By KRISTI MAYFIELD
Graduation is a special time of year for so many families and students as the celebrations of today give way to new beginnings tomorrow.
A trio of soon-to-be Oakdale High School graduates have already made significant strides: Joseph Yakligian is this year’s Class of 2025 Valedictorian; Tyler Raff is the Salutatorian; and Madison Mattos is the recipient of the prestigious Leo Volz Scholarship.
For longtime friends Yakligian and Raff, they are looking forward to starting their new chapters while maintaining their connections with family and friends here in Oakdale. The two share something else: their love of knowledge. With Yakligian holding the impressive title of Valedictorian and Raff standing alongside him as the Salutatorian, they both have a lot to celebrate.
Attending Fair Oaks Elementary, Yakligian and Raff have grown up together, even working on projects together such as when they took first place in Robotics Technology at the 38th Annual Stanislaus County Occupations Olympics and Careers Exposition last year. Their love of everything computer related has been fostered throughout the years with their high school instructors such as Mr. Gilbert encouraging them every step of the way. Both agreed that taking advanced classes throughout their scholastic careers helped prepare them for their future pursuits.
“We have been taking AP Classes for so long and we really enjoy the rigor of these classes,” said Yakligian.
“Taking classes with Mrs. Gobel really helped us prepare as we discussed college applications and essays and she was very helpful throughout the entire process,” added Raff.
Not only is Yakligian the OHS Valedictorian, he is also a National Merit Scholarship recipient, another prestigious honor he achieved this year. He is heading to The Master’s University in Santa Clarita where he will be studying Computer Science and Piano Studies as he greatly enjoys making music. Raff will be attending University of California, Santa Barbara where he will also be focusing on Computer Science.
Madison Mattos is also celebrating as she is the 2025 recipient of the Leo Volz Scholarship which awards students $25,000 per year for four years of college study.
“My class is so talented and intelligent that I wasn’t sure if I should apply but I thought I might as well try,” said Mattos.
She is no stranger to achieving her goals, though, as she earned the title of Oakdale’s Distinguished Young Woman last year for the Class of 2025. She will be heading to University of California, Irvine to study Education Sciences as well as Psychology. She is still planning on volunteering to work with animals throughout her collegiate career, as that is one of her passions which she discovered growing up in Oakdale.
All three will join with their OHS classmates on Friday evening, May 23 for a 7 p.m. ceremony in The Corral to celebrate their achievements, review their high school experience and then move forward into the next chapter of their lives.
