Gilbert Classical Academy Class of 2025

Congratulations to Gilbert Classical Academy’s Class of 2025!

Your hard work and dedication have brought you this far and will continue to take you far in the future.

GCA is proud to celebrate our 86 graduating seniors. 85 students are college/university-bound and 1 is enlisting in the military. 71 have a GPA of 4.0 or higher and 1 is a Student Council officer.

GCA Class of 2025 has been offered $7,433,952.20 in scholarships and has completed 12,351 community service hours.

Valedictorian and Spartan of the Year - Conner Daneshkhah

Conner has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.74. Conner has participated in Peer Tutoring, NSTEM/Makerspace Club, Mu Alpha Theta, and the Science Olympiad Team, all while collaborating with others outside of school to build an autonomous rover for the National Underwater Robotics Challenge and introducing elementary students to robotics in STEM on Saturdays. 

Conner has also received the following honors: National Merit Scholar, Marquee Math Competition Winner, and Arizona Science Olympiad Silver Medalist.

Conner will be heading to Arizona State University to major in Mechanical Engineering in order to become a Robotics Engineer.

 

 

Valedictorian - Jackson Peterson

Jackson has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 5. Jackson has participated in Speech and Debate, Model UN, and Student Senate.

Jackson has also received the following honors: National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalist.

Jackson will be heading to University of Arizona to major in Political Science in order to work in Law.

 

 

Valedictorian - Rati Tabatadze

Rati has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.8269. Rati has participated in the Mayor's Youth Advisory Commission, Math Club, Model UN, Basketball, and various Independent Projects (Geologymaps and Tempe At A Glance), all while receiving the Innerview Ambassador Level Award for 100+ hours served and being selected as the Tempe Mayor's Youth Advisory Commission Chairperson. 

Rati has also received the following honors: National Merit $2,500 Scholarship, Flinn Scholar, Tempe Diablos Scholar, Statefarm Pathways for the Future Scholar, Gilbert Chamber of Business Scholar, Mountain America Elevate Scholar.

Rati will be heading to Arizona State University to double Major in Data Science and Electrical Engineering in order to become an Engineer.

 

 

Valedictorian - Aidan Feirstein

Aidan has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.8182. Aidan has participated in Varsity Swim and Dive, Student Government, and Speech and Debate, all while becoming a, 1st place team at Division 3 State Championship (swim and dive)

Aidan has also received the following honors: Flinn Scholarship Semi-finalist, National Merit Commended Scholar, and Stamps Scholarship at Purdue University.

Aidan will be heading to Purdue University to double major in Anthropology and Biology in order to work in Academia.

 

 

Valedictorian - Alexander Tangpan

Alexander has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.8039. Alexander has participated in Art Club (as President), Model UN (as Country Captain), Mayor's Youth Advisory Committee, and Future Doctors (as Historian), all while volunteering at Banner Desert Medical Center and Feed My Starving Children and doing freelance art/video production/writing work.

Alexander has also received the following honors: National Merit Commended Award, Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest Pearl Digital Art Award, National High School Poetry Contest Topical Winner, 6x Model UN Best Delegate/Diplomat/Paper awards, 2x 3rd Place Science Fair awards.

Alexander will be heading to University of California Berkeley to major in Biology in order to become a Doctor specializing in pathology, neurology, or surgery.

 

 

Valedictorian - Zoey Emmert

Zoey has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.8. Zoey has participated in Soccer, Track, Future Doctors, National Honor Society, and Student Senate, all while completing almost 300 service hours.

Zoey has also received the following honors: multiple medals for track and club soccer, voted most valuable athlete, and medaled at Divisional State.

Zoey will be heading to University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to major in Biomedical Engineering in order to get my MD or MD/PhD and become a Surgeon.

 

 

Valedictorian - Jennifer Chen

Jennifer has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.7736. Jennifer has participated in Asian Student Association, Ambassadors Club, National Honor Society, Gilbert Mayor's Youth Advisory Committee, and Student Senate, all while volunteering at Midwest Food Bank.

Jennifer has also received the following honors: 2025 Gilbert Education Foundation Varsity Letter in Volunteerism, 2023-24 National Community Service Ambassador Award, 2023-24 ZERO HERO Zero Hunger Award - Green, 2024-25 National Community Service Honor Award, National Merit Semi-Finalist, and AP Scholar with Distinction.

Jennifer will be heading to Massachusetts Institute of Technology to major in Mechanical Engineering in order to become an Aerospace Engineer.

 

 

Valedictorian - Pranav Kodali

Pranav has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.7593. Pranav has participated in Tennis, Chess, Basketball, Mayor's Youth Committee (Mesa and Gilbert), and Math club, all while volunteering 539 hours for programs like Leaders in Training and Civics Unplugged and practicing coding outside of school.

Pranav has also received the following honors: Black belt in karate, Varsity Letter in Volunteerism x2, 1st place in the Arizona Financial Face-Off (2023), 1st place in the Marquee Math Competition (2023), and National Merit $2,500 Scholarship.

Pranav will be heading to University of Texas at Dallas to double major in Electrical Engineering and Finance in order to work in engineering or finance.

 

 

Valedictorian - Elaine Tang

Elaine has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.7547. Elaine works as a cashier, waitress, and to-go packer at their parents’ restaurant (helping manage sales records and prepare documents for tax filings), has developed a program that provides free lessons to low-income students in Arizona and abroad, and was a violinist for Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras, all while working on public health initiatives with EquiMed and Columbia University (including hosting pop-up clinics that provide flu shots, health screenings, mammograms, and insulin to thousands, leading volunteers to collect, pack, and distribute $1.5 million worth of essential medical supplies to hospitals abroad, and creating education materials on immunization, infection prevention, and nutrition for schools and communities in developing communities and completing research at Stanford, NASA, ASU, Banner Alzheimer's, and Maricopa County.

Elaine has also received the following honors: Coca Cola Scholar (given to 0.01% of high school seniors), NHS National Semifinalist, Elks Quarterfinalist, DCU for Kids Scholar, Gilbert Education Foundation STEAM Scholarship, iHeartRadio Be a Good Human Scholarship, Arizona Study Program Superior with Honors (8x Qualifier), East Valley Music Teachers Association Superior with Distinction (10x Qualifier), AMEA All-Regional and All-State Violinist, AP Scholar with Distinction, International Youth Neuroscience Association Ideathon Competition (6th place), National First-Generation Recognition Program, and President's Gold Volunteer Service Award (4x Qualifier).

Elaine will be heading to Vanderbilt University to major in Neuroscience in order to become a Surgeon.

 

 

Valedictorian - Bhavani Arvind

Bhavani has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.7547. Bhavani has participated in Book Club (as President) and Service Club (as Historian), all while taking part in ASU SCENE (projects in bioinformatics, oncology, protein engineering, neurology), volunteering at Banner Gateway, practicing as an Advanced Classical Pianist, completing the Arizona Study Program, and becoming a nationally-ranked book reviewer on Goodreads.

Bhavani has also received the following honors: National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winner,  Friends of the Gilbert Libraries Scholar, Varsity Letter and Pin in Music, East Valley Music Teacher Association Senior Award, 3rd Place 2025 AzSEF in Behavioral Sciences with a project exploring music's relationship with brain waves and its potential clinical applications, and Varsity Letter and Pin in Volunteerism.

Bhavani will be heading to Arizona State University Barrett Honors College to major in Biomedical Sciences in order to become a Physician or work in Medicine.

 

 

Valedictorian - Farhan Islam

Farhan has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.75. Farhan has participated in Future Doctors of GCA (as President), Model United Nations, and Save the Cord Foundation (as Student Representative), all while volunteering at Banner Hospital, Dignity Health, and becoming a Banner Physical Therapy Intern.

Farhan has also received the following honors: Accepted into the Advanced Pathway to Medical Education Program, Best Delegate/Best Position Paper/Best Diplomat in 10+Model United Nations Conferences, AP National First Generation Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinctions, Certified Stop The Bleed graduate, Speaker for World Cord Blood Day conference, and Wildcat Scholarship Recipient.

Farhan will be heading to the University of Arizona to major in Cellular and Molecular Biology in order to become an Orthopedic Surgeon.

 

 

Valedictorian - Caitlin Chua

Caitlin has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.75 and has participated in Volleyball and art at GCU.

Caitlin will be heading to Purdue University to major in Pharmaceutical Sciences in order to become a Doctor of Pharmacy.

 

 

 

Valedictorian - Wenrui Xu

Wenrui has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.717. Wenrui has participated in Cross Country, Track and Field, Student Senate, NHS, Outdoors Club, Gardening Club, STEM Club, Asian Student Association, and Band.

Wenrui has also received the following honors: Volunteering Merit Award, Model UN Distinguished Delegate, National Merit Commendation, and AP Scholar with Distinction.

Wenrui will be heading to Texas A&M University to major in Mechanical Engineering in order to obtain a management position in the Engineering industry.

 

 

Valedictorian - Merissa Wongso

Merissa has a Quality Point Average (QPA) of 4.63. Merissa has participated in Chess, Phoenix Youth Symphony, Student Senate, Tutoring Club, and NHS, all while volunteering at hospitals in spare time.

Merissa has also received the following honors: National Merit Semi-Finalist, 3-time All-State Band Member, varsity letter in music and volunteerism, and various chess awards at State.

Merissa will be heading to University of Arizona to major in Biology in order to become a Radiologist.