Student Spotlight: Emily Santoyo

Emily Santoyo is a senior at Granite Hills High School who enjoys playing and watching tennis, and playing Roblox with her friends.

But there is so much more to her than just that.

Santoyo is an exceptional student who is involved in so much around the school, and who hopes to be one of the graduating valedictorians.

Santoyo’s parents didn’t go to college or even finish high school so they always stressed to her that education should be her number-one priority. Becoming valedictorian would only show that she did put a lot of effort into her education.

Santoyo’s favorite subject is math because it has always come easy for her. She also loved bonding with her father when it came to doing math because math was one thing he remembered when he came to America.

“To me, it’s like reading a book, that you really like that you can’t put it down,” Santoyo said about doing math.

Santoyo is a well-rounded student, earning top five academic awards in Physics, World History, and French.

She is currently involved in GTV (Granite Television), CVP (Central Valley Project), Arts & Crafts Club (Treasurer), and the treasurer for the class of 2025. The reason Santoyo is involved in so many extra-curricular activities is that she wants to have the best experience in high school. Being involved is what allows people to make new friends and experience new things in life, and she wishes to have that wonderful experience. 

How does she do it all? “Just make time,” she said.

Being in the Law, Justice, and Ethics (LJE) Pathway has made Santoyo’s high school career more enjoyable, allowing her to meet friends she got to spend four years in many of the same classes with. LJE allowed her to build strong relationships with her friends.

During Santoyo’s free time, she enjoys playing Roblox with her boyfriend Hernan Gutierrez and her friends. She enjoys playing Dress to Impress with her friends because of how much fun it is, and the memories she can make. Santoyo’s main friend group consists of Rebeca Ortiz, Miguel Cruz, Ivan Martinez, Carlos Lara, and Cayden Gray. 

Santoyo is part of a small family that consists of her mother Lourdes Santoyo, her father Jorge Santoyo, her brother Lupe Santoyo, her dog Natacho, and finally her cat Popis.

Santoyo’s biggest role models are her father and grandfather.

Every time Santoyo’s parents went to work they left her with her grandparents. Her grandparents helped raise her and were there any time she needed help with anything.

Santoyo said her grandfather is very kind. When he lived in Mexico, he was well-respected by the people in his neighborhood because he would help them without expecting anything in return.

“He’s like another dad to me,” Santoyo said.

Her father is also a role model to her because when he first came to the U.S., he didn’t know any English. He took some classes through the church and he never gave up even though the classes were in English.

Santoyo said her dad had a harder life than she has now. She’s always seen her father work so hard and because of that Santoyo wishes to work harder. She saw how much effort he put into providing for his family.

With graduation just around the corner, Santoyo is already looking to the future.

 Santoyo wishes to be a high school math teacher, maybe even a professor, or a financial advisor.  After high school, she plans to take a gap year but this is very unlikely, so she plans on doing two years at Porterville College and then transferring to California State University Stanislaus.

Santoyo believes that Stanislaus is a really good fit for her because of how small of a campus it is, and that makes it easier for professors to meet with the students. She has also received a lot of positive feedback about it from other people.