By Marshall Tempest
Reporter
Apopka High School officially announced its top 10 students in the 2024-2025 senior class this week.
Emma Camacho is Apopka’s valedictorian and the first-ranked student overall, followed by Kaetlyn Singh as salutatorian. Saaya Lijo, Melissa Bonilla Alvarez, Taylor Sellers, Reese Kernz, Nicholas Gardner, Kelly Tran, Shila Gillis, and Irene Lewis are the students in ranks three through 10, respectively.
Camacho, the valedictorian of Apopka High School’s class of 2025, told me that she will attend Cornell University to study mechanical engineering with a minor in robotics and plans to get her master’s degree afterward. She was thrilled to be among the top 10 students and, even more, the valedictorian.
“It’s just such a great honor, especially with this group of people,” Camacho said. “I have known so many of them my entire time in high school, and some of them are my closest friends. I think the community that we create here is amazing.”
Camacho’s favorite memory as a Blue Darter has been the spirit weeks over the last four years. She said being able to dress up at school and show her Blue Darter pride with her friends during homecoming week are her favorite memories.
Singh is Apopka’s salutatorian, or second-ranked student in the 2025 class. She told me she would study computer engineering at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She said it is a privilege to represent her classmates as one of the top 10 students and showcase Blue Darter leadership skills. Singh said her favorite memories as a Blue Darter are all her time in extracurricular clubs.
Lijo is Apopka’s third-ranked student. She told me that she hasn’t fully committed to where she wants to continue her academic career, but she plans to pursue a pre-med degree and eventually become a doctor.
“It’s such an honor to be recognized with so many other great students,” Lijo said. “We all worked really hard to get to where we are right now.”
Lijo says her favorite memories as a Blue Darter involved going to football games.
“I didn’t go to too many, honestly, but the two that I went to were really fun,” Lijo said with a laugh.
Alvarez is the fourth-ranked student in Apopka. She told me she would attend UCF and study materials science and engineering.
“It’s really cool to be a part of such an amazing group of students and to be able to celebrate our accomplishments,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said that her favorite memory as a Blue Darter was Hispanic Heritage Week. She said she has participated in it for four years, and seeing how it has changed and grown has been amazing.
Taylor Sellers rounds out the top five. She told me she would attend the University of Florida to study biochemistry and then attend physician assistant (PA) school. Sellers told me it was never really her plan to be in the top 10. She just wanted to get as many college credits as possible before graduating from high school. Being in the top 10 was a happy coincidence and a consequence of her striving for that goal.
Sellers’ favorite memories as a Blue Darter involve being a part of the Apopka band.
“I was part of the drum line all four years. I was captain for a year, then became the colonel of the entire band. It was my favorite part of high school because all of my friends were there, and I just wanted to be a big part of my school,” said Sellers.
Reese Kernz is the sixth-ranked student for Apopka, but she was unavailable for an interview due to a dual-enrollment course that she could not miss.
Nicholas Gardner is ranked No. 7 for Apopka. He told me he would attend UCF to study electrical engineering and pursue a master’s degree. Gardner said it’s really interesting to be in the top 10 because he wasn’t expected to make the cut.
“It’s great and exciting for all of us,” Gardner said. Nobody expected me to be here, so it’s great for me.”
Gardner’s favorite memory as a Blue Darter is his time on the soccer team in his sophomore year. He said he had a lot of fun playing with his teammates and made friends.
Kelly Tran is Apopka’s eighth-ranked student. She told me she will attend UCF but has not decided what to study. Tran said being among the top 10 is an honor and a surprise. She went from No. 17 to eight and said that all of her friends were very proud of her.
Tran says her favorite memories as a Blue Darter are of going through high school together with friends she made before they arrived.
Shila Gillis is Apopka’s ninth-ranked student and will be attending Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, where she plans to major in biochemistry. Gillis told me she didn’t think she would make the cut for the top 10 but said it feels great to feel accomplished for all her hard work.
Gillis said her favorite memories as a Blue Darter are hanging out with her friends and watching each other grow over the last four years.
Finally, Lewis is ranked the No. 10 student in Apopka’s senior class. Lewis told me she hasn’t decided where to continue her academic career yet, but she wants to enroll in a pre-vet program and attend veterinary school. She told me that it is very exciting to be a part of the top 10 and rewarding to be recognized for all of the hard work that they have put in over the last four years.
“There was a lot of stress wondering if you would or wouldn’t be in the top 10, but it’s really exciting and makes you really proud,” said Lewis.
Lewis said her favorite memory as a Blue Darter is having classes with so many different types of people and making memories with everyone.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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