School: Bonita Vista High School
Grade: 12
Favorite subjects: Physics, math and history
Gerald's story: All three Hanono siblings finished in the top 5 percent of their class at Bonita Vista High. But only 17-year-old Gerald, who had a 4.69 grade-point average, can can claim valedictorian status.
“I'm the last of three kids and my brother and sister also did really well in school,” Gerald said. “They did (advanced placement) classes and all that stuff, and it just kind of gave me a bar to shoot for.”
Gerald was a swimmer and water polo player at Bonita Vista, and he'll attend Stanford University in the fall, but the most unusual thing about him might be his love of Legos.
“I build Legos for fun, something I get made fun of for, but I'm proud of. It's exercise for my mind,” he said.
Gerald is considering building things for a living as an engineer or physicist, he said.
What's the least favorite subject of a valedictorian?
English and literature. “Not my strong suit,” Gerald said.
Besides bragging rights over his older brother and sister, being valedictorian gave Gerald the chance to give a speech to his class at graduation.
“I was shaking and nervous, but it was cool,” he said.
As valedictorian, Gerald said, he wants to break down stereotypes.
“People say, 'Oh, you must have never gone out, never really done anything when you're in school,'” he said. “But really I go out. I party. I have fun just like everybody else.”
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david.berlin@uniontrib.com
