Kathy Ngo and Jimin Park have been named Memorial’s second valedictorian and salutatorian, ending their high school career with a 5.0 GPA after their hard work.
Ngo has committed to the University of Texas at Austin and is interested in the pharmaceutical path. Meanwhile, Park has committed to Rice University and is planning to major in biosciences.
“I’d say it was pretty hard to get valedictorian,” Ngo said. “I wouldn’t say it’s easy to get top 10 percent, but the small parts of it make it really close, so it’s hard. I feel like a lot of people can get up high by just trying really hard, but I feel like school was my main focus, so that’s why it seems a little easier to me, but I understand that other people have things they have to do, like other responsibilities.”
Memorial had three seniors finish with a 5.0 GPA with Madison Smith being the third. A grade tiebreaker was used to determine order of finish.
Both Ngo and Park have earned themselves scholarship opportunities, with Ngo receiving the WFISD Foundation scholarship, and Park getting the Sunrise Optimist Club scholarship.
“While it was pretty grueling to get salutatorian, I didn’t have to sacrifice my soul or anything to get this far,” Park said. “I only really had to sacrifice my sleep, but it was lowkey self-inflicted because I scrolled on reels instead of sleeping.”
Ngo finds schoolwork occupying most of her time, while Park divides his focus into various organizations outside and inside of school.
“I was involved in a couple of organizations, like the YSO, and clubs like UIL academics,” Park said. “Balancing my schoolwork was pretty easy, as I tried to get as much done at school, leaving myself more time to do other things at home. It only got a little draining whenever tests started getting closer.”
Family is very important to the two of them and Park’s inspiration is his older brother, Jun. He was Memorial’s first valedictorian, and Park follows in his footsteps by securing one of the top spots. His twin brother Jinoo tied for fifth in the Class of 2026.
Meanwhile, Ngo’s inspiration is rooted from her parents.
“I never had to work because they did it all for me and they paid for everything with schooling,” Ngo said. “I got to spend all my time on school and didn’t have too much to do outside of it. They’re my biggest supporters and I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”
The two have worked hard to earn their spots, along with the rest of Memorial’s second-year Summa Cum Laude graduates. Park’s advice for others hoping to achieve a high spot is simple.
“Study hard,” Park said. “However, make sure to enjoy yourself from time to time. Also eat your veggies.”
Memorial’s Summa Cum Laude Graduates
1. Kathy Ngo
2. Jimin Park
3. Madison Smith
4. Hanson Nguyen
5t. Lorelei Mitchell
5t. Jinoo Park
7. Grady Belcher
8. Luke Fritzsch
9. Caleb Matthews
10t. Emma Fritzsch
10t. Frank Schmidt
10t. Jonathan Ta
