DANIEL OSTOVAR DECLARED VALEDICTORIAN
Pacific Grove High School is proud to announce Daniel Ostovar as the Class of 2025 valedictorian. With years of academic excellence and a wide range of interests, Ostovar has earned the highest GPA in his graduating class and will speak on behalf of his peers at this year’s commencement ceremony.
Reflecting on what helped him succeed academically, Ostovar shared, “There wasn’t really any particular motivation that made me do well in school. I think what helped me succeed was more so just that I found almost all my classes interesting.”
He especially enjoyed English and French. Of his English classes, he said, “I liked the books I read a lot… I still think about some of them, like The Illustrated Man, pretty regularly.” French stood out because it was rewarding to “see myself go from not knowing anything to being able to read fluently.”
When asked about his most challenging course, Ostovar answered without hesitation: “AP Physics C SUCKED.” He explained, “It was the first time I ever had to deal with getting a 60% on a test after studying super hard.” Despite the difficulty, he appreciated the experience by the end, recalling, “On the last day, Mr. Afifi brought out a little air hockey table and had a tournament with the class. That really made me feel grateful to have had the experience.”
Outside of academics, Ostovar was deeply involved in robotics and community service. He also volunteered at the emergency room. Surprisingly, he found robotics just as intense as the ER, remarking, “It’s surprising how robotics can sometimes be more stressful than the ER.”
When it came to managing stress, Ostovar found his own rhythm: “I was stressed out of my mind at some point every year… but it worked out. I am a real believer in only doing my homework after dinner, and that strategy served me well.”
Though proud of his achievements, he expressed some personal reflection: “I think I used school as a way to make myself so busy that I wouldn’t have any time to think about my other problems… but it came at the cost of not being able to go out and have fun.”
Becoming valedictorian came as a surprise to him: “To be honest, I really thought that one of my classmates was going to be valedictorian over me.” Still, he takes pride in the milestone, adding, “I’m probably the only transgender Baha’i valedictorian this country’s ever seen, and that’s kind of cool.”
As he prepares to head to UC Berkeley, Ostovar leaves behind a legacy of academic strength, leadership in robotics, and a commitment to doing things his own way.