Usually seen talking with friends and classmates throughout the day, Brandon Perez Valencia is a proud student of SMHS. Brandon Perez-Valencia is a busy, hardworking student at our school and a positive figure for the class of 2023. Walking with his friends, he’s bringing a smile to people’s faces.
Classmates and teachers love Brandon’s ray of sunshine he offers to the classes and his ability to socialize with anyone. Throughout the 4 years he has gone to San Mateo, he has been a great student to meet. He was on the soccer team during his freshman and sophomore years and enjoyed his time on the team. He says he “loved the collaboration between his teammates and him”. Not to mention that Brandon also played for a club team before he joined the soccer team. He noted that his team in his freshman year won PAL. “That was one of my favorite memories at San Mateo”, says Brandon.
“I’ve enjoyed the passion and the events at San Mateo, like the football games, basketball games, and pep rallies, ” Brandon said. He was born in San Mateo, grew up right by the high school, and attended bayside middle school before SMHS.
Brandon has been an avid student for 3 years, with his teacher Ms. Malone. He says that Avid has taught him a lot about college and the requirements to get there and that Avid has been a great help throughout the years. Brandon has also mentioned how he is proud of himself for taking AP classes this year. This year he is taking two AP classes, which are AP Spanish and AP psych. I asked Brandon which teacher influenced him the most and made him feel at home the most, and he said his Spanish teacher, Ms. Michelleti.
Ms. Michelleti has helped him throughout the years, being his first-year Spanish teacher and his AP Spanish teacher. She gives Brandon advice about the future and never fails to be a good mentor. He mentioned that she was also very sharing and “always had snacks” to bring to the class. “Ms. Michelleti has helped me a lot throughout my years here, she taught me how to not procrastinate, how to better manage my time, and just overall she’s been a role model for me”, he says.
Brandon’s good friend, Emmanuel Sandoval a senior at San Mateo. He and Brandon met in preschool and have been really close friends since. “He’s really good at balancing things out”, says Emmanuel. He mentioned that Brandon was always inclusive toward him and never failed to put a smile on his face. His best memory of them together was when they went to LA and explored all around. They went to Disneyland together and explored the theme park too! “Outgoing, Hardworking, and Sympathetic”, says Emmanuel when I asked him what three words he would use to describe Brandon. Emmanuel will be attending San Francisco State in the fall, where he will be majoring in electrical engineering.
He will be headed to San Francisco State University in the fall, and he is very excited. He is majoring in electrical engineering and hopes to become an electrical engineer in the future. I asked Brandon where he wants to see himself in 10 years and he says, “I hope to be in the engineering field in 10 years”. He also mentions how he wants to be able to build new technology and build circuits!
“Coming out of high school, I feel like I’ve become more mature, more social, and high school has taught me how to better my social skills and how to manage my time better as well”, says Brandon. Finally, I asked Brandon one thing he would like to say to summarize his experience, “It’s been an experience. I went through a lot of ups and downs. But I’m glad I’ve finally completed it”. Congratulations Brandon!