Whittier Union Class of 2025 Earn National Scholarships for Ivy League, State Universities Whittier Union High School District seniors are preparing to take their next steps this fall, heading to colleges and universities across the country, with many leaving lasting legacies through academic achievement, leadership, and national recognition. Across Whittier Union, students are earning prestigious scholarships and acceptances to top-tier universities. Pioneer High School’s Olivia Jimenez was awarded the $50,000 Edison Scholarship and will attend Harvard University this fall. California High School’s Jonas Sanchez is heading to West Point, La Serna High School’s Aidan Reyes will attend Princeton University, and Whittier High School’s Edward Navarro will join Stanford University. Inspired by her sister’s challenges in under-resourced schools, Jimenez discovered a passion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) early on, becoming Pioneer High’s Science Club president and earning top honors at local, county, and state science fairs. Her award-winning desalination project earned her recognition from the Southern California Paleontological Society and solidified her commitment to using science for social good. “Working with STEM opens a wealth of possibilities to do good work and make the world a better place,” Jimenez said. “I aspire to use engineering as a conduit for more personalized learning that can enable a larger spectrum of perspectives on global issues to be heard.” Santa Fe High School also celebrated three scholars earning major honors: Oswaldo Garcia earned the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship, Anthony Camacho was selected for the Posse Foundation Scholarship, and Sebastian Anguiano secured the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation Scholarship, which provides $20,000 in tuition support, a laptop, textbook credits, and access to a robust support network of mentoring and counseling. Garcia, an Advanced Placement (AP) honors student, has been in Santa Fe’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program since his freshmen year. He has sat on the school’s AVID Board all four years, as well as serving as the cabinet president as a senior. He credits his school community for helping him succeed and specifically praises his teachers for encouraging him to apply for the QuestBridge Scholarship. As a QuestBridge Scholar, Garcia will attend Dartmouth College on a full-ride scholarship in the fall to double major in mathematics and romance languages and cultures. “A lot of times, people of my socioeconomic background don’t get these opportunities, like being a QuestBridge Scholar,” Garcia said. “It feels like my win is a win for the community as a whole and being able to share this with my classmates and teachers, and show that no matter where you come from, you can still achieve and do great things in the world.” Whittier Union’s college and career readiness opportunities, such as AP, the Puente Program, Río Hondo College’s Dual Enrollment Program, AVID, and more, help prepare students for lifelong success through immersive and supportive curricula. Combined with high-demand academic and career technical education pathways, students are encouraged to discover their passions and talents. Whittier Union’s Class of 2025 seniors will be attending elite colleges and universities, such as: • California High’s Evren Dogrul will attend UC Berkeley. • California High’s Carlos Rubio will attend UCLA. • La Serna High’s Brianna Lee will attend Brown University. • Pioneer High’s Christian Rios will attend Stanford. • Pioneer High’s Jaelyn Hernandez will attend UCLA as a Destiny Scholar. • Pioneer High’s Jorge Gutierrez will attend UCLA. • Santa Fe High’s Steven Perez-Hernandez will attend UC Berkeley. • Santa Fe High’s Dayani Sabillon Gonzalez will attend UCLA. • Whittier High’s Edward Navarro will attend Stanford. Whittier Union High School District will celebrate the Class of 2025 with commencement ceremonies from Monday, June 2 to Wednesday, June 4. “Congratulations to our incredible seniors for their hard work and accomplishments over these last four years,” Superintendent Dr. Monica Oviedo said. “On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the District, we are so proud of every student for the milestones they surpassed and going out into the world as examples of excellence. We wish each of you the very best.” PHOTO CAPTIONS WUHSD_SCHOLARS1: Santa Fe High School seniors Oswaldo Garcia (left), Anthony Camacho (middle), and Sebastian Anguiano (right) all received prestigious scholarships this spring and will go on to pursue their post-secondary education plans at renowned colleges and universities this fall. WUHSD_SCHOLARS2: Pioneer High School senior Olivia Jimenez celebrates her decision to attend Harvard among family, friends, and Pioneer High staff during the school’s Commitment Day celebration on May 23.
