Cordova Times intern Mhikee (Kyi) Gasmen was named the Class of 2024 Valedictorian by Cordova Junior/Senior High School (CHS) last week.
A raised Cordovan, Gasmen has been reporting and writing for The Cordova Times for six months while finishing his senior year at CHS. Some of his most notable work has been his holiday coverage at Mt. Eccles Elementary School, his weekly Around Town events roundup and everyone’s favorite Take A Break puzzle section, and his piece on how the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill still impacts Cordova’s youth 35 years later. Gasmen sought out an internship at the newspaper because of his interest in both familiarizing himself with the stories that surround him in the community, and because of his staunch belief in the mission of journalism to inform and service the public.
At school, Gasmen has served in student government for all four years, his senior year as president of the CHS Student Council. Some of his favorite classes throughout school have been in the social studies curriculum. Those include Alaska history, AP U.S. history (APUSH), AP U.S. government, world history, psychology, D.C. introduction to law, and women’s history.
The outgoing senior said he had “the room to go beyond” in his final two years at CHS because of his decision to modify his academic schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic to expand his workload. His advanced placement (AP) classes, Gasmen said, also gave him a boost in his overall grade point average (GPA).
“It was also this year that I developed a fixation on social studies through taking APUSH,” he said. “The amount of work that class gave us helped me learn better time management skills, how to read faster, and improved my comprehension.”
Gasmen also said that his APUSH class inspired him to study at the University of British Columbia in Canada during his time in high school.
“APUSH had made such an impact on me that, because of it, I dedicated that summer to attending a program abroad (at the University of British Columbia) to learn more about history and how it is documented through journalism,” he said. “This program inspired me to take on an internship with The Cordova Times and also boosted my confidence to take two more AP classes my senior year.”
The valedictorian said he wants to give special thanks to then-English teacher and current school counselor Debra Adams, social studies teachers Sam Shaw and Emily Moody, and English teacher Arissa Pearson.
“Their support and encouragement played leading roles in the development of my confidence,” Gasmen said. “To this day, their assistance and teaching throughout senior year (with the exception of Mr. Shaw, as he’s left town) helps clear the picture for the person I want to become.”
The outgoing senior told The Cordova Times that he’s always had his sights set on this accomplishment.
“Since I entered high school in 2020, I had a dream to graduate as my class valedictorian,” he said. “Now, I am proud that I’ve made that dream a reality.”
But even if he wasn’t named as top of his class, Gasmen said he’d still be filled with pride heading toward the finish line. After high school, he plans to move out of state to attend college.
“I believe that, even if I didn’t receive the title of valedictorian, I would be able to look back at my high school experiences and still be fond of all I’ve accomplished,” Gasmen said.
Floyd Witsoe — a senior and member of the CHS basketball team that just won the conference playoffs and earned third place in the state tournament — was named the Class of 2024 Salutatorian.
CHS graduation is scheduled for May 18.
