Adrian Galindo

Adrian Galindo, one of the five Valle Vista Five winners, has been a prospective student at Northview High School. He has accomplished activities such as A.S.B., Yearbook, AP Society, and Peer Tutoring. His A.S.B. positions that he has held for the past four years has been freshman treasurer, sophomore treasurer, cross fire and lunch time activity commissioner, and this year’s ASB Executive Board treasurer. For Yearbook, Adrian is Head Graphic Editor.

Adrian plays varsity tennis and has been captain his junior and senior year. His tennis positions sophomore and junior years have been doubles; however this year he now plays singles. His determination has led him to C.I.F and receiving an All Academic Award for Varsity Tennis.

Adrian’s ambition is not only shown on the tennis court; he also maintains a 3.8 grade point average. He has taken Advanced Placement courses such as AP Calculus and AP U.S. History, excelling in both courses.

Adrian said, “I would come home from tennis and go straight to do my homework. I would do anything to finish homework. I didn’t get much sleep.”

Outside of Northview walls, Adrian has worked for a company called Quality Care Home Health Specialist Inc. He has participated in an Aids and Diabetes walk.

Adrian said his biggest accomplishment at Northview was, “Being on A.S.B. Executive Board and winning Valle Vista Five.” Adrian’s inspirations have been Coach Rice and Mrs. Harrison. He hopes to continue tennis for recreational purposes.

Adrian said, “I feel honored because I remember the past Valle Vista Five winners. I worked hard to be one of them. And now I have accomplished that dream.”

Ali Esmaeli

Ali Esmaeli has been one of Northview’s most successful students. His accomplishments such as A.S.B. and Drum Major for the band have been prestigious experiences for him. His freshmen, sophomore, and senior years in A.S.B. were held as president; his junior year position was commissioner of rallies. He was Drum Major his junior year and senior year.

Ali has been a member of Northview’s tennis team for three years. Off the court, Ali has proven his outstanding academic ability. Over his high school career, Ali has taken nine AP Courses, in which he has passed European History, American History, and Writing. He holds a grade point average of 3.98.

Ali said, “I would never try to forget my goal. Everything I did at this school mattered to me.”

Outside of Northview, Ali has achieved two speech contest awards. Ali won one for the Lions Club of Irwindale on the topic of global warming and another for the Lions Club of Covina for the topic of immigration. His biggest accomplishment at Northview has been, “Being Drum Major and doing well in school while keeping his grades up.”

Ali’s mentors at Northview have definitely been Mr. Casey and Mrs. Harrison. He said, “Without them things would have been much more difficult.”

Ali hopes to continue playing tennis for recreational purposes and band in college. His goal is to attend UC Berkeley.

Ali said, “I feel like Valle Vista five pays off the hard work I’ve done these past four years. Not only me but all five of us who won this honor. It represents all the hard work we have done.”

Karina Luna

Karina Luna, one of the two girls who won for Valle Vista, is a young woman who represents what it means to be intelligent and strong. She has been involved with A.S.B., French club, Multi-Cultural club, movie club, peer tutoring, and even a participant with Powder Puff football. Her leadership roles such as Northview Recognition for A.S.B. and president of the French club prove her commitment to lead her peers.

Karina plays junior varsity tennis and was co-captain for the team. She played singles. Her academic success has led her to take on eleven advanced placement classes. She has maintained a grade point average of a 3.8 making her the top of the 2009 class.

Karina said, “My biggest accomplishment has been going to high school and doing well and still maintaining a flourishing social life.”

Outside of Northview, Karina took a large part in her community. She volunteered at Arbor Glen Cure Center as the Activities Department Leader. For her church, Karina is also a leader for her youth group. With high spirits she also volunteered to do a radio show.

Karina said, “It was so hectic, but sometimes I had to take a break for me. But at the end of the day it felt good knowing I was apart of the school environment.”

The teachers that have made the largest impact on Karina have been Coach Rice saying, “He is a tremendous inspiration.” Her sophomore year, Ms. Barnett pushed her to do tennis and that was her encouragement to get a step closer to win Valle Vista Five.

She hopes to continue tennis for recreation and hopes to attend Stanford University.

Karina said, “I am so honored and proud of myself because it is a great award and I’ve been dreaming of this since sophomore year.”

Jocelyn Cabral

Jocelyn Cabral is one of two female students to receive this special honor.  She has taken two Advanced Placement classes in Spanish Language and Spanish Literature. 

She has participated in several sports such as track, soccer, and especially wrestling.  She is dedicated to her first club which was CSF and does community service at the Autry Senior Housing spending time with them during their meals and their activities. 

Her biggest accomplishment is that she will be the third person in her family to ever graduate highschool and attend a university. She gratefully thanks her wrestling coaches, Mr. Ochoa, Mr. Bellamy, and Mr. LaFarge for never giving up on her, making wrestling a fun experience, and teaching her self-discipline.  Jocelyn will be attending the University of California Riverside in the fall of 2009.  Congratulations to Jocelyn Cabral for participating in one of Northview’s biggest sports on campus and achieving all the things she has done here on Viking territory.

Michael Linares

Michael Linares is one of three men to receive the award of the Valle Vista Five.  Linares has taken several A.P. classes such as Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, English Language, and English Literature.  Michael has participated in two varsity sports during the fall and spring seasons which are Cross Country and Track.  He has been a member of the debate team and officer of the Invisible Children and AVID clubs. 

During his spare time, he does community service tutoring an AVID class, and even helped to clean the San Gabriel Forest. His biggest accomplishment was to learn English, in less than a year.  It is amazing that balancing school, sports, and life at home comes easy to him.  Being able to juggle all these academic achievements while being in sports and having a social life is a truly amazing feat.  Michael Linares said "I was surprised and happy to get this award.  Thank you."  Congratulations to Michael Linares and he deserves all the recognition for his achievements.