South Whidbey High School’s five valedictorians don’t consider themselves to be the smartest people in school.

It was their work ethic, diligent classwork and the inner voices in their heads that told them, “Keep going” that separated them from the rest of the pack.

Seniors Chandler Hagglund, Iona Rohan, Amara Garibyan, Jing Wu and Mallorie Mitchem are the 2016 valedictorians. The five had to triumph in everything from late-night study sessions to skipping social events with friends. The reward, in their eyes, is a sense of accomplishment and a polished demeanor they will carry into the next phases of their lives, namely college. Homework assignment after homework assignment, class after class, the five college-bound seniors maintained 4.0-grade-point averages over four years at South Whidbey High School.

The Record recently sat down with the five honorees.

GARIBYAN

Amara Garibyan does not compete in sports like her fellow valedictorians. She spends her time elsewhere.

She’s been involved in at least 10 clubs or extracurricular activities since transferring from Island Christian Academy her sophomore year, including Knowledge Bowl, Key Club, debate club, Spanish club, National Honor Society, drama club and Green Team. She’s held leadership roles in most of them. While her classmates grew individually as athletes, Garibyan says she developed her people skills and other attributes.

“It’s not physically as demanding as sports. I don’t think I could take that, but it’s a lot of organization and just communication and learning to work with other people,” she said.

Like Hagglund, Rohan, Wu and Mitchem, Garibyan has had to skip her fair share of social events. Though difficult to do at times, she said she kept the bigger picture in mind.

“Because it’s how you get ahead and it’s preparing for your future,” Garibyan said. “It’s fun to hang out with friends and stuff, but if you want to be successful you have to put in the hard work now.”

That’s not to say it’s been a breeze. She said senior year has been a struggle due to college applications and a tiny dose of “senioritis.” She said junior year was the toughest because of the advance placement courses she took.

The Whitman-bound senior plans to study environmental studies and politics. When she’s not striving in academics, Garibyan enjoys photography and traveling. She had two main pieces of advice for aspiring students hoping to achieve similar stature.

“Stay focused and don’t get distracted,” Garibyan said. “You really have to be focused and not be afraid to admit that you don’t know what you’re doing sometimes.”

“A lot of it is honestly just hard work. I don’t think it matters how naturally smart you are or gifted, but it’s how much work you’re willing to put into it is really how you get the grades,” she added.

HAGGLUND

It’s busy times for Chandler Hagglund. And it’s not just because of school work.

Hagglund owns and operates his own business, Hagglund Window Washing, and according to him, business is booming.

“Right now it’s super stressful because everybody wants their windows clean right now and it’s time for finals,” Hagglund said. “It’s just a lot. But it’s going pretty good.”

Not many high school seniors own their own business. But, like fellow senior Alec Chinnery, Hagglund is making money when he’s not hitting the books. While he’ll continue to operate the business through the rest of the summer, he plans to study engineering at Washington State University in the fall. Though he’s not set on the major, he’s hopeful he’ll continue excelling in the classroom. Earning his status of valedictorian didn’t come easily, especially during his junior year during football season. Under then-head coach Chris Tormey, practices would often last until 6:30 p.m. The late practices quickly transformed into late nights, though he fought through it.

“Just getting home after one of those things, I’m just dead after a four-hour practice and then doing homework until midnight or 1 o’clock.” Hagglund said.

As his fellow valedictorians would agree, Hagglund said his most difficult class was physics, taught by Greg Ballog. Though he had some close calls at one point or another, he learned a lot about how a solid work ethic can pay off.

“Just work hard at all the school work,” Hagglund said. “Talk to the teachers. If your grade is borderline, talk to the teachers because sometimes they might bump it up.”

MITCHEM

It was never an easy task for Mallorie Mitchem to balance her athletics and schoolwork. As a cross country and track and field runner, Mitchem often had to work ahead and manage her own time to ensure there wouldn’t be stress later on.

“There’s been some close calls,” Mitchem said.

The formula for her success was diligence and dedication toward her schoolwork. She also had a willingness to sit out social events to study.

“I know throughout the years, my social life has taken a hit for these grades sometimes,” Mitchem said. “When you’re balancing everything with sports and maintaining academics, there are things that have to give. There’s definitely times where you’re just stressed and upset.”

Whenever times got tough, Mitchem used her workouts during cross country or track as a break from the rigors of school.

“Emotionally I feel better because running and physically I feel better, so it’s a stress relief too,” Mitchem said. “I think that’s the nice thing about sports, that even though they can be really stressful, it’s nice to get a break from class all day.”

Mitchem moved to the island when she was 8. She developed an appreciation for the learning environment as she grew up and was especially positive about the one-on-one time she had with teachers and the relationships that grew as a result.

She’ll run cross country for Division III Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland next fall. She plans to study mathematics and pre-medicine.

Mitchem urged students not to be discouraged and to overcome any feelings of stress or being overwhelmed. She also recommended students talk to their teachers early on during a class, rather than waiting until the last minute.

“They’ve helped me talk it out and say, ‘OK, well you have this coming up and so as long as you get this percentage, you’re good,” Mitchem said.

WU

Jing Wu wasn’t afraid to admit that she seldom has free time.

“Honestly, between school, sports and clubs and work, I really have no life,” Wu said.

Though most would hope senior year is a breeze, it has been anything but for Wu. Her last year in high school required a lot of juggling, she said, and it wasn’t easy.

“Although it wasn’t the classes that were harder, it’s been trying to manage everything all at once, with college applications and everything,” Wu said. “I felt it was hard, but a lot of it was just putting the time into it.”

She also competed in girls tennis this spring, and, like Mitchem, Rohan and Hagglund, had to manage her time carefully. It’s a deed easier said than done, but Wu was determined to attain the best grades she could.

“I think one thing we learned with sports and other activities, you have to get ahead a lot of the time,” Wu said. “Some days you’ll have a little bit extra time, so instead of spending it watching TV or something, get ahead so you’re not going to have to stay up every night trying to get through it and working through weekends.”

She was among the valedictorians who insisted that she didn’t rely on her smarts to earn the honor.

“People are like, ‘You’re really smart,’ but I’m like, ‘I’m not really smart, I just work for it,’ ” Wu said.

Wu plans to attend the University of Washington, where she will study international business.

“I really like traveling, so I want a job that will allow me to travel to different countries,” Wu said.

ROHAN

Most people could find excuses for not doing homework. Whether it be walking the dog, watching Netflix or any other assorted teenage activity, there are plenty of ways to skip out on the task. For Iona Rohan, Whidbey Island born and raised, it’s a different story.

“Sometimes you get home at 9 o’clock at night and you’re just like, ‘I don’t want to do homework,’ ” Rohan said. “You just have to kind of get through it. But I feel like I’ll always be mad at myself if I don’t do homework, so I just do it.”

Rohan, bound for the University of Washington to study environmental science, found ways to stay on top of her classwork and after-school activities. As her fellow valedictorians would agree, earning the honor came with challenge. She’s also found it important to keep things in perspective as senior year winds down, and remind herself to stay on her academic grind.

“This semester has been really hard because we’re so close, but you just have to stay focused,” Rohan said.

With the girls tennis season over, Rohan will likely find ways to pursue her outdoor leisures like hiking, kayaking and biking.

“Basically anything that’s outside,” Rohan said.

Her field of study at the Seattle-based university will be something she hopes can be crafted to best fit her interests.

“I’m really passionate about the environment,” Rohan said. “I’m not the best at science but I think I could go far in that field and it’s really open.”

GRADUATION SCHEDULE

South Whidbey High School’s graduation ceremony begins at noon, June 11 in the main gymnasium. The five valedictorians will give a combined speech, reflecting on their time at the school and growing up on Whidbey Island.