Through hard work and dedication senior Daniel Zamora has earned the title of salutatorian for the class of 2026 with a GPA of 4.7. Despite having achieved such a prestigious title, he was actually shocked to receive this award.

“I was surprised, I guess, because I didn’t really feel like I really deserved it,” Zamora said.

Most students who earn top ranking spots in their classes actively aim towards
that goal. However, Zamora said that becoming salutatorian was never something he specifically planned for. He mainly focused on getting good grades and the title simply came as a result of this dedication to academics.

“It was more so something that just happened,” Zamora said. “I just focused mostly on keeping all A’s, so this is kind of something I worked to, I just wasn’t really
expecting it.”

Maintaining a 4.7 GPA is a difficult task, despite this, Zamora’s biggest challenges came when balancing the workload associated with multiple advanced and honors classes, specifically during finals season when assignments and tests would overlap.

“Towards the end of the semester when there’s a bunch of tests and quizzes that every single class has, it’s hard to study for each class,” Zamora said. “Especially if they have overlapping assignments.”

Along with the academic pressure, Zamora occasionally had to sacrifice parts of his social life in order to study and stay focused on school.

“Yeah, there were times where I couldn’t go to certain events and stuff because I was stuck at home or in school studying, those events and parties were really the main sacrifices,” Zamora said.

After graduation, Zamora hopes to major in either computer or electrical engineering at California State University, Northridge (CSUN.) His interest in engineering comes from his experience building computers and experimenting with electronics in his free time.

“I’ve built multiple computers,” Zamora said. “At home I have soldering kits and like breakboards and stuff, I just like messing around.”

According to Zamora, he chose CSUN because it’s close to his home and he knows multiple people who have attended the university. He paid for college through a combination of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and financial aid from the university itself, which factored into his decision.

As for students who may hope to pursue a similar path, Zamora encourages them to explore their interests outside of school and continue to learn independently whenever possible.

“Definitely do your own stuff,” Zamora said. “Learn about parts of computers, take classes like soldering or wiring.”

Despite his sacrifices and hard work, Zamora credits much of his success to the support given to him by both his friends and family. Studying with friends before major exams helped Zamora stay motivated throughout high school.

“My family and friends, of course, helped me a lot,” Zamora said. “My friends and I would study together for big tests and my family always supported me.”

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