Everyone knows that four Foothill students have earned the title of valedictorian this year, but not everyone knows that this year’s salutatorian, Hana Goldstone, has earned a GPA that was equivalent to past years valedictorians.
A few months ago, Goldstone, as well as fellow valedictorians, was called into the office with administration to be told that they had earned the prestigous titles of the valedictorian and salutatorian. Accordingly, these students felt overwhelmed by the news of this great accomplishment.
“I was pretty excited,” Goldstone shared in the interview.
Competing with the 5.0 GPA valedictorians, Goldstone has been accepted to Columbia University, University of California Irvine, University of California Berkeley, University of California Los Angeles, Barnard, Smith, and Mount Holyoke.
Of the six schools, Goldstone plans to attend either Columbia or Barnard and double major in dance and computer science.
Dancing from a very young age, Goldstone is going to continue pursuing her lasting dream of a dancing career during college. She has been studying the art of ballet her whole life and dances with the Ventura County Ballet Company.
“I plan to dance for a while as I am still young and able to perform. Then later go back to graduate school and work in computer science.”
Being at the dance studio so often, it is a wonder how Goldstone managed to balance both school and dance. After declaring that AP U.S. History with Richard Geib the hardest of the classes she has taken at Foothill in the last four years, she shared that the secret to her success is having self-discipline, despite being “the occasional procrastinator we are all born to be.”
“I am at the studio so many hours a day, it is hard to come home and get started on all my AP homework,” explained Goldstone.
But that is not all Goldstone does. In addition to being a dancer and superior student, Goldstone donates her time and volunteers at Aegis Assisted Living for her Senior Hero Project, as well as working as a tutor for Wendy Dowler in the English lab on campus. Altogether, Goldstone has racked up 60 community service hours.
In addition to our valedictorians, Goldstone asked the similar question, “Are you a robot, alien, superhero, or genetic experiment?”
Laughing vivaciously she answered, “Alien, because I am weird.”
Photo: Hana Goldstone, class of 2010’s salutatorian, taking a breather from school and dance by posing for the camera. Photo by Alison English, The Foothill Dragon Press.
