At 5:30 PM on Tuesday, May 19, hundreds of members of the Irvington community gathered in the Main Gym for Senior Awards Night. Students, parents, teachers, administrative staff, military officials, and organization representatives came together in celebration of the tremendous achievements of this year’s graduating class. Over the course of two hours, dozens of scholarships, certificates, medals, and plaques were awarded to dedicated, deserving scholars.
The night began with brief opening remarks by Principal Hicks, who expressed his pride in this year’s seniors. The senior class officers then formally introduced the event: Michelle Nguyen (12), Nandini Bhatter (12), and Shreen Mahanty (12) each spoke in turn, emphasizing the hard work and dedication of the class of 2026.
After introductions, the awards ceremony commenced. Community and local scholarships were awarded to students with diverse skill and achievement-based qualifications. Colonel E. Mark Shusterman bestowed Akshaya Krishna (12) with a certificate and stole to signify her acceptance to the U.S. Air Force Academy, where cadets’ rigorous education and military training are fully funded. In accordance with tradition, Mr. Albizo, a Marine Corps veteran, presented awards for Musical Excellence, to Matthew Chan (12) and Eline Wee (12), and Distinguished Athlete, to Carlos Lopez (12) and Chase Trock (12), on behalf of the Marine Corps. Other scholarships were awarded for exceptional community involvement, such as with Parent, Teacher, Student Associations (PTSA), artistry, athletic performance, and academic merit. Alexa Valdez (12), a recipient of the Ohlone Promise scholarship, emphasized that since two years of student expenses are fully covered by the scholarship, she “won’t have to be working in order to cover her tuition.” Instead, she can focus on “getting her associates to transfer, because [she] plans to go to a four-year university afterwards;” her future plans highlight the importance of scholarships in supporting student ambition.
Next, students who, during their four years as high school students, have excelled within different departments — including Science, English, Mathematics, and World Languages, but also Culinary Arts, Principles of Engineering, Internet Engineering, Cyber Security, Entrepreneurship, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Yearbook, and Journalism as lesser-known subjects — were also recognized. Students nominated by two or more teachers within each department were awarded certificates of achievement, while those nominated by three or more earned medals of excellence. Awards were also given to the talented students in Irvington’s Center for Creative Arts (CCA) program, and to students with outstanding QUEST projects. Yadhunandan Karumbayiram (12), who was recognized for Presentation Style, saw his passion for his topic, Cyber Security Disparities in California, as key to his success. “The hardest part was finding sources and synthesizing them, since a lot of the information for Cyber Security is contradictory,” he shared, advising students to “choose a topic that [they] love” in order to make challenges easier to overcome.
Leadership awards were presented by Mr. Willer. These included five Faculty Follies scholarships, which are funded by a biennial variety show produced by Irvington faculty members. Michelle Nguyen was selected to receive the Activity Director Award, praised by Mr. Willer for her remarkable ability to find a balance between the demands of leadership and her other commitments; Alyson Tan (12) and Aneesh Malyala (12) were voted by ASG students to receive the Blue & White Award. Janvi Pai (12), Sammi Del Rosario (12), Angela Ye (12), Samarth Gupta (12), Michelle Nguyen, Ashley Wang (12), Rocky Yang (12), Rithika Chowhan (12), Alison Young (12), and Shreen Mahanty (12) were honored as the Viking Service Top 10.
This year, Mr. Aucoin’s Academic Top 10 announcement had a “twist:” a tie. Rithwik Gupta (12), Aoshnar Haque (12), Eric Bao (12), Ishaan Agrawal (12), Rishabh Thakur (12), Rachit Parmar (12), Michelle Nguyen, Mihika Deshpande (12), and Krish Kowkuntla (12) were recognized as members of the Academic Top 11. Poorv Patil (12) was named salutatorian, and then, in a dramatic moment, Roland Pratt (12) was revealed as the class of 2026’s valedictorian. Reflecting on his academic experience, including the English classes he found relatively challenging, Pratt’s advice for students is to “communicate” and “express their thoughts about topics being presented in class,” since that shows the teacher they care about the subject. He shared his gratitude for the academic rigor at Irvington, which he feels has prepared him to “enter college and the workforce with a higher level with regard to critical thinking.”
The final award is always one of the most exciting: Student of the Year. When Carlos Lopez received this honor for the 2025-2026 school year, it came as no surprise to teammates, classmates, coaches, and teachers familiar with his companionable personality and perseverance. Lopez, whose inspirational captaincy of the football team has characterized his high school experience, also looks to the future. He hopes “to be a cop one day, and bring being a good and kind person into the law enforcement.”
After closing statements, Mrs. Chopla, the organizer of the event, asked the attendees to recognize Principal Hicks’ last time hosting Senior Awards Night. The audience applauded for the final time, rising in a standing ovation for our retiring principal. During the reception that followed, students lined up for food and posed for photos, holding their awards and smiling proudly alongside family, friends, and teachers. Once again, Senior Awards Night proved a memorable showcase of the talent and grit of the Irvington student body.
