Eddie Perez and Tiffany Robinson are PHS Valedictorian and Salutatorian

PRESCOTT – Graduating members of the Prescott High School Class of 2017 will walk the aisle to receive their diplomas at noon on Saturday in the high school gymnasium. This year's honor speakers are Valedictorian Eddie Perez and Salutatorian Tiffany Robinson.

Perez, son of Monique and Juan Perez, will graduate at age 16, with a GPA of 3.74. He has attended Prescott school district since kindergarten. Perez said he took extra courses during summer school which allowed him to skip his freshman and junior years, and graduate early.

Perez has served on ASB three years, holding the positions of sentinel, secretary, and president. He was named Exchange Club Student of the Month for November. He is the video producer for the Every 15 Minutes alcohol and drug prevention program, has been a peer mentor for the Gear Up program, and has done tutoring at Vista Hermosa.

Perez has been a cheerleader for two years and was named MVP this year. He says his hobbies include stretching, tumbling, and eating.

Perez will attend the University of Washington, where he plans to study accounting.

"I loved the community when I visited. I felt very included and the academics are really great. Plus Seattle has opportunities for pretty much anything," Perez said.

Perez said community support has been key when asked what he has enjoyed most about his education in Prescott.

"I've enjoyed the inclusive community that is here and the support that is given as well as the non-discrimination policy that holds true to real-life application. They're really nice to each other and I like it," Perez said.

Perez has applied for a job at Vista Hermosa, where he hopes to work at the daycare or as a runner for the foundation before heading to UW this fall.

Salutatorian Tiffany Robinson holds a GPA of 3.2 and is the daughter of Linda and Andrew Bradshaw. She has attended school in Prescott for eight years.

She is a member of the National Honor Society and was class sentinel in both her sophomore and junior years. She also participated in SADD (students against destructive decisions) and was SADD treasurer as a freshman.

Robinson said health problems, included scoliosis, have prevented her from participating in sports, but she loves reading, and devoured 38 books last summer. She volunteers in the library after school and often helps younger students with homework.

Robinson said she wasn't always a good student, but made the conscious decision to change after her grandmother passed away in 2012, when she was in eighth grade.

"I felt such accomplishment the first time I made honor roll that I carried it on without breaking the streak until this year, when I began taking harder, Bridges to College classes," she said.

Robinson will attend Santa Ana Community College in California, where she will work toward becoming a registered nurse. She said watching her grandparents die after long illnesses played a role in her desire to become a nurse.

"I hope I can make a difference for others that have to go through that same kind of situation. It's a way that I might be able to make other people's lives better," she said.

Robinson said her favorite thing about Prescott schools is the size.

"The student-teacher ratio here makes things easier. Help is always there. People that need more help can get it without the struggle that students at a bigger school would have," she said.

Robinson plans to work and save money through the summer before leaving for college in California this fall.