Seniors of the Year, Vian Nguyen (’17) and Matt Gemeinhardt (’17), reflect on their high school experiences. Photo by Laura Le.by Kyle Nguyen, Staff Writer
They’ve strived throughout their four years at Fountain Valley High School, and they never cease to inspire the rest of the student body to become just like them. Just recently, Vian Nguyen and Matthew Gemeinhardt were awarded Senior of the Year at this year’s baccalaureate service, celebrating the class of 2017. Although it came as a surprise to both of them that they received this award, there’s no doubt as to how they earned it.
“I just felt very appreciative that my hard work throughout the four years of high school has been recognized because I care a lot about this school and its students and the community in general. Knowing that people appreciate the things that I put so much effort into was very heartwarming,” said Nguyen.
With a passion for community service, Nguyen says that she started her “extracurricular journey” with Fountain Valley KIWIN’S. Later on in her high school career, she wanted to explore a different cause and community. Thus, Nguyen became involved with Ecology Club, an organization dedicated to helping the environment in various ways and soon became the club’s president for 2016-2017.
Through these extracurriculars, Nguyen has found herself willing to try more new things and learning vital life lessons.
“I would say that through these clubs, I’ve grown into a much more well-rounded person. I’m no longer focusing on just academics, but now I’m focused more on what I can contribute to the world and how I can help people,” said Nguyen.
Similarly, a familiar and vibrant face on campus, Matthew Gemeinhardt certainly had a lot of extracurriculars on his plate throughout high school, but with dedication and a positive attitude, he was able to balance it all.
Not only is he the president of Future Businesses of America, Gemeinhardt has been on the varsity volleyball team for three years and became captain his senior year. He’s been Spirit Commisioner and Activities Commissioner on Associated Student Body (ASB), he was the vice president of Virtual Enterprise, and he even started his own successful business on campus selling Baron hats. With this mouthful of extracurriculars, it’s a no-brainer why he was given this award.
As they are approaching the next chapter of their lives with Nguyen attending University of California Irvine and Gemeinhardt transfering from OCC in the near future, the two want to leave incoming highschoolers and underclassmen with a few words of wisdom.
“I’d say get involved as much as possible, but don’t overload yourself to the point where you can’t put focus into one activity. You can be in five clubs and all that, but it’s more important to devote yourself and put all that you can into one organization,” said Gemeinhardt.
“You don’t have to commit yourself to anything just yet. You’re only a high school student once in your life. Right now, your mind is like a sponge and FVHS has so many opportunities for you to soak in all this new knowledge and experiences. It would be a waste if you didn’t make use of them. Just always try to develop yourself into the best person you can be,” said Nguyen.
