Attending a leadership conference in July and heading to the East Coast is next on the list for 2023 Coronado High Valedictorian Adam Perez.
Following a wave of graduation among friends and classmates he’s known since fifth-grade, Perez this summer finds himself enjoying time with them, but he continues to hone academic interests like coding and finance.
“I’m enjoying having some time to relax right now,” said Perez. “It’s gonna get busy pretty fast, but I’m definitely excited about moving across the country. It’ll be fun.”
A few weeks following graduation, Perez celebrated his accomplishments and looks toward a future with aspirations related to interests that began inside the classrooms of what he called passionate teachers at Coronado High School like Bill Lemei.
“Mr. Lemei’s passion for physics really inspired me to want to win a Nobel Prize,” Perez said about his AP Physics 2 teacher.
Hard work pays off
Being named top of his class was “really exciting” and “rewarding” for Perez, who will be a freshman at Duke University this fall.
“Coronado’s great, they’ve given me so many resources and opportunities.”
– Adam Perez, Class of 2023
“Coronado’s great, they’ve given me so many resources and opportunities,” said Perez. “It was really just cool to see my hard work pay off.”
Many career paths intrigue Perez.
“I want to start a company first or work in investment banking on Wall Street, but a Nobel Prize would definitely be something I’d want to pursue later in life,” said Perez.
The 18-year-old said others would describe him as competitive, however he considers that curiosity is the trait that drives his interest in learning. Still, both traits motivate and encourage self-improvement, he said.
“[Physics] that’s one of the things I’m really most curious about, like how the world works, and it explains everything like from the small scale to the biggest scales,” said Perez.
Cherishing high school memories
Senior activities, like Powderpuff and Grad Nite, brought Perez out of his comfort zone and allowed him to bond with classmates at the end of the year, he said.
“That was really nice after college applications and the whole college process,” added Perez.
He considers some of his favorite high school teachers to have taught science, math, and history.
“I would go in every day for lunch to his class [Mr. Lemei] with other students, and we would just have conversations about anything, whether it’s physics or life in general or what’s going on in the news,” said Perez. “His caring attitude and his passion … inspired me to do well.”
Perez said he looks forward to majoring in computer science in college because of math teachers like Sandra Davis and Elizabeth Castillo.
And he said Casey Tanaka’s history class was another transformative subject.
“There are a lot of valuable lessons you can take away from looking at the past,” he said. “It can help you so much with going forward.”
Perez also experimented with AP Psychology spring semester of his senior year and found himself inspired.
“I wasn’t really expecting to have much interest, but the things we learned about human behavior and how humans interact with each other … it really interests me,” said Perez. “I actually am interested in taking a psychology class at Duke next year.”
Next stop: Duke
Personal connections to his next alma mater have begun for Perez, who shared the interaction he had with a current Duke sophomore studying computer science on Orange Avenue.
“That really just showed me Duke really is a super collaborative place,” said Perez. “Being competitive and helping pull you up is something that kind of drew me to this school.”
While at Duke, Perez is also considering a minor in economics or finance.
Apart from exploring a lot of new issues, Perez also looks forward to meeting new people.
“I feel like going to Duke and meeting up with people that have all different passions will kind of let me explore,” said Perez. “There’s stuff that I might not even know about, and so really making the effort to connect with others… is something I really want to do.”
Passing on the torch
Perez leaves behind a legacy of giving back and influencing the minds of curious young learners.
Perez said his family has been his support system and influenced his community service project.
“My parents have always stressed the importance of having an education and reading.”
– Adam Perez on the inspiration behind Project Read Every Day.
“My parents have always stressed the importance of having an education and reading…that’s something I’m really grateful for,” said Perez. “Pushing me to always do my best with whatever I do and really have those skills early…that’s also why I started a reading program called Project Read Every Day.”
Perez began this program as a junior to host book fairs one to two times a month at Emerson Elementary School, across the bridge from Coronado, around the entrance of the school with tables full of books and prizes.
“Reading, for me, helped me in all aspects of my life,” said Perez.
The kids’ excitement for reading and curiosity for learning brought Perez a lot of joy, he said.
Perez hosted similar events in collaboration with multiple entities in Coronado and Del Mar and Birthline of San Diego, which serves pregnant women and young families in need.
“They donated a lot of books and prizes to me, and I’m really grateful for that,” said Perez of the partnership with multiple organizations.
Now Perez is in the process of arranging for another high school student to take on this role and continue giving back through this program.
Beyond oneself
Perez also moves on from his role as treasurer of the Coronado High School National Honor Society, where he had the opportunity of tutoring, mentoring, and helping others choose classes.
Additionally, Perez’s high school commitments were recognized through awards like the San Diego County ‘Salute to Education’ scholarship and National Honor Society Scholarship.
Some advice Perez gives to continuing high school students is to really make an effort to connect with teachers and other students.
“It’s something I’m really glad that I made the effort to do because it really allowed me to see everyone’s talents,” said Perez.
Asking for help and listening to others is another takeaway Perez has learned throughout high school.
“I also want to make sure that I’m giving back to the community and really helping to pull others up with me.”
– Adam Perez
“I know I want to start my own company and reach success that way, but I also want to make sure that I’m giving back to the community and really helping to pull others up with me,” said Perez.
