Overview:
Two recently graduated students at Coronado High, who gave speeches at their graduation ceremony on June 12, find themselves with parallel plans moving forward. For both valedictorian Jaya Jost and salutatorian Dylan Nasori, their lives were transformed after each of their dads were diagnosed with cancer. Today, they head off to separate colleges with one vision in mind: to bring an end to the illness.
Each year, the Islander Leadership Team (ILT) — comprised of teachers from departments, counseling and administration at Coronado High School — selects the valedictorian and salutatorian. The top academic students in each graduating class is determined by the highest grade point average resulting from successful completion of graduation requirements which culminate in 230 credits within four years.
Dylan Nasori learned he was the 2025 Coronado High School salutatorian over a phone call during a field trip to the San Diego Zoo with his Advanced Placement Environmental Science class.
“It’s definitely very exciting,” he said about the recognition.
Nasori, 17, will attend UC Berkeley for bio-engineering following a high school immersion in academics, leadership and service. He’s already familiar with a bioengineering lab at UCSD.
“I actually want to make treatments for cancer, either by going through med school and becoming an oncologist or working in a clinical lab,” he said.
“My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and it really showed a lot of problems that could be fixed in the healthcare system that I want to work towards tackling… It really solidified my choice. I always knew I wanted to do something bio-engineering related, but cancer-specific is what I figured out this year,” he added.
Nasori gained medical experience at UCSD’s Lal Lab where he worked on silica nanobowls for targeted drug delivery. He also interned at the San Diego Center for AIDS Research and accumulated over 100 hours volunteering in the Critical Care Unit at UCSD Health Hillcrest.
During his time at Coronado High, Nasori started the Science Olympiad team, where students can participate across multiple academic competitions, contributed to his school’s Academic League team, was president of the Mock Trial Club and served as executive officer of his National Junior ROTC unit, competing at the national level in trivia competitions.
He leaves Coronado with fond memories of his drill team placing No. 2 at the state Super Bowl Drill Meet and is grateful for teachers like Abbie Hartge, Amanda Vanasse and Senior Chief Thomas Hellwig.
Amid maintaining a 4.7 GPA, Nasori also found time to work part time for over a year at a fast food restaurant.
“I’ll miss my coworkers at Chipotle ’cause they’re awesome,” he said. “I’ll miss all my friends in the ROTC program, and I’ll miss all the teachers that helped me get to where I am today.”
