By Kevin Sears
As part of Fountain Valley High School’s first-ever Senior Assembly honoring the class of 2025 for their accomplishments, last Friday’s Spirit Week theme invited students to showcase their favorite college merchandise, proudly representing their future destinations and dreams.
Let’s take a look at where our seniors are headed next and the exciting paths they’ll be pursuing!
Photos by Kevin Sears
CHARLES KOCH: BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
“I’m going to BYU [Brigham Young University]. BYU is just like my family, all my parents [and] my cousins went. So it’s just a lot of people wanting to go there, and I decided to go there too,” senior Charles Koch said. “My major is sports science. I think I’m planning on moving into kinesiology and going [into] something like physical therapy. I really got interested in it when I did Sports Med this past year. It really opened my eyes to a new type of learning, a new subject that I hadn’t really learned before, and I just thought it was really interesting, so I want to learn more about it. [This summer, I’ll be doing] a lot of working, planning and preparing for college.”
FARIZ ABID: UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
“I’m going to the University of Oregon,” senior Fariz Abid said. “I chose Oregon because I’ve always wanted to branch out of Southern California. [Also,] Oregon is a beautiful place where I think I can make new connections and find other opportunities I wouldn’t be able to here. [I’m looking for] the nature. I love being outdoors, and I feel like I enjoy going on hikes as well as runs, and Oregon is big on hiking, and there are beautiful waterfalls and mountains. [Academically], my major is Business Administration with a focus on accounting. [This summer], I honestly just want to be out with the people I love before I leave for college, because these moments truly are precious, and time just keeps going by. [Looking ahead], I’m just excited to begin a new chapter in this life, because high school did seem like … it didn’t seem like there would be much after high school. But knowing that there is so much more that you can pursue is really inspiring and gives me a lot of hope.”
KHALE MCDONNELL: OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
“I’m going to Oregon State University,” senior Khale McDonnell said. “My older brother, [TJ McDonnell], actually goes there right now, and he wrestles, and I’ve always wanted to go wrestle with him in college. I have trained with my brother [in Oregon] a few times. I went out there on a visit my junior year and got hosted by my brother. And then I committed right there. [Hopefully,] I’ll gain a few NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] titles and some good memories of my brother in college. [This summer, I’ll be] just hanging out and staying with my family, soaking it in before I leave.”
NATHAN KALE: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
“[I’ll be going to] Michigan State University,” senior Nathan Kale said. “My major is gaming development. From a young age, I started playing video games, and then one day, I said, ‘Why not figure out how to make them?’ And then pretty much, since … middle school, I’ve started making my own games. I finished one full game. It’s not—it’s not published yet … but I’ve been working on some games in the background. [There, I hope to] make some friends that I can have for long term and get a better education to help pursue my career. [This summer I’ll be] just working on myself, kind of just doing things in the background, developing myself [and my] skills for game design and just trying to keep the connections I have with the friends out here.”
RAYMOND PHAN: CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
“I’m going to [California State University, Long Beach] because I was recently getting interested in sports medicine and kinesiology,” senior Raymond Phan said. “It first started when I took my physiology class, and I was a little interested, and [when] I started working out … my sports medicine class helped me develop that passion. I hope to gain not only my degree, but lots of memories, as well as work experience [in] physical therapy, a rehab center [and] that sort of stuff. [This summer, my plans are] to apply for internships, get a summer job and just hang out with my friends before I go off to college.”
SAMANTHA GOMEZ: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
“I’m going to [University of California, Riverside] (UCR),” senior Samantha Gomez said. “I chose UCR because it has a great Latino community, and that’s what I seek in college. My major is public policy, and I chose it just because a lot of things are happening in the world, and I think my purpose is to help this small, little world. I think I’m going towards being a lawyer or something within politics. [This summer, my plans are] to hang out with my friends as much as I can before I leave, just because I know we are all gonna be busy.”
LEXI DELGADO: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
“I’m going to [Paul Mitchell The School] and then transferring to [the University of Southern California] (USC),” senior Lexi Delgado said. “I’ve always wanted to do something within the beauty community, and Paul Mitchell has kind of been one of those beauty schools that I’ve looked forward to going to. [At USC], I just want to be able to experience the college experience because Paul Mitchell is a trade school. And I also want to be able to kind of venture out and try something new and [in] a different place. [I’m looking for] independence and figuring out my way in the real world. My major is going to be business. Beauties, like makeup and hair [and] that’s just kind of something I’ve always loved, and I also love the business side of things, so I would love to combine the two and hopefully have my own company. [This summer I’ll] just hang out with my friends and enjoy my family as much as I can and make the most of my last summer.”
DAVID HUYNH: CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
“I’m going to [California State University, Long Beach],” senior David Huynh said. “[I’m most excited for] the new experience because I feel like I’m a new freshman there. [My major is] kinesiology, and my job is probably [leaning] towards physical therapy because it’s like a good pair for my major. [This summer], I’ll probably hit the gym, try to focus on self-improvement, try to learn from my mistakes and try to re-evaluate myself.”
KYLE PHAM: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES
“I’m going to [the University of California, Los Angeles],” senior Kyle Pham said. “I decided to go to UCLA because, out of all the colleges I applied for, it seemed like they had the best connections. My major at UCLA is statistics and data science, and I hope to add another major on that. This summer, I plan on going to my internship at a company down in Stanton where I’ll be doing data analytics for them and developing A.I. [I’m excited to] live the college life … just seeing how I can grow to be an independent person.”
