Christopher Valencia

When Christopher (Chris) Valencia graduates, he will be remembered for his chill personality and quick jokes.

Chris met senior Gilberto Virrueta in freshman year.  They discovered a shared interest in soccer and have been friends since.

“Back then, Chris was quiet and kept to himself, but eventually he came to grow out of his comfort zone,” Gilberto said.  “He found the people he likes to talk to.”

“Chris is different from other friends because of how funny he is and immature sometimes,” he said.

Senior Juan Carlos (JC) Orozco said he will always appreciate Chris for being supportive during one of his loneliest times. Chris motivated him to change for the better.

“Before I met Chris, I was alone and quiet. After I met Chris, him and some other friends got me up to my feet and gave me confidence,” JC said. “I gave him credit for that and appreciate it.”

One of the biggest obstacles Chris had to face was the pandemic.  Although he considers it an abnormal experience, he remained positive.

“Out of those bad moments, you can always make a good time of it,” Chris said.

Chris said his friends and family were a huge factor in making it through high school.  One of the lessons he learned was practicing perseverance and dedication to build discipline.

“Sometimes you’ve gotta do stuff you don’t like to do, but having that discipline takes you a long way,” he explained. “Getting stuff done that you don’t like gets you farther.”

Chris will be taking his dedication to San Jose State University in the fall and hopes to study Forensic Science.