Sophia Heidrich and Aiden Weber have spent much of their teenage years testing their minds and bodies.

They’ll take their discipline and work ethic to reputable California universities after graduating as East Union’s top students on Thursday.

An outdoor enthusiast with her sights on the medical field, Heidrich goes out as valedictorian with an impressive 4.75 GPA.

Weber is an aspiring engineer, boasting a 4.32 GPA while becoming the second member of his household to earn the distinction as East Union’s salutatorian.

“Definitely very honored,” Heidrich said. “To have other students come up to congratulate me and say that I deserve it is a rewarding feeling.”

She finds nothing more rewarding than to help people.

That is why she’s planning on studying human biology at UCLA and will pursue a career in medicine, whether it’s in research or practice. The many hours she has spent at Alpine Climbing Adventure Fitness in Ripon has helped guide her career choice.

Heidrich was once part of the Alpine competitive rock-climbing team and is still involved as a coach.

“It has given me an opportunity to meet a lot of people,” she said. “Working as a coach has impacted my goals. I would like to continue working with kids in the future, and just helping people in general.”

On top of keeping up with her studies at East Union, she was involved with the school’s debate and College Bound clubs.

“My experience at East Union has been great,” Heidrich said. “I met some amazing friends and teachers who really shaped me into the person I am today.”

For Weber, older sister Mackenzie was a big influence in his experience as a Lancer. She was salutatorian for the 2024 class and an active member of the student body. Their father, Matthew, is also an East Union alum, class of ’96.

“It has always been a goal for me to at least do something like that,” Aiden said of his big achievement. “It wasn’t my only focus in high school, but it’s a cool thing to get. Plus, my sister doesn’t have bragging rights over me.”

While at East Union, Weber was a three-year distance runner for the track and cross country teams before shifting to golf his senior year. He was also involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, California Scholarship Federation and Link Crew.

“My sister is the reason why I got involved with a lot of stuff at school,” Weber said. “She was involved, and she pushed me to do the same. It helped me want to make an impact with the freshmen (as a member of Link Crew) and go to all the basketball and football games. It helped make high school more enjoyable, and it was nice to try and fill the role she did for me and other people.”

Weber will be attending Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo to study mechanical engineering.