Class of 2026

Congrats, grads! St. John's School Class of 2026!

Camarin Blancaflor

Cameron Blancaflor has certainly gained a wide variety of experiences and interests during her time at SJS. A member of the glee club where she often had solo or leading roles, Camie also did basketball and volleyball. Additionally, she also is a very enthusiastic art student, having produced many different pieces. With such an array of interests, Camie isn’t sure yet of what exactly she wants to do in the future, but as of now, she plans to attend the University of Las Vegas Nevada where she will study business administration. She is interested in potentially going into the field of environmental consulting since she has a passion for addressing environmental issues and also aiding companies mitigate environmental damage. While she certainly has big plans for the future, Camie will greatly miss all the teachers she formed close connections with and all the memories she made with the friends whether big or small. A particularly memorable class for her was Mrs. Petra’s IBS English class which not only improved her reading and writing, but also her annotation skills, analytical skills, and emotional intelligence. After going through all the ups and downs of highschool, the best piece of advice Camie can give to a fellow student is to just be yourself and to stay with people who make you feel seen, heard, and appreciated.

Amaya Bollinger

Amaya Bollinger is planning to attend Ithaca College where she is going to be studying exercise science and then eventually physical therapy. What Amaya will miss most about St. John’s is the people as she really likes her friends and the teachers who made her high school experience memorable. Amaya’s most helpful advice was “Not to worry too much about things and ensure you’re having fun. Making good memories is just as important as getting good grades.” Her favorite teachers are Mrs. Petra or Shepard Sensei because they were the most impactful for her, gave the best advice, and helped her to understand the importance of slowing down and enjoying time as a senior. She also loves Ms. McCormic as a teacher who introduced her to exercise science which inspired Amaya to study it in college. Amaya has been a member in clubs such as service club during her junior year. She has also been vice president of her senior year. Not only did she do service club and experienced being vice president, she also is the captain of her swim team that she was in for four years but was outside of school.

Knathan Davis

Knathan Davis says his favorite moment in high school would definitely be Senior Sunrise. He describes it as, “Refreshing to see our class come together to watch the sun rise knowing that it was a moment we were only going to experience once in our lifetime.” Knathan plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh where he plans to study pre-physical therapy / public health. In the future, he wants to become a travel physical therapist and open his own practice. Graduating from SJS will make him miss all the connections he made with teachers and friends. He mentions that, “My most memorable moments would be all the laughs I had with my friends, there wasn’t one moment where I wasn’t laughing when I was with them.” Knathan’s advice to his underclassmen is to “Take chances and don’t be afraid to fail. You only live once.”
His two favorite classes would be sports science with Mrs. McCormic and English with Mrs. Petra. Knathan describes that, “They make it their mission to make sure students learn and understand the subject material. I’m forever grateful for the love and dedication they’ve shown towards me.” In high school, Knathan has participated in a variety of clubs. He played on the high school boys volleyball team from his freshman year to his senior year. He was the co-captain from his junior to his senior year. He also played Beach Volleyball in 9th to 12th grade. The last sport he mentioned participating in high school would be golf in his senior year. Besides sports, he was in the Environmental Club in his sophomore and senior year. In his freshman to junior year of high school, he was in the pre- medical Club.

Amara Del Carmen

Amara Del Carmen’s favorite moment in Upper School would be, winning the basketball championship for the second time in a row with teammates. Amara plans to go to college somewhere in New York. She plans to major in chemistry, forensic science, or criminology. Amara Del Carmen says, “I chose these majors because I hope to be a forensic scientist and crime scene investigator in the future,”. Amara says, “I will miss the sports and relationships I’ve made with my friends, teachers, and coaches. The most memorable experience would definitely be our 5th-grade field trip to Ondown.”. Amara gives as a piece of advice, “Take advantage of study halls, and don’t be too scared to join every sport you can, because my best friendships and relationships came from there,”. Amara says that “Mrs. Nancy’s pottery class is more than a class to me; it's someone I can talk to whenever, and she always has food and advice for me. Not only in pottery class but for life advice, she’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind and the truth, which is someone I aspire to be and am lucky I had her to look up to.” Throughout Upper School, Amara Del Carmen participated in sports such as, being in the Basketball Varsity team throughout all of high school, acting as the Captain of the Basketball Team in her junior and senior years, playing in the Volleyball Team, doing Beach Volleyball in junior year, and rugby during sophomore year. Carmen was also in the Filipino Club as a sophomore and junior and was the class treasurer her junior year. She was even the chemistry club president during her Senior year!

Avery Guiao

Avery Guiao will be attending Kenyon College, focussing on environmental science and then environmental engineering. In the near future, she plans to return to Guam to work at Andersen Air Force base. Aligning with her aspirations, she was an active member of the environmental club. She was also a part of the service club, glee club, NHS, and was the vice president of the Filipino club. As she reflects on her time at St. John’s, she reminisces about her study hall freshman year where she got to relax and play with her friends. She will also miss being within walking distance from her friends. Avery especially enjoyed Ms. McCormic’s Biology class as Ms. McCormic inspired her to succeed academically and stay consistent. As a last note to her underclassmen, she suggests not being “afraid of people watching you fail; real friends will be there when you fall and cheer you on when you succeed”.

Zunaid Jafar

Zunaid Jafar’s favorite moment in upper school would be sports day. He says that the event was, “Well organized, and the friendly competition was really fun.” Zunaid plans on attending Stanford University where he plans to study aeronautics and astronautics. He mentions, in the future, he looks forward to working in aerospace or race car design and development. Graduating SJS will make him miss teachers and friends. Zunaid mentions that, “My classmates in my TOK, CCTS, and math class made those classes very memorable.” Zunaid gives, as a piece of advice, that, “Although I didn't listen to it much, the most important piece of advice would be to not procrastinate.” Zunaid has mentioned that all his teachers helped him grow a lot. However, he said Ms. Lee especially helped him in school. He says, “Ms. Lee has always supported, encouraged, and pushed me to do my best ever since I came to St. Johns.” Throughout upper school, Zunaid played basketball from 9th to 10th grade. He also played soccer in 10th grade and volleyball in 11th grade. Aside from sports, he participated in the math club from 9th to 11th grade. Zunaid was also the treasurer during his sophomore and junior year at SJS. He acted as an environmental club member for all four years. In 10th to 12th grade, Zunaid was a member of NHS and was treasurer during his senior year.

Eric Kwon

Eric Kwon's plans are to study finance. He said “Hopefully I get into private equity in the future as it is something that has sparked my interest recently.” His most favorite activity in high school so far is participating in the afterschool sports. He says he will miss most the comfort and closeness he felt in school. His most memorable experience at St. John's was swimming for a quarter during my freshman year. “The piece of advice that most helped me and will help other underclassmen is to never submit anything late.” His club activities are soccer, volleyball, and gold. He was in the Japanese club and the environmental club. During high school, he was class president during his freshman year, vice president in his junior year, and vice president for Tri-M during his senior year.

Mateo Lauron

Mateo Lauron has had quite the experience during his time at SJS. While not being able to pin-point what he will miss from his time at the school, he still made memorable experiences, especially attending prom where he enjoyed how comfortable everyone was and the free feeling of simply being able to party. Mateo plans to work in the field of aviation, specifically as an airline mechanic. However, aside from his main career plans, he also would like to create costumes and make appearances for special events as a side gig. A particularly impactful class for Mateo was Mr. Babia’s Live Sound Enginering—it taught him a lot about the about the electrical aspect of music such as cables and solder work. As someone who likes to work with his hands, Mateo had a great amount of fun while being able to get a solid grade at the same time. As a last word of advice to his underclassmen: your life matters more than anything else. Mistakes are unavoidable so it is important that you don’t drown in degrading self-talk and try to be the best person you can be

Chanju Lee

Chanju Lee’s favorite memory in upper school was the photo taking STUCO event hosted last quarter, with his most memorable experience at St. Johns being walking down with the kindergarteners during the spring concert. He is going to miss the friends and faculty at this school who have made his high school experience so enjoyable. He will be attending Carnegie Mellon University at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is planning to study electrical and computer engineering to become an engineer who builds things that will eventually improve our lives. Chanju has played volleyball from ninth to eleventh grade. He’s been a member of Tri-M from tenth to twelfth grade, NHS from eleventh to twelfth grade, programming club from ninth to eleventh grade. He was also secretary of Tri-M in twelfth grade, secretary of programming club in eleventh grade, and was a class officer in ninth grade as secretary and in tenth grade as vice president. His advice for younger students is that “it's normal to not have everything figured out and to not be completely ready. Whether it's sports, extracurriculars, or any activities, just start on it. I learned that starting is the hardest part.” Chanju feels that Dr. San Nicolas was the most impactful teacher for him because “she is both our greatest supporter and our harshest critic. She genuinely wants us to become better people.”

Aki-Yoshi Matsuno

Aki Matsuno’s favorite memories in upper school are the quarterly STUCO events. He is going to miss how close Saint John's is to home, because of all the great moments he’s had with his classmates. He is going to be attending University of Hawaii at Manoa and is planning to study mechanical engineering as an undergraduate degree, as well as a master's in ocean and resource engineering to become either a naval engineer or an offshore structures engineer. Aki has played golf for SJS for all years in high school, and is currently playing volleyball in his senior year. Not only that, he has managed to secure back-to-back first place in the all-island championships in his junior and senior years. His advice for younger students is to “definitely don’t procrastinate, but also don’t take things too seriously, as it's good to have fun to avoid burnout.” Aki feels all the classes and teachers have influenced him, and that there's not one that has been more impactful than the other.

Jerrick Palomares

Jerrick Palomares was actively involved in St. John’s sports, participating in varsity soccer, volleyball, and beach volleyball. He was also fortunate to represent Guam in volleyball at the national level. Through these sports he showed strong leadership skills, always uplifting others. In addition, Jerrick served as the treasurer for his class, Tri-M Music Honor Society and Glee Club. He is honored to announce that he will be attending the United States Air Force Academy, focusing on engineering. He chose engineering because he enjoys problem-solving and understanding how systems work. He hopes to use this knowledge to contribute to missions requiring innovation, technical skill, and strong leadership. His time in Upper School was truly a memorable one, particularly having the shared experience of growth among his peers and overcoming hardships together. This is what he enjoyed the most from St. John’s--being a part of this close-knit community where people around him were constantly supporting him. He felt that Mrs. Chua and Mrs. Petra played the greatest role in his success as they challenged him to think critically and communicate effectively. As a parting piece of advice, Jerrick recommends to “stay consistent even when no one is watching… discipline and small daily habits matter more than last-minute effort”.

Cristina Pangelinan

Christina Pangelinan has been very active with the amongst SJS clubs, having participated in Filipino club, humanitarian club, and service club where she helped make food for a soup kitchen. During her time at the school, Christina’s favorite moments were the Christmas Pageants and the STUCO activities where they had Just Dance. As of now, she plans to study psychology. Christina is currently thinking of pursuing a career in either clinical or forensic psychology, but she acknowledges the future always has the potential to change its course. While looking forward to what lies ahead of her, Christina will remember the classes and teachers that have made a great impact on her—Ms. Perlosky’s drama class taught her that “to be cringe is to be free” and provided her with a safe space to be herself. Additionally, Mr. Babia’s band class taught her how to play several instruments. While only knowing the basics of each instrument, Christina still finds it impressive that she learned to play such a variety of instruments. As a stern piece of advice to any upcoming St. John’s student: IB is crazy and you will need luck.

Jia Peters

Jia Peters describes her most favorite moments in Upper School would be when, “My team and I won the High School Girls Basketball championship and also every moment of laughter shared among me and my friends through the years.” Jia plans on studying to become a nurse or an accountant. She also says that she wants to join the military after she finishes college. Jia says that she will miss the community the most at St. John’s. Jia mentioned, “ The teachers and entire faculty who care so much for the students will always be remembered and cherished dearly to me.” A piece of advice that Jia would like to give would be, to “Start early, have a plan, and the rest will become easier. Be kind to your future self and of course, don't ever miss a chance to experience something while you're in high school but it really is so short-lived.”
Jia mentions that Mr. Shepherd has been so impactful in her life. She describes him to be an amazing coach in both beach and indoor volleyball. She also says that, “I think all of my math teachers have really had a big impact in my life and my time here at St. Johns: from Mr. P to Mr. Yao to Mrs. LG to Ms. Lee, they're all incredible teachers who I will never forget.” During her time in high school, Jia participated in the high school girls volleyball and was the team captain for all four years. Jia also played in the high school girls basketball and was also the team captain throughout high school. She played in Beach Volleyball from January to March in 2025 and 2026, and from February to March of 2025 and 2026, she participated in 3x3 Girls Basketball. Aside from sports, Jia was also the Vice-President of the Filipino Club in SY 2024- to 2025. The last club she was in would be the Japanese Club, in which she was the secretary of, in SY 2023 to 2024.

Alex Puangco

Alex Puangco will miss the sports and friends he’s made at school. He is most likely going to attend USD University of California, Northeastern, or Urbana Champaign and is planning to study business, specifically finance and economics as it’s the major that interests him the most. Alex has played in the beach volleyball third team all island and was also captain for four years, indoor volleyball for four years, golf for a year, environmental club for three years, and NHS for two years. His advice for younger students is to “Pace yourself and don't let work pile up.” Alex felt that Mrs. Nancy’s pottery class was the most impactful and calming for him and Mrs. Nancy as a person helped him grow as an adult in terms of stressing about being respectful.

Ava (Ash) Sauget

Ash Sauget is what you can call an active member of the SJS community, having been a part of many different organizations such as Filipino club where she served as secretary and then president, handbells club which allowed her to perform at various school events, and humanitarian club where she became secretary. While having a wide array of interests, Ash plans to study biology at Stony Brook University with the ultimate plan of becoming a pediatric dentist. She chose this specialty specifically because she enjoys working with kids and has been exposed to the field of dentistry her entire life. Although Ash is very excited for the future, she will certainly miss the times she spent with her friends and teachers. Some of her fondest memories at the school are the STUCO events where she got to hang out with her friends. A particularly impactful class for Ash was Mrs. Gaitan’s history of the Marianas—due to the small student number, she found the class particularly engaging and the topics very interesting. As a word of advice for her underclassmen, Ash really emphasizes the importance of participating, not just in class but also in clubs and making contributions to the community. It is these experiences that allowed her to find what she likes versus what she doesn’t, and also taught her how to collaborate with others.

Charlese (Troy) Serrano

Troy Serrano plans to study civil engineering because he is “interested in how structures like bridges, roads, and buildings are designed and built.” His favorite memory is competing in sports day against all his friends. “What I’ll miss the most about St. John’s is spending time with my friends after school. At the end of the day, we would usually hang out in the parking lot, chill, and talk with each other before going home.” His advice is to “do NOT procrastinate”. His club activities are tech crew and environmental club.

Stella Tai

One of Stella’s favorite Upper School memories at St John’s was the triumph over finally finishing her extended essay (EE). Looking forward, she has committed to Wellesley College in Massachusetts, inspired by an alumna who represents the kind of person Stella aspires to become. She plans to major in history to pursue her love of storytelling. She is eventually aiming for law school. Driven by her belief that “knowing your rights and how to use them is a very important and interesting skill that I want to master” she said. While Stella will miss her friends, she finds comfort in the fact that they will be nearby on the East coast. However, she will very much miss Mrs. Petra and Dr. San Nicolas, as their classes were the most impactful to her. Mrs. Petra’s IBH English class gave her confidence in the value of her thoughts even though English is her second language, and Dr. San Nicolas’ IBH history class turned writing from a chore into an enjoyable hobby. Outside of the classrooms, Stella stayed busy as class secretary and member of the glee club. To fight off senioritis, she recommends forming study groups and to never be afraid to speak up.

Rainier Tio

Rainer Tio will be attending the University of Texas at Dallas, studying mechanical engineering. He aspires to get a Bachelor’s degree and figure things out afterwards. He was active in a variety of clubs. He was a part of the Filipino Club, Environmental Club, and Engineering Club. He was also in St. John’s STUCO and fencing. Rainer has created many fond memories at St. John’s. One that particularly stood out was his court games class where he was able to hang out with his classmates. He also felt that Mr. Harmon’s writer’s workshop had the greatest impact on him as it allowed him to cultivate his imaginations in a way he couldn’t anywhere else. Rainer thought that his last day of school was a bittersweet moment for him. He will miss the supportive and kind close-knit community of St. Johns. As a last note from Rainer, he thinks that “It will - unconditionally - always be worth it to have hope”.

Harry Vitale

Harry Vitale is going to the University of Hawaii Manoa to study business. He thinks of St.John's as family because the faculty treated him as one of their own. His favorite moment of high school is the “Capture the Turkey” game in freshman year during pep rally. His advice for people is to always ask questions. Harry has said that Mrs. McCormic has been the most impactful teacher because she's “made me see life in many different ways.” Harry's club activities and leadership positions are Glee club, environment club, ASK club, Freshmen Vice President, and STUCO during senior year.

Additional note:
The Knight has not heard back interviews from all members of the class of 2026. However, we still wish everyone the best of luck for all future endevours. Congrats class of 2026!