Sequoia Valedictorian to Study at Stanford

At first glance, Palani Akana is a typical 18-year-old teenager, tall with a slight build. But in his foreman is the swing of a tennis player, in his fingers is the dexterity of concert violist, in his flick of the wrist the talent of an artist, and in his heart the compassion of a volunteer.

The valedictorian also has a perfect 4.0 GPA to boot.

His teachers said his inquisitive nature shined through in each class. The Stanford-bound student was always full of questions and interested in learning more.

“He’s just naturally curious,” said Akana’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Psychology teacher, David West. “When most kids are satisfied with just getting information, [Akana] always pushes for more.”  

Akana’s IB Environmental Systems teacher, Sarah Newman, agreed. She added that in her class, "Palani was able to integrate topics with a level of thought maturity I haven't seen before.”

West added, “He’s quite intelligent, but not pretentious at all. Very gentle and soft-spoken. It may be cliché, but it just shows that he was raised well.”

They both agreed that he would excel in whatever subject he decided to pursue at Stanford, where he received a full scholarship.

“I’m excited to continue pursuing academic areas that I’m interested in,” the scholar said. “But it’s also going to be great getting to know a different community that’s even more diverse than Sequoia.”

But before he heads to college, Akana will take a seven-week trip to Ecuador through the Amigas de las Americas program. There he will stay with a local host family while concurrently working on community volunteer projects. He said his time last year in Paraguay was his favorite activity throughout his high school career.

This and his activity with the Key Club, an international service club, earned him a Sequoia Award for his dedication to volunteerism.

He’s also played the viola for seven years and played in the Peninsula Youth Orchestra and also enjoyed playing tennis. When he tried his hand at art, he won Honorable Mention in the “Painting and Drawing” category at the .

Once at Stanford, Akana will be able to pursue whichever academic path--and extracurriculars--he chooses, he will have a wide skill set to choose from.