seasons. She said she will miss all the clubs and sports in which she has participated at San Benito High School as well as all the underclassmen with whom she worked and played. Mia would like to thank her parents, including SBHS teacher Marlene Villegas, for everything they have done for her all these years. She said they have been the ones to help her reach all her goals and for that, she is so appreciative. 

The accomplishments of our Top 10 students are impressive and inspiring. Nearly half of their high school careers were spent navigating remote instruction and the pandemic, yet they persevered and set themselves on a path for success. They are all examples that every day is a great day to be a Baler!

Sincerely,

San Benito High School District Superintendent Dr. Shawn Tennenbaum