Oakland Tribune
June 11, 1992

Valedictorians take high road for hopes about their future

By Diana Kim and Thaai Walker
Oakland Tribune Staff Writers

The world can be a scary place for a 1992 Oakland high school graduate.

Those going on to college may find themselves away from home for the first time and those going on to work will face a tight job market in the bleak economy.

But while mindful of reality, most of the valedictorians, in the Oakland school district's Class of '92 remain optimistic about the prospects of going beyond the familiar grounds of high school.

About 1,800 seniors graduate this week, and as they prepare to take the giant leap into life beyond high school, 11 of their best and the brightest, who represent the racial diversity of Oakland, shared their views about finding their places in the world.

Beatriz Esparza, 17, of Fremont High lost many friends to violence, and the Oakland public schools didn't deliver the basics of education, but the worldly experiences were also a form of education, she said.  Her valedictorian speech will be make both in English and Spanish when she graduates tomorrow.

"I feel that we are not as prepared as we should be when it comes to math, history and English - the basic subjects. But I think just by living in Oakland, we are learning about life by watching what goes on out on the streets and in our lives," she said. "Whatever your perspectives are on life, they will make you as an individual… Rather than exploring what's already out there, we should look more into creating our world and adding to it to make it better."

Esparza, who earned a 3.91 GPA, will enroll at Stanford University and study business, political science and journalism.

Eighteen-year old Thao Nguyen of McClymonds High said the prospects of college make her nervous. Finishing her high school with a GPA of 3.81, she is planning to study life sciences at the University of California, Davis and hopes to go on to medical school.

"I think college is going to be very difficult because so many students are competing for good grades," said Nguyen, who hopes she will make it.

Parag A. Nene is one of five valedictorians from Skyline High, all of whom earned a 3.98 GPA. Nene is planning to study biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The 17 year old is confident about how the future will be shaped by his peers.

"We all have a lot of potential. I hope the society in the future will move toward a globally oriented situation," he said. "I'm pretty optimistic about it. My experience at Skyline is that (my classmates) don't say they want to make a difference, but I can see it in their actions that they do. I'm sure it's not going to be easy out there, but we all seem to have the right attitude - if not change the world, at least find our place in it."

Marc K. Chinn, 18, projects that life beyond high school may not be easy, but he looks forward to new adventures anyway.

"It doesn't look like the jobs are going to be there, or there won't be as many. It seems like the graduates are going to have to work hard to get jobs," said Chinn, adding that he plans to study biology at the University of California at Berkeley with hopes of going to medical school. "College, I think, will be fun and a lot of work… I'm not sure what it will be like, but I'm looking forward to it."

Classmate Wency Ng, 17, said the graduating class has what it takes to make it in the world.

"We all did well in school and will continue to do well and contribute to the community. There is a lot of opportunity out there - so many career choices and other things that I need to explore and see," said Ng, who will major in civil engineering at the University of California at Davis.

"School is sheltered where parents and teachers looked after us, but we'll have to look after ourselves out there. I think every student in our school has that fear, but I guess that's part of growing up," Ng said.

Hazel P. Lam, 17, was bashful about being named one of the valedictorians.

"I don't think I'm ready for college yet, and when I'm done, I'm pretty worried about whether I'll be suited for the world," Lam said, who will enroll at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and study pharmacy. Of her peers, she said, "I think most will settle down and behave themselves as they get older and know what they're going to do. I think they'll be fine."

The same holds true for Tai Troung, who is one of two valedictorians for Oakland Technical High. The 16-year old with a 3.90 GPA said excelling at Oakland Technical High was made easy because the school offers ideal opportunities, he said. He plans to attend Harvard University and study linguistics, computer science or environmental science.

"I've listened to lots of what you might call pessimism, about this generation," Truong said. "If there aren't major changes in the educational system, free trade, global competition and the economy, then the pessimists might win out. But as the next generation, we don't have to take that route."

Diana Diep, the Oakland Technical High co-valedictorian, agreed.

"Students have to take the initiative and go for it," said the 18 year old who plans to attend Columbia University next fall. "I feel like my generation has not taken education as seriously as it should. That's not only bad for the person but for the whole country and the next generation because we will fall behind in technology and our country becomes less competitive. That will catch up with us and have a major impact on the generations after us.

For William Barker, being the valedictorian for Dewey Continuation High is especially significant.

"To tell you the truth, three semesters ago I never really even thought about graduating," said Barker, 17, who earned a 3.5 GPA. But Dewey changed all that, he said.

"It opened my eyes and showed me there was a better way." Barker plans to attend Southern A and M in Louisiana.

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