To celebrate the greatest academic achievers of the class of 2025, the school administration continued the annual tradition and selected this year’s valedictorians and salutatorian — Kari Yatsushiro, Phoebe Sandholm, and Emily Martin respectively. 

“We had a wonderful crop of students who were in that top GPA spot,” said Vice Principal of Academics Ms. Kathleen Coughran. “It’s so difficult, because we know how involved our students are.” 

The administration reviewed a list of candidates with the highest GPAs before looking at their broader academic accomplishments, rigor of their schedules, and hearing the input of department chairs to decide who would receive the prestigious awards.  

“I think we [have] wonderful, wonderful valedictorians [and] a salutatorian who represent this class well, who really put in quite a bit of time and effort, not only to their academics, but they’re also very well rounded students,” Ms. Coughran said. 

Valedictorian Phoebe Sandholm

Although valedictorian Phoebe Sandholm was born in Ohio, she only lived there for a year before moving to Happy Valley, Oregon, where she has lived in the same house ever since with her two older sisters.  

After attending Happy Valley Elementary and Middle School, Sandholm followed her older sister, Ellie Sandholm ‘23, to La Salle. Sandholm’s sister had known some of her club volleyball teammates that went to La Salle and ended up transferring after her freshman year at Clackamas High School. 

Sandholm described both of her siblings as “get things done oriented,” which is a trait she believes she inherited from them. It is also one that is reinforced by her parents when it comes to their perspectives on academics. 

“Do your best, but it’s okay if you don’t,” Sandholm said. “That sort of mindset always has helped me.”

She attributes part of her academic success to her dad, who started helping her with math from an early age. 

“In fourth grade, I was taking the fifth grade class, and then it just kind of snowballed from there,” she said. “That’s all due to my dad just being like, ‘Hey, I’m going to teach you math.’”

Throughout her high school career, Sandholm’s parents have been significantly involved in the theater program, coordinating catering for dress weeks of shows, making sure everyone’s dietary needs are met, selling tickets, managing concessions stands, leading parent volunteers, and supporting set construction.

“They definitely jumped in, became like the head volunteers, and just helped out a lot, which was really nice,” she said. 

After her middle school experience was impacted by the pandemic, Sandholm said the main challenge for transitioning to high school was the social aspect in addition to different teaching styles from her middle school teachers who were more relaxed. 

At La Salle, Sandholm found a place in the theater. 

She was the stage manager for numerous productions, which involved organizing rehearsals, ensuring people came in to practice, and ensuring people submitted what acts they were doing for events like Open Mic Night and Night on Broadway.

“I started stage managing [at the] end of my sophomore year, and before that, I was just doing light stuff,” she said. “After I switched to stage management, I really enjoyed that.”

Through theater, Sandholm has gained valuable skills and experience, as she has had practice managing students through both shows, such as Anastasia this past spring and other theater-hosted events. 

“I think of myself as a person who makes sure things go smoothly and that they happen, and so it’s just a lot of work to make sure all the things get done both during the shows but also for Night on Broadway,” she said. “I’ve definitely learned a lot of management skills that I did not have before.” 

Balancing school with her extracurriculars can be a challenge at times for Sandholm, but it’s one that she deals with using her “get things done” mindset. 

“It’s mainly just theater and school, which simplifies down to those two words, but there’s a lot in both of those categories,” she said. “Honestly … I tuck my head down and do the work.” 

Doing both theater and other things that keep her at school late helps Sandholm get the work she needs to complete done because there is a deadline. 

“Doing both of them, in a backwards logic, helps me get everything done,” she said. 

Once a show is completed, she can go home around 4:00 p.m. every day. Because of this, starting her homework can be more of a struggle since she has more time to complete it — and to procrastinate. 

In addition to theater at La Salle, Sandholm tried volleyball and swimming her freshman year and cross country during her sophomore year. Because it was difficult to balance both sports and theater, the latter became her main focus throughout the remainder of her high school career. 

Her advice for people struggling to balance school and extracurriculars is to just start the work. 

“It’s definitely a struggle at times, but as much as you can … if it’s Spanish or math homework and you’re assigned and it’s due the next class, just do it the day of, and then if you need a buffer to catch up on stuff you have it,” she said. “Start the practice of doing homework the day it’s assigned … it helps a lot, and it also just makes things a lot less stressful.”

Outside of school, Sandholm is part of the National Charity League, where mothers and daughters come together and help their communities. This is where Sandholm completed most of her service hours, along with peer tutoring. 

According to Sandholm, The National Charity League allows her to sign up for service fairly easily, and “there’s lots of opportunities there,” she said. 

Sandholm also went on the L’Arche Immersion, which took place in Tacoma, Washington, to work on a farm alongside people with and without disabilities that are part of a community striving to make the world a more inclusive place. Since the group of students was on the smaller side, Sandholm was able to connect a lot with them in addition to meeting new people. 

“It was a small group — there were only six of us,” she said. “It was really great getting to know those other classmates a bit better.”

Since her freshman year, Sandholm has noticed a gradual uptick in workload, but overall, she said it wasn’t too bad. 

“There have definitely been a few wake up calls of, ‘Oh, I need to actually do this, I can’t just push it off until later,’” she said. 

One person she looks up to at school is theater teacher Mr. Michael Shelton, who she has worked closely with over the years. 

“I don’t view him as a teacher in the typical sense, because we’re not in a classroom, but he’s definitely one of the adults here who I really enjoy working with, and I don’t understand how he does it all,” she said. “He’s an excellent role model … and I’ve loved getting to know him as well as I do.”

With all of the high-level classes she takes, Sandholm needed to find a way to study that would be effective for her. 

“The way I study is I look through all my notes and put it on a new page and rewrite it,” she said. “I’ve definitely learned how to study a lot better between [math] classes and between science classes.” 

In terms of more relaxed electives, though she wishes she could have tried art, Sandholm enjoyed taking Intro to Advanced Design Thinking and Tools and Advanced Design Thinking and Tools. Her favorite accomplishment from that course was making a lamp that hangs from the ceiling for her bedroom.

Throughout high school, focusing on social activities was not a high priority for Sandholm. Though she knows many people, she doesn’t consider herself very social and had other commitments that filled her time. 

“I don’t hang out with friends a whole lot … both because of time and also because during the weekend, I just want to spend time with myself and recoup after the long week,” she said. “I definitely wish I could have built stronger relationships over the course of high school, but with both theater and academics, I don’t really have that time, and when I did, I kind of just wanted to take a break.”

Looking to the future, Sandholm plans to attend Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She found the college when looking through a book her family has with information about many different colleges. 

“Smith was one of the colleges I tabbed,” she said. “It’s just a really good school.”

She chose to submit an early decision application when applying to Smith, and her advice for people applying to college is to do the same. 

“If you could apply early decision, I would highly recommend it,” she said. “It made my life a lot easier later on.” 

Planning to major in neuroscience, Sandholm always knew she wanted to do something in STEM, but made her decision after her increased interest in the human brain. She is excited to attend college and is only a little worried about the actual logistics. 

“I’m a little nervous of just packing everything up … but I have all summer to worry about that, so I’ll figure it out,” she said. 

Reflecting on her high school experience, Sandholm values the relationships she was able to build and the lessons that she learned.

“I definitely started high school trying everything, and it was great because I figured out what I wanted to do,” she said. “If I hadn’t tried out theater, high school would be incredibly different.”

Her advice to younger high school students is to “try a bit of everything, try something new, especially junior and senior year,” she said. “You have the opportunity in high school to do that and if you don’t like it, then don’t do it next time.”

For Sandholm, it’s important that she is flexible and proactive in all aspects of her life. 

“I think of myself as a very go with the flow sort of person, which is great most of the time,” she said. “Being that sort of problem solver and helper is definitely someone I really try to be.” 

Valedictorian Kari Yatsushiro

Valedictorian Kari Yatsushiro’s goal has always been to take advantage of every opportunity presented to her.

From a young age, Yatsushiro’s parents have provided her with many, and she points to her mother — who hails from Vietnam — as having instilled in her the importance of not wasting any of them.

“Hard work can get you anywhere, especially with your education,” Yatsushiro said.

She credits her parents with giving her the tools that have helped her on the path to becoming a valedictorian. 

When something triggered her curiosity, her father was always there, asking her to consider not just what had happened, but why. For Yatsushiro, much of her inquisitiveness, critical thinking, and future plans all stem from her father’s consistent encouragement of her natural curiosity. 

Yatsushiro also believes her abilities were fostered by opportunities provided in her education at the Fransiscan Montessori Earth School (FMES). 

“Montessori is very hands on … choose-your-own-adventure type of education,” she said. “That really helped me be super independent, and [decide] what passions I really liked early on.”  

As an only child, along with the self-reliance fostered by Montessori, she often asked the question, “what can I do by myself?” This led her down the pathway of art and a focus on extracurriculars to fill her time. 

When she was young, Yatsushiro prioritized artistic pursuits over academics, as school didn’t become more prominent in her life until later. “I was really artsy,” she said. “Arts and crafts, making paper dolls, doing watercolor and just overall …  deciding to do my own projects” 

But as the years progressed, even at FMES, the focus shifted to academics in preparation for high school. 

That change was only made more pronounced when she stepped into freshman year. 

La Salle “just felt like the right choice,” she said, with so many teachers and so much of the community vouching for the school as the best continuation of her education. 

However, the regimented environment at La Salle was a bit of an adjustment, especially at first.

The artistic and creature nature she had nurtured in Montessori clashed with her now more structured class schedule. Instead of that previous freedom, “you need to know all these things and spit it back out in a very linear way,” she said.

When her academic workload increased and became less creative, she said she often had a negative mindset toward her work. 

Rather than focusing on doing her best or focusing on her passions, it encouraged going through the motions and getting things done as fast as possible — putting aside learning and passion for points and efficiency. 

“But I think as the years went on, I found things that I truly did care about in different subjects, and put more time into making them my own … outside of [just] what I’m given,” she said. 

Still, the workload continued to build throughout high school, meaning it was imperative for her to reconsider her priorities. 

To manage this, along with finding passion in her work, she developed new study strategies and habits for herself, and tried to utilize every tool teachers gave her to succeed. 

“I was lucky to have systems that my teachers helped me set up to be successful later on,” she said. 

For Yatsushiro, English is a subject that stands out throughout her high school career, especially Honors English 2 with English Department Chair Mr. Greg Larson.

“[He] knows his students and what they’re capable of, and so he pushes their writing to be better,” she said.

Even if she didn’t consider herself prepared for its level of rigor as a sophomore, she believes the class made her able to articulate her thoughts and honed her writing skills. 

Although English is not at the core of her future dreams, she still thinks it will help her in all aspects of her life — especially as an engineer where it will support ideating and communicating. 

Throughout her life, her family has made taking vacations around the world a priority, which she has taken advantage of by immersing herself in the world’s varied cultures. 

“We’re not the type of family to go to a resort and have buses take us around,” she said. “We were very much — ‘okay, go to this Airbnb that is in the neighborhood of everyone else, go on the buses that the locals go on, try this street food.’” 

She sees her experiences as a privilege and an opportunity, one that she thinks has allowed her to have a more diverse idea of what the world is like and see it in new ways. 

Problems and puzzles, like those that she has encountered in many of her classes at La Salle, are the core of Yatsushiro’s future plans. She defines them as the most useful and enjoyable parts of her academic career so far. Her favorites focus on one’s ability to work as a team — posing the same kind of challenges she hopes to work through later in life in engineering. 

“I just want to be hands on, working with other people, collaborating, solving problems,” she said. “That’s the dream.”

Next year she plans to follow that exact path, heading to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo to study mechanical engineering. 

As elective courses opened up, especially later in high school, she found herself “literally having to choose between art and science,” she said, a dilemma which forced her to make the difficult choice of prioritizing science for one year, which was outside of her comfort zone.

Through classes like Computer Science 1 or Intro to Design Thinking, she discovered an increased interest in STEM subjects, presenting an outlet for her curiosity. 

Still, in every class, she managed to find ways to incorporate art into her work, giving her even more hope for a future in the sciences.

But soon after realizing she enjoyed science and engineering so much — and that they would be the direction she wants to steer her career in — she also realized art should still be her top priority in high school, meaning sciences could be her top priority in college. 

Since then, she believes she has followed through on that commitment, as she was able to win a Gold Key and Honorable Mention in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for a piece of pottery and watercolor, respectively — two accolades she’s incredibly proud of.

During her time at La Salle, Yatsushiro has also participated in three sports, track and field, cross country, and swim, the latter two for all four years.

Of them, cross country was the one where she has found both the most success and the most new friends.

Even as these sports have been challenging to balance with academics, they have also provided critical support for her throughout her high school career.

“Sports have really been a mental health and physical health outlet for me,” she said, “It’s not healthy to be studying all day… and that’s really been that break for me, and also at the same time, really the place where I’ve met my community.” 

This community, she feels, has persisted far beyond the bounds of the sport itself, and has helped her through all the rigors of high school. They are “the people that I talked to after a hard day, we… really support one another through, not only running, but also school as well,” she said. 

Many of her favorite memories also emerged from that community — running, taking ice-baths, and bonding in their annual cross country camps each summer. 

But she has also found success beyond the community building of the sport, and with those bonds made it to state with the cross country team, something she classifies as another one of her most foundational high school memories. 

Another important element of her community is her role as a leader of the Asian American Pacific Islander heritage group at La Salle, which has furthered her leadership skills and her advocacy for Asian American youth through the  Asian American Youth Leadership Conference.

Being the valedictorian was never at the front of Yatsushiro’s mind. 

Reflecting on her high school experience in light of the honor, she thinks that her approach to pursuing academic excellence was the healthiest it could have been while still being effective. 

“This isn’t something that I can really control. At the end of the day, I can just do what I’m passionate about and try my best in school, and we’ll see where that ends me,” Yatsushiro said. “As long as I do that, I’m going to be happy in the end.” 

While the accolade was something she kept in focus, “I didn’t want to be the type of student that would pull all-nighters just to get some sort of title,” she said. 

Her biggest advice for those already or about to be navigating high school is to put yourself out there and take risks. 

“Start projects you’re really passionate about. Start clubs. Reach out to new people. Don’t play it safe,” she said. “Try something. Even if you fail, it’s okay, because at least you tried to create something, and that’s what’s special.” 

Salutatorian Emily Martin

Salutatorian Emily Martin’s path to La Salle — and the academic accomplishments she’s had here — was far from linear. 

Growing up homeschooled alongside her younger sister, who is a current sophomore at La Salle, Martin explained that for much of her life, school hasn’t been a source of constant stress, anxiety, or coursework. Instead, she said, her childhood was full of flexibility; one day might be spent studying her three core classes of math, science, and English, while the next, she would visit Disneyland. 

“I could go camping and hiking and rafting whenever we wanted,” she said. “It was just a lot of freedom that I feel like other kids didn’t have, so I loved that.” 

Transitioning from that close-knit, more carefree environment to St. Agatha’s Catholic School at the beginning of sixth grade required adjustment on her part, she said, and although her class size there was small, she struggled to deeply connect with her peers.

“Coming from homeschooling was kind of hard for me,” Martin said. “Even after three years with my class, I wasn’t really close to them.”

For Martin, though, the unique academic experience she’s had isn’t one she’d trade. 

“I was definitely kind of awkward at first and wasn’t really used to being with a lot of people,” Martin said. “But I wouldn’t change it, going back, because I feel like you couldn’t get that experience that I had when I was younger anywhere else.”

Throughout these different academic circumstances — whether at home, during middle school, or at La Salle — one thing has always remained constant: Martin’s love for volleyball. 

A member of La Salle’s varsity girls volleyball team, the sport has been a constant source of joy in her life, something that’s connected her to others and helped her better understand herself. 

It’s also what first drew her to La Salle. 

“I was at a CYO game, and I saw La Salle’s banner up on St. Agatha’s gym wall,” Martin said. “I don’t know why, I looked at it, and I told my mom, I was like, ‘I want to go there.’ I had never even really heard of it before. And then, ever since then, I was stuck on it.”

Playing volleyball helped her adjust to the high school’s new community at the beginning of freshman year, she said, as it provided her the opportunity to get to know people before school started and come out of her shell. 

“When I came into La Salle, I actually knew no one,” she said. “So I’d say it was fun to, right off the bat, meet new people and have a fresh start.”

Looking back, the amount she’s grown since then — from a more shy, reserved underclassman to someone leaving for college with a tight-knit circle of friends — is one of the things Martin is most proud of, and something she advises her younger peers to pay attention to in themselves. 

“Get out of your comfort zone a little bit, because I feel like you’ll see a really positive change over four years if you do that,” she said. “You’ll be proud of and in kind of disbelief of where you are after all those years and how much you’ve changed.” 

That mindset — to be open minded, and make the most out of the time and opportunities she has — is one reflected in how Martin has approached academics throughout her high school career. 

Starting especially in junior year, when the number of AP and Honors courses she was taking significantly increased, Martin has worked to balance schoolwork with the rest of her life. Making peace with what she’s able to put into school while still enjoying what she loves to do was something she learned that year in her AP Calculus AB class, and is a mentality she’s kept coming back to. 

“I learned that it’s okay to be okay with a bad grade,” she said. “There’s a point where you have to stop yourself and recognize that you’re doing too much.”

At the end of the day, what’s most important is that you do your best, Martin explained. 

“There’s a point where you have to get back to life and not just be obsessed with making the perfect essay … There’s only so much you can do, and then you have to live your life,” she said.  “Don’t let academics get in the way of having the full high school experience.”

Throughout her high school career, the position of salutatorian was never something that she focused on, or even that really crossed her mind.  

When she found out that she had been awarded it — running late to class on the way back to school after her AP Statistics exam — Martin was shocked, she said. 

“I walk in, and I’m like, a minute late, the bell just rang,” she said. “And right when I go in, [they say] the principal wants to see you. And I was like, ‘oh my gosh, like, what, for being late?’ So I was going in, and I was like, ‘okay, I can’t think of anything I’ve done recently that was bad. Like, what is this? Maybe they got a mix up?’ And then she told me. And then I was like, ‘wait, what?’ I was shocked, because I hadn’t really thought about that a bunch before.” 

Reflecting on how she’s gotten to where she is today, Martin explained that what’s helped her the most in balancing her challenging classes and extracurricular commitments has been time management. 

And if there was one thing she would advise other students to prioritize, it would be that. 

“The thing with me is I have good time management, and I think that’s what helps me,” she said. “That’d be my biggest tip. As long as you have good time management, you have time to do everything.”

Martin never spent 10 hours a day studying in her room, which she observed is sometimes the impression people get from students who are valedictorian or salutatorian. Instead, what she’s always strived to do is make the most out of her resources and time in school. 

“If you just pay attention in class, that’s the most you can do for yourself, because then you won’t have to make up for that later, alone in your room,” she said. “If you pay attention in class, that’s where you’ll get the help you need and ask teachers questions.”

During class time, she said, another one of the most valuable resources is available to students: each other. 

Whether when working through complex math homework assignments or deciding between classes to forecast for, Martin said she’s always relied on the people around her, bouncing ideas off of friends and asking upperclassmen about their experiences and insight. 

“You always have the support of your classmates to help you,” Martin said. “I think that’s the biggest thing for me, just like, you go through it with your classmates.”

Two particularly bright spots in her academic career have been AP Chemistry and AP Statistics, taught by some of her favorite teachers, Science Department Chair Mr. Matthew Owen and math teacher Ms. Kathleen Jahn. 

From her two years spent in their classes, she could tell they deeply cared about their students and wanted them to succeed, she said, and both have helped foster her interest in STEM fields through their support and enthusiasm. Additionally, the interactive nature of them and the friends she worked alongside in these courses meant that they were always a part of her day she could look forward to. 

“Chemistry is a class that I knew nothing about, and I feel like I’ve learned so much in that class,” she said. 

Following her passion for teaching — and inspired by the educators who’ve left an impact on her life — Martin will be studying education at Chapman University, located in Orange County, California.

“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “I just love teaching people.” 

While Martin knew she wanted to pursue education, it took her a bit to settle on which school to continue her academic career at. 

Between Chapman and Oregon State University — her second-choice school — she knew OSU was the most logical choice. Despite that, though, Martin said that something drew her to Orange County. 

“I just kept getting, this is weird, but like signs that I should go to Chapman,” she said. “Even though I had no other reason, it just felt right that I should go to Chapman.” 

Martin said that, although she’s a bit nervous to be traveling to another state for college, she loves California, where lots of her extended family lives, and is motivated by the opportunity to stretch beyond her comfort zone. 

“I could live a fun life that I’ve always dreamed of. I just chose it for the possibilities of what might be able to happen, and how good of a life I can have over there,” she said. “I feel like, if I don’t go there for college, I’ll never be able to live in a different state again. I’ll never be able to have that same opportunity.”

Along with education, Martin will be studying Spanish. 

“My whole family speaks Spanish, and that’s been my life goal, to learn Spanish,” she said. 

While Martin’s been motivated by academic drive throughout her high school years, now that that chapter of her life is closing, she said that what’s been most important is to keep everything in balance. 

Desire for academic success is great, she said, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of your own wellbeing or engagement, since the “full high school experience” should be fun, too. 

“Say yes to more things than you feel comfortable with, because I feel like, even if you’re uncomfortable in the moment, you’ll be glad that you did that later on,” she said. “It’s not the end of the world if you get a bad grade on a test.”