What it takes to finish at the head of the class

Pull Quote

“They should want to strive for a better performance, not just for a higher grade or a ranking at the end of a year, but for self-improvement and wanting to learn more about something they want to do better in.”

<p style=”text-align: right;”><strong>—Justin Afable, Saipan Southern High School’s valedictorian</strong>

THIS year’s graduation season had us wondering: What does it take to be able to graduate at the top of the islands’ high schools? It’s an achievement only a select few will ever know.

We understand the obvious part. According to regulations, the valedictorian shall have earned the highest grade point average at the school, with the salutatorian coming next.

They both must be enrolled for three complete school years at any high school of the CNMI Public School System, must not have taken any remedial courses or repeated a course during the last three years of their studies, and must have had a minimum of 50 percent Honor or AP courses in language arts, math, science, and social studies.

They also must avoid significant disciplinary problems.

But aside from all of that, what kind of character must a student possess in order to come out as the class valedictorian or salutatorian? If an incoming freshman would like to be among the top performers in his or her class, what specific behaviors should he or she demonstrate once the school bell rings at the start of classes? Marianas Variety reached out to three top graduates—two from Saipan Southern High School and one from Marianas High School—to get some answers to these very questions.

For Justin Afable, Saipan Southern High School’s top graduate, a student should possess a “drive for personal growth” and not just a desire to chase status in order to get into the Top 10.

Students should be prepared to make tough choices about what to do with their time, he added.

“They should want to strive for a better performance, not just for a higher grade or a ranking at the end of a year, but for self-improvement and wanting to learn more about something they want to do better in. [It’s] improving for themselves, not for anyone else’s approval,” he said.

“As a valedictorian, I had to sacrifice things, such as personal time that I would use for my hobbies, for studying or working on assignments from my classes. Not all my free time was taken, but to become valedictorian, you must be willing to give up your time, if not just for a while.”

Becoming the class valedictorian was not in Afable’s radar when he was still a freshman.

“After my freshman year, I realized how well I was doing despite not actively pursuing [the] Top 10,” he said. “That was when I began wanting to graduate as valedictorian. Once I realized that it was possible for me, that I can do it, I began actively working for it.”

He said the journey to becoming a valedictorian was “hard and difficult,” yet it never felt out of reach. He added that he had to focus and manage his time effectively.

“I tried to keep my schedule reasonable for a high school student,” he said, “never taking more than five classes at once to prevent it from being too overwhelming and chaotic, while also taking as much AP courses as I can without filling my entire schedule with them. This way I can put more focus and controlled effort into each of these classes individually. With proper time management, and accounting for how long each homework or project should take, I only needed to work on schoolwork and homework for around an hour or two on average every day.”

Afable adds some practical advice as well: “Know your limits and be realistic.”

“Don’t take more AP or Honor classes than you can handle,” he says. “Stress can feel paralyzing, and that feeling of overwhelming pressure can hinder your ability to perform at your highest potential. While AP classes are almost [always] needed to become a valedictorian, do not take more than you can reasonably manage, otherwise those AP classes won’t add anything meaningful to your performance or grade point average because you won’t do as well as you could have if you took [fewer] classes.”

YuLing Chai, the salutatorian of the Manta class of 2025, agrees that status chasing is not how he got to his graduating rank.

“Remember to do it for yourself,” he told Marianas Variety.

Chai, a student athlete who’s on the CNMI national team for va’a or outrigger canoe paddle racing that is going to compete at the Pacific Mini Games in Palau, didn’t expect to be the second highest ranked graduate of his class. It wasn’t a specific goal, but he was pleasantly surprised to earn it.

“I was happy, I didn’t think I would get it. I was quite surprised and thought I was in trouble when the principal and the vice principal told me to call my mom,” he said. “I would say that [being salutatorian] was just something that happened. I just wanted to get good grades and not have my mom worry about my future.”

Chai suggests that students who want to be in the Top 10 should also develop their “decision-making skills and discipline.”

“I had to sacrifice a lot of time with clubs and friends, having to cut hangouts short because of the classes,” he said. “The journey has always been challenging, but thanks to it, I had a solid foundation enough to support my senior year with honor classes such as AP Computer Science A and AP Calculus AB.”

It also helps to work well with teachers, and put the work in outside of class, he adds.

“Always try to get on the good side of teachers, don’t do too much, but be on the good side,” he said. “You’ll never know when they’ll help you most when you need it.

“But of course, put in the effort on your side too, if you want to retain the knowledge for years to come, review everything after school, put as much hours as you can productively, otherwise you’ll just be wasting time pretending to study.”

Like Chai, Marianas High School, class valedictorian Jedric Aniciete didn’t specifically aim to be among his class’ top graduates.

Aniciete is playing the long game: He wanted to do well in school to set himself up for success in college and success in his eventual career. He also wanted to enrich himself academically and take part in activities that contribute to the community.

“I was really grateful and happy to be the vali[dictorian] of my class, [but] it wasn’t really something I was trying to aim for through all four years of high school,” he said. “It was something that aligned overall with my goal of getting into a good career and setting myself up for college. But if you’re driven toward a goal of helping yourself, helping those around you, or helping yourself to grow mentally, academically, and things like that, that will set you up to be a Top 10 student.”

Aniciete emphasized that the people a student surrounds himself or herself with can be a critical factor to success.

When he was still a freshman, it was seeing the upperclassmen who were pushing themselves to do well in school that inspired him to take as many AP classes and honors classes as he could.

“I believe that the people you’re with and the type of community that you live with really influence your mindset and what you do forward,” he said.

“Without the people I met, without seeing upperclassmen that are really high achieving doing as much as they can with their drive to get into good colleges, and without finding…friends who are also looking forward to challenging themselves, I don’t think I would be able to become the valedictorian.”

After his first semester of freshman year, Aniciete focused on the kind of challenging classes that inspired him, even when others told him that freshmen don’t usually take the classes he wanted.

“I tried to take the difficult AP class or, as a sophomore, I tried to max out as much classes as possible,” he explained.

It’s clear Aniciete has a real drive for success: He said it’s because he enjoys staying busy.

“It is possible to be doing all these different classes while having a lot of friends [and] doing all these outside community activities,” he said. “Of course, look out for your mental health, But I really enjoy that type of life. I love being really occupied and being with people I’m close to and challenging myself. “

He reiterated that having the right kind of friends can help push a student to work hard. Collaborating was one way they interacted, he added.

Aniciete, who is a STEM whiz, once traveled with friends to Los Angeles to take part in the International Science and Engineering Fair. He and his friends, independent of a club or assignment, used their own time to analyze the soil beneath scrap cars.

“It’s a great way to work with friends. We were interested in this kind of field and we did some kind of experimentation. And I think it’s really fun because it’s only you and your friends and you’re doing something that requires critical thinking,” he said. “In the end we created a good project we were proud of.”

It was self-motivated and ambitious friends that made it easy for him to push himself, he said.

“I don’t think I’d be able to become the valedictorian [on my own] because I wouldn’t try to set myself up to try that hard or set myself up to get that type of opportunity,” he said.

All three students tell Marianas Variety they will be going to college.

Chai is headed to Carleton College in Minnesota to pursue engineering. Afable will be starting smart at Northern Marianas College, with the eventual goal of transferring to Portland State University. Aniciete is on his way to Cornell University to pursue biomedical engineering.

Of course, they all took the time to thank those that supported their journey.

“Shout-out to my mom, my classmates, my friends, my girlfriend, [and] my teammates. It wouldn’t have been as easy if it weren’t for so many supportive people!” said Chai.

Afable thanked “Adora, Davy, and Audrey Afable, my mother, father and sister. They have supported me and my education since Day 1. Without their love and support for me and my schoolwork, I would not have become valedictorian. I appreciate them dearly. I also was helped by various educators and staff from Saipan Southern High School. My vice principal, Mrs. Arisa Sakai Peters, my counselor, Ms. Darrah Benevente, and my teachers, Mr. Kadmiel Rey, Mrs. Karen Camacho, Mrs. Ferleen Wollak, Dr. Dora Miura, Mr. Paul Miura, and so many more.”

Aniciete also has a shout-out for the entire Top Ten of Marianas High School, especially Guanpil Son. “All the other people include Kelly, Jia, Hannah, Jeniah, Irene, Lucy, Mathea and Koey. They were really helpful throughout all four years of my high school. I feel like they all helped me at some point in my academic career both inside and outside the classroom so I’m really grateful for them. I’m really grateful for my parents, a lot of my teachers, and my counselor. They really supported my academic journey.”