The class of 2018’s valedictorian is senior Chengzi Guo, while senior Rahul Kumar is the salutatorian.

Guo boasts a total weighted GPA of 4.86 and took a total of 18 AP and Honors classes throughout her high school career. She is the co-president of Science club and co-captain of the Science Bowl team.

Guo said that she was quite surprised to hear herself named valedictorian.

“I honestly haven’t given that much thought to my GPA,” Guo said. “I just tried to do my best in every class.”

Besides doing schoolwork, Guo spends the majority of her time — around 20 to 25 hours a week — doing competitive horseback riding. She also rescues and fosters rabbits that may have been otherwise euthanized.

Guo’s AP Biology teacher, Cheryl Lenz, said that Guo’s passion for science, especially biology, helped Guo stand out in her class. Her humble nature led her to work well with other students and to be an active participant in class.

“Science is her passion,” Lenz said. “She read the textbook on biology on her own early on, and she’s been a semifinalist for the USA Biology Olympiad from freshman through junior year. She loves biology and she’s interested in the nitty gritty details that are part of the processes of living things.”

Kumar, another one of Lenz’s students, earned a weighted GPA of 4.81. He also did not expect the recognition.

“I knew my GPA was probably pretty high, but I didn’t think it would be second highest,” Kumar said.

Kumar took a total of 17 AP and honors classes. He is the president of Math, Spanish and Raising Interest in Science and Engineering (RISE) clubs. He is also coaches middle schoolers for the Toga Junior Math Club (TJMC), the high school math club’s outreach program.

Like Guo, Kumar is an excellent student in Lenz’s eyes.

“He is really organized and diligent, and although he isn’t a loud student, he leads quietly in the classroom,” Lenz said. “He’s really thoughtful in thinking through the material and seeing how the pieces fit together.”

In the fall, Guo will attend Dartmouth College and Kumar will attend UC Berkeley.