Santa Fe High senior lauded for connecting students, promoting positive campus culture

Santa Fe High School senior Valeria Restrepo is the only student on the current ASB cabinet to have participated all four years of high school, helping to bring cheer to the campus while maintaining a rigorous course schedule. She was recently honored with an Award of Merit from the Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees.

WHITTIER – Santa Fe High School’s award-winning Associated Student Body has played an essential role in making the campus culture a positive and inclusive environment in which students are connected, cared for and engaged. It’s a job that requires time, passion and commitment ­– qualities that senior Valeria Restrepo has exhibited over the last four years.

The only student on the current ASB cabinet to have participated all four years of high school, Restrepo has become a key leader of the spirited team, contributing to its goal of fostering a family of united Chieftains while maintaining a rigorous course schedule. 

By the time she graduates, Restrepo, who holds a 4.17 GPA, will have completed 28 honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. She is also involved in several extracurricular activities and is a Southern Director on the California Association of State Leaders (CASL) board, a support and networking organization for student leaders. 

In recognition of her efforts to help to build a one-of-a-kind camaraderie at Santa Fe, Restrepo was honored with an Award of Merit from the Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees.

“ASB may seem like it’s just about glitter and glue and becoming excellent event planners, but it is way more than that,” Restrepo said. “Seeing the smiles on student’s faces as they participate in our events makes all of the stress, the breakdowns and the very little sleep worth it because I knew that our student body was having fun. I am happy to say that my time at Santa Fe High has shaped me into the person I am today.”

Spending countless hours at school planning assemblies and events, such as Homecoming Week and King of Hearts, or studying for exams for her classes – including AP Biology, AP Government, AP Calculus AB and AP English Literature – hasn’t slowed down Restrepo.

At Santa Fe, Restrepo has been a member of the soccer and track and field teams, dance team, Chieftain Friends and Principal’s Honor Court. She has applied to universities, including UC Santa Barbara, John Hopkins and Tulane, and hopes to study biology or pre-med with aspirations of becoming a pediatric neurologist.

“I’ve learned from my parents that there is never a challenge that is too difficult to tackle,” Restrepo said. “Santa Fe has taught me resiliency and through everyone’s support, I have been able to do my best both inside and outside the classroom.”

Thanks to student leaders like Restrepo, who have helped the school’s ASB program become recognized as one of the most outstanding activities programs in the state over the last 16 years, students feel connected.

“Each year, the ASB cabinet leads the efforts in building meaningful and lasting connections to school while breaking down the barriers to student involvement,” Principal Craig Campbell said. “Valeria is a perfect example of the type of leaders Santa Fe produces. With her strong work ethic and drive for success, we know that Valeria will be successful in whatever path she takes.”