Rialto Unified Top Graduates Head to UCLA, Dartmouth, UC Irvine With Bold Futures

Rialto Unified’s Class of 2026 closed one chapter Sunday at Toyota Arena, where graduates from across the district walked the stage carrying more than diplomas.

For several of the district’s top graduates, commencement marked the start of futures shaped by discipline, family sacrifice, faith, service, curiosity and a deep sense of responsibility to become more than successful students. They are leaving high school with plans to enter medicine, engineering, science, research and public service-minded careers, while carrying stories rooted in Rialto Unified classrooms and communities.

The June 7 ceremonies brought together graduates from Carter, Rialto, Eisenhower, Milor and Zupanic high schools at Toyota Arena. This year’s featured valedictorians, salutatorians and top scholars reflected the talent, discipline and ambition emerging across Rialto Unified.

At Rialto High School, valedictorian John Mark Reyes graduates with a 4.81 GPA and plans to attend UC Irvine to study aerospace engineering. His interest in engineering began with a childhood fascination with cars and aircraft, then grew into a desire to understand how complex systems work.

“I really like engineering,” Reyes said. “I was curious about how things work.”

Born in the Philippines, Reyes said his family’s experience shaped his drive. His mother completed college, while his father did not finish high school, giving him a close view of how education can change opportunity. He said his mother’s work ethic remains one of his greatest examples.

“She is so driven and hardworking,” Reyes said.

Reyes, who also ran cross country and track and field, said one of his most meaningful high school experiences came through Academic Decathlon, where Rialto High placed fifth in the county this year. The experience, he said, strengthened his public speaking and showed him the power of people working toward a common goal.

His message to younger students is to create their own definition of success.

“Make your own path and don’t just follow someone else,” Reyes said. “It’s your journey that really matters, and you have to make sure to never give up, no matter how hard it gets.”

Rialto High salutatorian Sarai Lucan graduates with a 4.63 GPA and will attend UCLA to study biology on a pre-med pathway. Lucan moved from Romania 10 years ago, earned the Seal of Biliteracy and said learning Spanish was an intentional choice for her future in medicine.

“As a future doctor, that’s the pathway I want to go on,” Lucan said. “It’s good to know Spanish if I’m living in California.”

Lucan founded Rialto High’s Pre-Med Club as a sophomore, growing it to about 50 members. Through the club, she helped organize gift bags for cancer patients at Kaiser, an effort that connected her academic goals with service.

She said her parents, Marius and Daniela Lucan, taught her to rely on faith, work hard and be kind to others. Those values shaped her graduation speech, which focused on kindness and living life fully.

“Even when we start to succeed in life, we have to remember where we came from and help those in need,” Lucan said.

At Carter High School, valedictorian Nicole Orihuela graduates with a 4.90 GPA and will attend Dartmouth College on a scholarship to study engineering physics. A first-generation student whose mother is from Guatemala and whose father is from Panama, Orihuela said her parents are her central motivation.

“They’re my why,” Orihuela said. “I want to work for them because they’re the ones that put me here.”

Orihuela’s high school years included serious volleyball injuries, including a dislocated kneecap and a torn ACL, but she said sports gave her resilience, patience and discipline. She hopes to become an aerospace engineer and work for NASA in Pasadena.

“I love space so much,” Orihuela said. “The idea of space and there being so much out there fascinates me, and I want to be one of those people who discovers more.”

Carter salutatorian Alejandro Esqueda graduates with about a 4.83 GPA and will attend UC Irvine to study physics. A runner, artist and deep thinker, Esqueda said he has always wanted to understand why things happen.

“I just really love learning, and I love knowing why,” Esqueda said.

Esqueda ran track and cross country, reached CIF in cross country this year and competed at CIF in track all four years. He also paints in oils, sometimes spending dozens of hours on a single piece. His inspiration comes from his mother, who modeled hard work, and his older brother, who taught him to be himself without fear of judgment.

For younger students, Esqueda said success should include joy, not just achievement.

“Have some stress relievers,” Esqueda said. “Do what makes you happy, and do it the best you can, because that’s what really matters.”

At Eisenhower High School, valedictorian Jose Lopez graduates with a 4.8 GPA and will attend UC Riverside. Lopez said he is considering business or engineering and is entering college with an honest sense of exploration.

“I’m unsure,” Lopez said. “I don’t really know what I want to study.”

Lopez said he had remained near the top of his class throughout high school but did not fully see valedictorian as a possibility until a counselor told him during his junior year that he was still ranked first. His favorite class was AP Psychology, which he said helped him connect classroom concepts to everyday life.

But what he valued most at Eisenhower was the people.

“A lot of the friends I’ve met here are awesome,” Lopez said. “I love them.”

His advice to younger students is practical: do not let work pile up. Waiting until the last minute, he said, can turn manageable assignments into unnecessary stress.

“It will be so bad when you’re trying to do it on a Saturday or Sunday night and you realize, ‘I’m not finishing this in time,’” Lopez said.

Eisenhower salutatorian Yasuri Chimal graduates with a 4.76 GPA and will attend UCLA to major in ecology, behavior and evolution, with the goal of becoming a zoologist. She said animals have always been part of her life, from family pets to zoo visits that made her think deeply about conservation.

“I really want to make a difference in making sure that animals are protected and don’t go extinct,” Chimal said.

Chimal, a flute player who plans to join the UCLA marching band, said one of her proudest high school moments came through Academic Decathlon, when Eisenhower rebounded after not placing in the top 10 the previous year. She said the achievement meant even more because she shared it with seniors who were competing for the final time.

At home, Chimal said her sisters have helped shape who she is. Her older sister, a UCLA student majoring in sociology, inspired her college dream, while her younger sister motivates her to be someone worth looking up to.

“Having a younger sister pushes me to be someone that she can look up to,” Chimal said.

Her advice to students is to aim high without losing themselves in the pressure.

“If you’re aiming for the top or if you want to do something big, you need to take a break at some point,” Chimal said.

At Zupanic Virtual Academy, top scholar Aileen Hernandez said finishing high school felt both rewarding and emotional. She completed her coursework in February 2026 and said the virtual academy gave her the space and independence she needed during her final year.

“It feels rewarding,” Hernandez said. “I’m excited to make the next big steps in my future and see what else I have coming for myself.”

Hernandez said she is interested in radiology, sonography and medical programs, including possible future study at USC or Loma Linda University. She said Zupanic’s environment helped her focus because it allowed her to work independently and peacefully.

“You have more of your own space, your own time to truly do your work in your own environment,” Hernandez said. “It’s peaceful.”

She said one of the biggest challenges she overcame in high school was learning how to find herself, become independent and move forward with gratitude.

“You live each moment with such gratitude,” Hernandez said. “You just see life differently, and it’s beautiful.”

Together, the students leave Rialto Unified with different goals but a shared sense of purpose. Their stories reflect the quiet foundation behind academic achievement: parents working long hours, siblings setting examples, teachers offering support, counselors opening doors and schools giving students room to grow.

As the Class of 2026 moves into college, careers and adulthood, its top graduates are carrying forward a message rooted in effort, service and possibility. Their success is not only personal. It is a reflection of what becomes possible when young people are encouraged to lead, dream and build futures that can transform the communities that raised them.