Valedictorians

Amy Uchimoto Naito finished first in her high school class, but it took 52 years for her to actually walk the stage in cap and gown and collect her honors as valedictorian. Less than a month before Naito's scheduled graduation from Armijo High School in Fairfield, Calif., in 1942, she and her family were sent to an internment camp, as were more than 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry.

Some came to California as infants or teen-agers, from war-ravaged countries or impoverished towns, where education was an impossible dream. Some were born in the United States, children of middle-class parents who wanted them to achieve more than they had. Others were brilliant beyond their years, excelling in school from the moment they walked through its doors.

Sylmar High School valedictorian Bezuayhu Arega had one unmistakable advantage over her classmates: the collective hindsight of eight older brothers and sisters. "They gave me tips," said the 17-year-old, who moved to the United States from Ethiopia when she was 11. "Whatever they did, I would do more." Her three brothers and five sisters advised her on which teachers' classes to take.

Melissa von Hallberg clearly remembers her father's advice: If you are going to do something, you might as well do the best you can. With that in mind, the 17-year-old completed three years of high school courses in just two years, all the while working part time. With a grade-point average of 3.7, the tenacious student will be honored at graduation ceremonies June 29 as the valedictorian of Mt. Lukens Continuation High School in Tujunga.

At North Hollywood High there are 10 valedictorians, a top-ranked student who is not a valedictorian, and four commencement speakers, who are not necessarily top-ranked or valedictorians. At Beverly Hills High School, there is no valedictorian (although there is a top-ranked student), and there are two commencement speakers. At Bais Yaakov School for Girls, an ultra-Orthodox school in Hancock Park, there is no valedictorian or top-ranked student, and anyone can speak at graduation.

Ever since he was 6 years old, Verdugo Hills High School valedictorian Thatcher Friese has been thinking ahead to his next move. It's a skill he learned playing chess, but it applies to getting straight A's as well. Thatcher's affinity for chess, which he learned from his mother, who learned it from her father, turned out to be much more than a diversion from his studies. "It's exciting. It improves your critical thinking," said the Stanford University-bound 17-year-old.