Cecilia Moxley

Cecilia Moxley, commonly known as “Ceci” to friends, family, and teachers, is an engineering student at Canyon Hills. With a 4.79 GPA and several AP and college courses under her belt, she has demonstrated that she is well deserving of her valedictorian status.

As an AP, honors, and dual enrollment student, Moxley has excelled in many fields of academics. Her favorite subjects so far have included different forms of science and mathematics, as well as her engineering classes. She has also gotten the school counselors to add two new engineering courses for her to take during her senior year after finishing all of the ones the school offered: “Digital Electronics” and “Computer Integrated Manufacturing,” a feat not many other students can say they have done.

“I created two new classes for our engineering department cause I finished all the courses and I was like, ‘I’m not done with engineering, I got to take more,’” said Moxley. “So I annoyed the counseling office into adding more classes this year. Third period I have ‘Digital Electronics’ and fifth period I have ‘Computer Integrated Manufacturing.’ I’m really proud of these classes because I’m actually in classes I enjoy my senior year instead of random AP classes that I would’ve not enjoyed.”

She has also shown greatness outside of the classroom. As captain of the water polo team, Moxley has demonstrated great versatility in her skills as well as quality leadership when leading the team during games. 

“The girls water polo team has been the best community ever,” said Moxley. “Even though our team might not win lots of games, we’re still enjoying it and playing as hard as we can, and still cheering for every single thing. Being around a group of people who are there to enjoy the sport instead of only being focused on winning has been a really positive experience.”

Additionally, Moxley has been a very active participant in Key Club, and has very much enjoyed her time volunteering with the group.

“With Key Club, I’ve volunteered at so many different places and learned so many new skills,” said Moxley. “I learned how to facepaint people, which was a really cool experience but I feel bad for those little kids who got bad drawings on their faces.”

Even with struggles over the years, Moxley has continued to work hard to achieve her dreams by embracing challenges and not giving up.

“My biggest academic challenge so far was Calculus III,” said Moxley. “The material was alright, but the professor was super disorganized. I had to file a complaint against her at the community college and put so much time and effort into studying so I could know everything she would test me on.”

She advises underclassmen to not give up or be afraid, even if subjects are hard.

“My advice would be to not be afraid of a challenge,” said Moxley. “Don’t take one class over another just because it’s easier, because the skills you learn here will go a long way if you decide to go to college or just enter the workforce. Being able to sit down and say, ‘I’m gonna get this homework done,’ is a valuable skill in order to get things done. So if you take classes that push you to expand your working skills and your perseverance, then you’ll be better off in the future.”

Moxley has announced her commitment to the California Institute of Technology’s class of 2028 for mechanical engineering, and we couldn’t be more excited for her.

“I plan to attend college to study mechanical engineering,” said Moxley. “I really want to go into the renewable energy or sustainability sector to work on projects that will reduce our carbon footprint.”

Ian Williamson

Ian Williamson is an engineering student at Canyon Hills High School. With a 4.83 GPA and many rigorous courses under his belt, he has earned his spot as valedictorian for the class of 2024.

As an AP, honors, and dual enrollment student, Williamson has exceeded student standards in various fields of academics. His favorite classes have been his mathematics courses, demonstrating excellence in the subject by taking precalculus in sophomore year and calculus in junior and senior year.

“I took pre-calc as a sophomore and finished all of my calculus courses as a high schooler,” said Williamson. “I’m a math guy, so I’ve definitely loved all of the math classes that I’ve taken, especially Calculus I and II, and the two chemistry classes, honors and AP.”

Williamson has also displayed interest and skill in a variety of extracurriculars, including varsity soccer and volleyball.

“I really like playing soccer, I was the soccer captain this year and on varsity for three years,” said Williamson. “And I really like volleyball. I’ve been playing for three years and we just won league and are planning to be in the top five for CIF.”

He has faced struggles over the years, but he hasn’t let them get him down.

“Learning to be independent in my studies hasn’t been easy,” said Williamson. “Finding the right study schedules, finding when I want to do homework, and figuring out things on my own. This was very much prevalent for my first semester this year, with my math class, because it felt like I was just alone in it because it was online, and I feel like that kind of allowed me to be more individualized and pick up really good study habits that I carry with me.”

He advises underclassmen to continue working hard and to not be afraid of asking for help.

“Just keep working hard and be present in class,” said Williamson. “Pay attention, and don’t ever be afraid to ask for help, because the teachers are there to help you and they know what you’re struggling with, so don’t be afraid to go up to them and ask and don’t be afraid to keep trying regardless of how hard it is.”

Williamson has announced his commitment to Cal Poly Slo’s class of 2028 for aerospace engineering, and we couldn’t be happier for him.

“I got into college for aerospace engineering and plan on becoming an aerospace engineer,” said Williamson. “I don’t know which one yet, but hopefully I’ll focus more on either aeronautics or astronomics, just something in the field.”