Great Hearts Arizona’s Valedictorians and Salutatorians

Great Hearts Arizona is pleased to introduce the following exceptional Valedictorians and Salutatorians of the Class of 2026. These distinguished scholars, representing our academies across the Valley, have the honor of addressing their classmates, families, and faculty at this year’s commencement ceremonies. We celebrate their academic achievements, leadership, and commitment to the virtues at the heart of a Great Hearts education.

Arete Prep

Sadie Frasure is Arete Prep’s Valedictorian, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. She is part of the house consul, a youth representative for the Mayor’s Youth Committee, a leader of an award-winning choir, host of The Sadie Sit-Down podcast, a small business owner (custom jewelry and wedding decor), varsity basketball player, and State Champion in both bullseye and 3D archery. After graduation, Frasure plans to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before she begins her time at Brigham Young University.

Jayne Heacock is Arete Prep’s Salutatorian. During high school, she participated in leadership opportunities and the arts on campus. “When I was an underclassman, I served the Arete community through the mentor program and peer tutoring. Additionally, I dabbled in the arts. Acting, drawing, and singing were my focus. I was a part of Drama ECNA, Art Society, and Canta Bella Choir. I’ve stuck with choir ever since freshman year as well as the mentor program. When junior year came around, I kept choir and drama as areas I was involved in but wanted to explore different aspects of my aspired career,” she shared. Her chosen major is nursing and has had the opportunity to shadow nurses in action at Banner Gateway’s Labor and Delivery Department as well as their NICU. She graduated from a program called Saturday Scrubs at the University of Arizona’s medical school.

Chandler Prep

Kiersten Malimban has been selected Valedictorian at Chandler Prep. She is graduating Cum Laude and will attend the University of Pittsburgh to study psychology and neuroscience. Malimban was a National Merit Finalist.

Robert Hirsch has been selected Salutatorian and is graduating Cum Laude. He will attend the University of Dayton where his course of study will be mechanical engineering technology. In addition, Hirsch signed to play NCAA Division I baseball for the Dayton Flyers.

Cicero Prep

Catherine Johnson is the Valedictorian at Cicero Prep, and has attended the academy since 2019, completing both middle school and high school at Cicero while serving in leadership roles through senate and mentors. Among numerous other activities, she played middle school soccer for three years and varsity basketball for four years, where she earned the Most Improved Player award in the season of 2023-2024 and the Most Valuable Player award in her senior season of 2025-2026. Throughout high school, she maintained a 4.0 GPA. In the fall of 2026, she plans to attend Barrett, The Honors College at ASU to study biology and pursue her interest in law school. She said she will always cherish Cicero as a place she calls home and will carry with her the many fond memories shared with friends, along with deep gratitude for the incredible faculty who supported her throughout her journey.

Audrey Evers is the Salutatorian at Cicero Prep and joined Cicero in 2nd Grade. She has taken every opportunity to lead, serve, and participate in its vibrant community ever since. At Cicero Prep, she has been a four-year varsity soccer and golf athlete, student coach of the middle school golf team, choir council president, chamber singer, Aries Consul, mentor, and senior leader of Centurions in Service. Her unrelenting work ethic has earned her admission to Colby College as a Presidential Scholar, along with exclusive selection to Colby’s University of Chicago Master’s degree pathway. Evers plans to study applied mathematics at both schools.

Glendale Prep

Luciano Marcolini was selected as Valedictorian at Glendale Prep. He will attend Barrett, The Honors College at ASU to study mechanical engineering. He will pursue mechanical engineering and seek opportunities to further his robotics interests. Marcolini received a perfect ACT score.

Katie Solomon was selected as Co-Salutatorian at Glendale Prep. She will attend Grand Canyon Universityand plans to major in bio/pre-med. She has been accepted into a program through Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) where will attend after completing her BS degree at GCU.

Allison Wright was selected as Co-Salutatorian at Glendale Prep. She plans to attend University of Arizona, W.A. Franke Honors College to study nursing and musical theatre. Her goal is to become a nurse, but she wants to pursue her love of musical theatre by minoring in it while at U of A. She was also a National Merit Finalist.

Ilianna Chavez Medina was selected as Co-Salutatorian at Glendale Prep. She plans to attend Barrett, The Honors College at ASU to study psychology. She is interested in counseling and has a general interest in helping others.

Great Hearts Anthem

Ali Marissa Ann Contreras was selected as Co-Valedictorian for Anthem Prep. Contreras has been highly involved during her years at Anthem Prep, including concert choir and soccer. In addition, Contreras served in Anthem Prep’s mentorship program. This fall, she plans to attend Liberty University and will be majoring in psychology.

Vanessa Hughes was selected as Co-Valedictorian for Anthem Prep. Hughes plans to attend Baylor University, where she received a $100,000 merit scholarship. She will be majoring in nursing. “I could not be more grateful for my experience at Anthem Prep. As challenging as this curriculum was, it pushed me beyond limits I never knew I could reach,” she shared.

Luke Jeffery Serdar was selected as Salutatorian for Anthem Prep. Serdar has served in numerous leadership roles at Anthem Prep including the mentorship program and various service projects. In addition, he has spearheaded the Veterans speaking engagement at Anthem Prep. This fall, Serdar plans on pursuing his degree in history at the University of Arizona, W.A. Franke Honors College.

Lincoln Prep

Alex Jarrett is Lincoln Prep’s Valedictorian and is graduating Summa Cum Laude.  Alex will attend LeTourneau University in Texas next year, where he plans to major in mechanical engineering. Jarett earned Commended Scholar status from The National Merit Recognition Program, and his senior thesis was titled, “Justice: Incomplete without Mercy.”

Cole Terry is this year’s Salutatorian at Lincoln Prep. Terry plans to attend Arizona State University where he will major in museum studies and curatorial practices, specializing in maintaining, organizing, and learning about art and history. He is graduating Summa Cum Laude.

Maryvale Prep

Maryvale Prep is proud to announce Sergio Montalvo Jr. as the Valedictorian for the Class of 2026. Montalvo exemplifies academic excellence, dedication, passion, and persistence as the founder of our academy’s FIRST® Robotics club, where he also serves as president. He has been Nationally Recognized by the College Board and will attend Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University to study mechanical engineering.

Maryvale Prep proudly honors their 2026 Salutatorian, Kaylyn Schiefelbein. Through years of academic excellence, perseverance, leadership, and character, she has exemplified what it means to be a Maryvale Prep student. From the classroom to athletics and service to our community, her impact has been outstanding. Schiefelbein has received the President’s Honors Scholarship and will attend Gateway Community College to study nursing.

North Phoenix Prep

An exemplary scholar, campus leader, and athlete, senior Sophie Ulrich has been selected by North Phoenix Prep faculty as the Class of 2026 Valedictorian. Through her service as a senator, Lanista, student mentor, and student ambassador, she has made a lasting impact on the culture and spirit of the NPX community, while also demonstrating exceptional leadership as captain of the girls’ volleyball team, earning multiple Region Offensive Player honors and competing at both the club and All-Region levels. Looking back on her experiences as a Gladiator athlete, Ulrich reflected, “Through practices, games, and long bus trips together, I’ve found a sense of community and connection that I’ll carry with me long after high school.” As a legacy graduate, her academic journey began at Archway North Phoenix in kindergarten. She now graduates as a recipient of numerous awards for perseverance, economics, and Latin, while maintaining a perfect academic record throughout her academic career. She will attend Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University to study biomedical sciences.

Sowjanya Prasad has been selected as the Class of 2026 Salutatorian. Since freshman year, she has distinguished herself on the NPX archery team as president and an award-winning competitor while also lending her voice and leadership to concert choir, where she has served as vice president since sophomore year. Prasad was a recipient of academic awards in Socratic seminar, fine arts, and Spanish along with Virtus Awards for demonstrating temperance and virtues. Through her work with the Lanista and student mentor programs and her collaboration on the publication of Phoebus Magazine, she has enriched the intellectual, artistic, and communal life of the school. After moving to the United States just before her freshman year, Prasad embraced the uncertainty of a new environment and transformed those challenges into opportunities for leadership and service. Reflecting on her experience, she shared, “Maybe there was someone like me that I could help. I believe all voices deserve to be heard, and I wanted to hear them.” She will attend Arizona State University where she plans to study biological sciences on the pre-medical pathway.

Sophia Herd is the Student of Distinction, which is chosen by the Senior Class and recognizes the recipient for their unique contributions to the senior class, both inside and outside of the classroom. A dedicated guide dog trainer for the blind since eighth grade, Herd has served as a Senator throughout all four years of high school, modeled the virtues to middle school students for two years as a student mentor, and pursued her interest in law through extensive courtroom observation. Now serving as our student body president, she has distinguished herself through her leadership, service, and dedication to our community, earning recognition for excellence in leadership, courage, Socratic seminar, and economics. She will attend the Chinese Language Flagship program at the University of Mississippi to study philosophy and Mandarin.

Scottsdale Prep

Sophie Ryken has been selected Valedictorian for the Class of 2026 at Scottsdale Prep. Ryken will be attending Boise State University next fall, where she plans to major in business administration with a minor in biology. During her freshman year, she was awarded the Virtus Award, an honor given to students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement while habitually displaying academic virtue. At Scottsdale Prep, she co-founded the Baking Club and hosted after-school bake sales that raised more than $600 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She was also elected co-president of the community service club, where she organized a prom dress drive that collected over $1,000 worth of donated dresses, in addition to helping coordinate charity events such as Feed My Starving Children and toy drives. During her senior year, she served as a mentor in the mentoring program and assisted students in the writing lab during the fall semester. Beyond the classroom, she works as an office assistant for a top-ranked real estate group. Ryken played varsity volleyball all four years of high school and was elected team captain her senior year. She earned both the Most Valuable Player award and All-Region First Team recognition. She also competed in varsity track and field for two years. Outside of track season, she completed her first half marathon, further demonstrating her dedication not only to academics, but also to athletics.

Atish Bala has been selected Salutatorian for the Class of 2026 at Scottsdale Prep.  He will be attending Princeton University next fall, where he intends to major in international relations with a minor in computing, society, and policy. At Scottsdale Prep, Bala has partaken in the Junior Classical League for four years and currently serves as president. During this time, he placed fifth in the state in Latin grammar. He also received a perfect ACT score. Bala is an avid lover of the arts. He has been in concert choir for two years and currently serves on choir council. Within the council, he has helped organize and participate in numerous events, including community service projects. He is also a member of chamber singers, the premier singing group at Scottsdale Prep. Lastly, Bala is an active participant in theatre, having performed and participated in numerous productions. He was recently inducted into the thespian troupe. Outside of SPA, Bala has interned at Arizona State University, working for their Enterprise Policy Analysis Group. He worked as a researcher for them, examining numerous government policies and their impacts.

Trivium Prep

Bella Faser has been selected as the Valedictorian at Trivium Prep. She is a National Merit Commended Scholar for 2026 and received a 35 on her ACT. After contributing to Trivium mock trial’s back-to-back 3rd place state finishes and earning 2nd place individually, she is excited to continue pursuing law through philosophy at Barrett, The Honors College at ASU with plans to pursue a JD after undergrad. In addition to her legal interests, she has been a dedicated member of Trivium’s swim team all four years, serving as captain the past two. Beyond competitive sports, she has also been involved in Trivium’s mock mediation team and serves as both a swim instructor and camp counselor throughout the year, crediting Great Hearts as the foundation of her leadership development.

Alexander Alexandrovich has been selected as the Salutatorian at Trivium Prep. He will be attending Yale University to study the classics. He competed in varsity swim all four years and, as team captain, helped lead his team to two relay state titles and won Division III state titles in the individual 200 free and 100 breaststroke. He participated in mock trial during 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. Outside of school, he organized a cancer fundraising initiative that raised $10,000 for Phoenix Children’s Hospital through community 5K runs. In addition, he performed as Hades in this year’s production of Hadestown.

Veritas Prep

Ronak Kapadia was selected as Co-Valedictorian at Veritas Prep. He will attend Georgia Institute of Technology to study aerospace engineering. Kapadia has been involved in house leadership, mock trial, chorale, men’s choir, Shave Shack barbershop quartet, Kyu-Kido martial arts, cross country, Folk Friday Club, and served as a Mathnasium tutor. His achievements include earning a perfect ACT score and he was a National Merit Finalist.

Kalyani Bhatnagar was selected as Co-Valedictorian at Veritas Prep. She will attend Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University and plans to major in biomedical engineering. She has been involved in house leadership, chorale, women’s choir, geology club, cross country, Greek club, served as the yearbook editor and newspaper editor, and performed in Mary Poppins and Les Misérables.

Dominic Heil was selected as Co-Valedictorian at Veritas Prep. He plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Business Honors Academy and major in actuarial science. He has been involved in house leadership, Great Hearts Great Hands, cross country, track and field, soccer, men’s choir, chorale, peer mentorship, powder puff, and served in light and sound for school musicals.

Elle Nideffer was selected as Co-Valedictorian at Veritas Prep. She will University of Notre Dame to study chemistry. She has been involved in house leadership, Olympic archery, peer mentorship, chorale, women’s choir, geology club, and chemistry club.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! Your future is bright, and your Great Hearts family will be cheering you on every step of the way.

Do you have a story or know of one that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.

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