The Samohi Class of 2024’s academic accomplishments have continued to put the school on the national map, while setting themselves up for bright futures by achieving scholarships through their classroom prowess.
Samohi was once again recognized amongst the top high schools in the nation, ranking 850th nationally in the 2024 US News & World Report listing of the country’s public schools. The list also ranked Samohi 120th out of 2,616 California high schools, based on factors like college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates.
“This achievement reflects the dedication of our educators, staff and administrators in preparing students for success in both higher education and their careers,” Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton said of the honor. “Congratulations to our school teams and students for their hard work and visionary spirit.”
The tireless work of this year’s seniors were celebrated on May 21 at the Class of 2024 Senior Scholarship and Honors Program, handing out a bevy of awards to aid seniors in their higher educational pursuits. Over $125,000 in scholarship funds were given during the event, which scholarship coordinators stated were “a symbol of the opportunities available to all students during their years at [Samohi].”
Collecting a plethora of honors and scholarships at the event was senior Mira Wabagaza, who will be heading to Brown University on a biochemistry and molecular chemistry path. Wabagaza received awards such as the African American Parent Staff Support Group Scholarship, the Chien Family Challenge to Lead Scholarship and the Samohi Alumni Association Scholarship.
“[Samohi] has so many opportunities and so many different classes that you can take,” Wabagaza said of her high school experience. “I think just the amount of choices [is great], the counselors really help you take all the classes that you want to take … they [give] so many opportunities.”
Another opportunity Wabagaza took on was the chance to be the student member of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education, something she called important to be “the liaison” between the board and the student body.
Taking advantage of academic pursuits also applies to senior Maya Williams, who received honors like the Dean Memorial Scholarship in Life Science, the JAMS Science Magnet Scholarship and the Marks Hispanic Scholarship. Williams, who will be attending Cal Berkeley for environmental science, has been incredibly active as a co-captain of environmental group Team Marine, and was pleased that Samohi allowed her to branch out in so many directions.
“[Samohi] has a very wide selection of AP courses and lots of clubs with very diverse interests,” Williams said. “So it’s very easy to find something that you’re passionate about and to be able to just do work in something that actually interests you.”
Several of the senior honors were handed out to groups of deserving students, such as the California State Seal of Biliteracy, which recognizes students who have attained a high level of proficiency in languages outside of English. A collection of 100 hard-working seniors were also awarded Centennial Medallions, with students nominated by faculty and staff for their accomplishments and growth over their four years.
Receiving both of those honors was David Ervin, who will be attending the University of Michigan for aerospace engineering. Ervin stated that his Samohi education allowed him to find what interested him, exploring paths that he initially wouldn’t have thought of enjoying.
“I took Physics One AP and Physics C Mechanics AP, which I really loved [and] I really began to love [that] I took these classes because I found them interesting and I ultimately started to really enjoy physics, which brought love to STEM fields in general,” Ervin said. “So I knew I wanted to work in an industry relating to that, and the problem solving skills that I [gained] in those classes really made me interested in engineering as a pathway.”
Another senior heading to Big Ten Conference country is Ajax Haendel, who will attend Northwestern University to focus on mathematical methods in the social sciences. Haendel was commended in May with recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program, as well as receiving the SMASH PTSA Alumni Scholarship.
“At [Samohi], my education meant learning to enjoy learning, not just learning to get good grades,” Haendel said.
thomas@smdp.com
