Rebecca Jimenez
Bonita Vista High School,
Chula Vista, Calif.
Rebecca Jimenez was the salutatorian in a class of 677 at Bonita Vista, a California Distinguished High School.
"I wasn't disappointed to have finished second," she told La Prensa San Diego. "I never expected to be the valedictorian. There are a lot of very, very intelligent people at this school. Just because I finished second doesn't mean I am no smarter than them."
Jimenez, a varsity swimmer, plans to study bio-engineering. She credits her parents, both physicians, with providing guidance and motivation during her high school career. "Without them pushing me at times when I really didn't feel like doing the work, it would have been difficult," she said."
