Henson, Slyman, Yao and Yeo: Valedictorians and Salutatorians of 2016

This year La Salle has named four exceptional students as the valedictorians and salutatorians of the class of 2016. The students were chosen by the Vice Principal for Academics with aid from academic council (the heads of each academic department). They are selected based upon their cumulative GPA after seven semesters, overall rigor of courses, the grades earned by the students, and occasionally other factors contributing to the student’s success. The valedictorians are invited to speak at Commencement, and the salutatorians are invited to speak at Baccalaureate.

This year these award winners, like in years past, include some of La Salle’s most academically talented students. Sean Henson and Raleigh Slyman share the title of valedictorian, and Alex Yeo and Myriam Yao share the title of salutatorian. To learn more about their journey to this final achievement of their high school career, we asked each of them several questions about how they got here.

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Raleigh Slyman
Georgia Tech
Interested in studying: Biomedical Engineering

Raleigh Slyman, a varsity cross country and track and field runner, has been selected as one of this year’s valedictorians. His brother received the salutatorian award last year, and he too has proved himself to hold as high of standards. Raleigh will finish high school with a 4.29 cumulative weighted GPA.

What has been your favorite memory from high school?

• I think my favorite memories have been running with friends on the cross country team. I have enjoyed seeing all parts of the team, ranging from when I was one of the slowest runners to when I achieved varsity.

What specific study/time-management strategies do you use to get such grades?

• I try to avoid procrastination, but most of the time I end up pushing back my work. I do always try to get enough work done before hand so that I’m not staying up absurdly late.

What is your advice for underclassmen to be as successful as you?

• Take the hard classes that interest you, and only add on more if you think you can manage it. If you are interested in science like myself, I would definitely recommend taking all the AP science classes at La Salle.

How do you find time for a social life, or a job?

• When I’m really bogged down with homework, I try to make a schedule, and then I realize how much time I have in the day. It isn’t very hard to find time to spend with friends, but you just have to be efficient.

How has playing a varsity sports affected your school life?

• Running varsity track and cross country can be challenging to incorporate with school, but I definitely think it is manageable. Running helps me focus and it relieves stress, so I often get homework done very fast after practice.

What are you most worried for in the next year?

• Going to Georgia is a bit intimidating.

Sean Henson
Harvard University
Interested in studying: Medicine, International Business, and French.

Sean Henson, a varsity tennis athlete and president of student council, also earns the valedictorian award. Sean has been very involved in the school throughout the past four years. He has shown dedication to the school through the sports he has played, and in student council which he was voted the Executive President. Sean will end high school with a cumulative weighted 4.26 GPA.

What specific study/time-management strategies do you use to get such grades?

• I try to take breaks in between subjects. So maybe I’ll do all my French, then watch a little Netflix, then study for a Chem test, then get a snack, something like that.

What Netflix shows do you watch?

• House, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, and House of Cards.

What is your advice for underclassmen to be as successful as you?

• Find something they are really passionate about and work hard at it. It can be anything—speech & debate, sculpting, writing. I recommend backpacking.

Which teacher has impacted you the most?

• Mr. Krantz, because he improved my writing a lot, told a bunch of cool stories, covered interesting and relevant topics, etc.

How do you handle the pressure that life puts on you?

• With grace.

What are you most excited for in the next year?

• Starting school at Harvard next fall. I’m going on a backpacking trip in Maine for an orientation, that will be fun.

A common belief is that you do not study or try very hard in school, is that true?

• Of course I try. However, I have missed over 100 class this semester for Moab, tennis, and Outdoor School. Harvard will be a good challenge.

Myriam Yao
Stanford University
Interested in studying: International Relations and/or Political Science

At a mere 16 years of age, Myriam Yao shares the award for salutatorian. Homeschooled from 4th-8th grade, Myriam was able to skip past 6th grade. Combined with her late August birthday, her age makes it seem like she jumped ahead 2 grades. In addition to focus on academics, she has also competed at the varsity level for both cross country and track. 

What has been your favorite memory from high school?

• My favorite memory from high school is probably Harvard Model Congress; that week, I met a lot of extremely passionate and overall awesome people with whom I got to discuss politics and issues of national and international importance. Plus, Boston is a beautiful city.

When did you first realize that you had a chance at becoming Valedictorian/Salutatorian?

• Actually, I didn’t really think I had a chance. We have some really competitive people in our class. But I was happy to receive the news.

What specific study/time-management strategies do you use to get such grades?

• Because I know every class I take will need different study strategies, I always try to figure out the right way to study for each class as soon as possible. Usually, I all comes down to practice — memorizing vocab words, practicing problems. Additionally, I try to get all of my “busywork” homework out of the way before the day is over so I can focus on my tests, projects, and more challenging homework at home.

What is your advice for underclassmen to be as successful as you?

• Something I feel underclassmen should do is not to wait until before a test to study. If you do even the smallest things right after you learn a lesson — make notecards as soon as you learn the words, or do a few practice problems in addition to homework assignments — instead of the weekend before the test, you won’t have to study as much for tests because you’ll feel more ready. It will save you time, and you’ll be more confident with school.

Are you self motivated? How much have your parents/guardians had an effect on your success?

• I think I could say I’m self-motivated; my parents haven’t checked my grades since sophomore year, nor have they been to any of my cross-country or track meets (that’s a little bit my fault; I don’t tell them where they are). They have certainly pushed me to push myself in other ways, though; they work extremely hard for me and my sister, which inspires me to work hard for them.

What are you most excited for in the next year?

• I am absolutely ecstatic to be going to Stanford in the fall; however, although the “prestige” was one of the factors that aided me in determining my college, I am mostly excited to spend the next four years of my life challenging myself with some of the best students and professors in the world. More than ever, I feel like I have been given the chance to make a difference.I am extremely excited for nearly every aspect of next year — new classes, new environment, new teachers. I cannot wait for college.

What are you most worried for in the next year?

• I am most worried about money next year. A warning to all underclassmen: Stanford is expensive. Palo Alto is very expensive. Although it will be worth it, I will have to give up a lot of things to cut costs.

What is your motivation to get up everyday and seize the day?

• My main motivation to do my best every day is that I want each of my commitments to be an investment for my future and for my community’s future. I want to feel like even if I’m not directly helping society, whatever it is I plan to do will have a positive impact on the world around me.

How has skipping grades and being younger than your senior peers affected your academic career?

• All there really is to say is that I was homeschooled 4th-8th grade, so each year I had to take a test for my grade level so the government could make sure I’d learned enough. During my sixth grade year, some of my friends were taking the seventh-grade test, so I asked my mom if I could, too; she said sure, so I did, and I passed. That’s the school system for you. I’m sixteen this year (my birthday’s in August, so it sometimes looks like I skipped two grades, but I didn’t).

Alex Yeo
UC Berkeley
Interested in studying: Computer Science and/or Mathematics

Alex Yeo, who is varsity golf athlete and chess team member, shares the salutatorian award. He has gone to state in both golf and chess. His brother, Austin Yeo, graduated from La Salle four years ago and currently attends Gonzaga University.

What specific study/time-management strategies do you use to get such grades?

• I like to finish quick homework assignments first. This way, I can focus on the more time-consuming assignments/projects later. I do this because I feel better knowing that the longer assignments are the only things left to do.

What is your advice for underclassmen to be as successful as you?

• I recommend challenging yourself by taking harder classes in subject areas that you enjoy. For example, I like math and science, so I took a lot of science classes during my sophomore and junior years.

How playing a varsity sport affected your school life?

• Playing varsity golf has improved my time management skills by forcing me to complete assignments despite having to skip school on Mondays during the golf season. When you are in a situation where you have to consistently skip school and also go to practices after school on the other days, the only way to still succeed is to stay organized enough to get things done. Playing golf has also improved my high school experience by allowing me to meet new people. During my freshman year, I didn’t really know too many people, but golf allowed me to make new friends and also meet new people from other schools who share an interest in golf. I highly recommend getting involved in a sport during high school, even if it does not involve playing on a varsity team.

What are you most excited for in the next year?

• I am most excited to meet new people and having a cool experience away from home.

How did you feel after getting a B+ your freshman year? 

• I initially felt very frustrated because I was so used to getting A’s in middle school. However, I now see that this was a very eye-opening experience which motivated me to work harder throughout high school. To those students who have experienced something similar, one piece of advice I would give is, Don’t worry about getting a B or C even if you are used to getting higher grades. High school is a great time to challenge yourself and see what your limits are, and it is much better to experience something like this now rather than in college or beyond.

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Stay tuned to hear these students’ speeches at Commencement and Baccalaureate, just around the corner!