Meet the Corcoran High School Class of 2024 Valedictorian and Salutatorian!

We are so proud of all of our hardworking soon-to-be #SCSDGraduates in the SCSD Class of 2024! Today, meet the top performing students at Corcoran High School - Valedictorian Caroline Menon and Salutatorian Maria Gonzalez Garcia. Stay tuned this week as we feature the top performers from each SCSD high school!

Corcoran Valedictorian – Caroline Menon 

What are your plans after graduation (what college, what interest in terms of major)? I will be attending SUNY Geneseo there I plan to study Sociomedical Science. It’s basically the history and culture of medicine and the field of medicine. I’m deciding between going to grad school, med school, or law school, so this seemed a good jumping off point.
 
What activities have you been involved in outside of class/outside of school? Seeds of Peace, Mock Trial, National Art Honor Society, Corcoran Honor Society, Volleyball Captain, Basketball, Flag Football Captain, Debate Club, and I’ve worked at my family business, which is a big part of my life.
 
What has been the best part of your high school career and why? I came to the SCSD in my sophomore year. Coming in from out of the district, the best part for me was really becoming fully involved in the SCSD community and being able to contribute city-wide. Through Mock Trial, which is a combined team, we’ve really worked together to become one big family representing our district!
 
What was your proudest moment in high school? My proudest moment was probably when my volleyball team won the City tournament this year. We worked really hard for years to build the team through the years, so that meant a lot. I’m also very proud to be named Valedictorian! I’m very competitive with my sister, so it was a proud moment to find out!
 
What are you most looking forward to about college? I’m most looking forward to being part of an academically motivated community. I’ve met so many students and professors who are actively doing work in the community and who are discovering new things, and that’s inspiring. I’m looking forward to being part of that and figuring out how I’m going to impact the world.
 
What’s the best thing you’ve learned over the course of your time in the SCSD? It’s okay not to know things. Talk about it and learn it. I’ve learned so much from my different experiences. I’ve learned that you need to be open minded, adaptable, and take on new challenges.
 
What advice would you give to other students as they continue their studies here? My advice is to be true to yourself – don’t worry about what other people think about how you’re doing things. Be confident in who you are and who you want to be, and remember that mistakes help you grow as a person.
 
What is something major you hope to achieve in life? I hope I can help improve the world in some way. I want to become an active member of society, stand up for what’s right, stand up for what I believe in, and inspire other people!

Corcoran Salutatorian – Maria Gonzalez Garcia 

What are your plans after graduation (what college, what interest in terms of major)? I will be attending Cornell University. I hope to become a doctor, so I'd like to major in biochemistry, but I do also have the ambition to double major in Classical Civilization if I could, just because of my personal interest in the topic.
 
What activities have you been involved in outside of class/outside of school? Seeds of Peace, Upward Bound, Stage Crew for the school play and musical, Debate Club, and the SCSD Crew (rowing) Team. I have also volunteered at a food pantry.
 
What has been the best part of your high school career and why? The best part of my high school career has been getting to know and learn from all the people around me. I care for the friends that I've made deeply and they've each shown me something different, ranging from incomparable persistence to unfailing kindness to endless patience. And I've found that it's possible to learn even from the people I don't know very well, just by listening to them speak in class and the way they interact with the world.
 
What was your proudest moment in high school? My proudest moment was definitely being named salutatorian. My class is very competitive, and it's full of incredibly talented and intelligent people. I could not have been more shocked when I was told I was the salutatorian, and, honestly, I'm pretty proud of myself for making it there.
 
What are you most looking forward to about college? I'm looking forward to a lot of things about college. Independence, the ability to pick my classes and my schedule, the opportunity to live in and explore Cornell's beautiful campus, and to get involved in research with professors, to name a few. I'm definitely very excited to turn the page and begin the next chapter of my life.
 
What’s the best thing you’ve learned over the course of your time in the SCSD? The best thing I've learned over the course of my time in the SCSD is that you can genuinely ask for help, and you should ask for help. I've never been the kind of person to like or feel comfortable doing that, but the SCSD has teachers and other staff members who genuinely care and want to support you, and those resources are both valuable and necessary.
 
What advice would you give to other students as they continue their studies here? Persistence and hard work are key. Like I mentioned before, most teachers want to help students. They don't want to fail us. If a student works hard and shows that they're putting in the effort, teachers will usually be understanding and willing to help or compromise.
 
What is something major you hope to achieve in life? I hope to live abroad at some point in my life. The United States is certainly nice, but I'd like to expand my cultural horizons a bit more.