San Diego Community Newspaper Group THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 www.SDNEWS.com Volume 15, Number 40 Hats off to the Class of 2010 LJHS valedictorian destined for Yale BY JENNA FRAZIER | VILLAGE NEWS The future is all about expanding new horizons for La Jolla High School valedictori- an Tiffany Fan, who will collect a diploma along with with 341 of her peers at the cam- pus’s June 21 graduation ceremony. “I don’t know whether I’ve left a mark or not,” said Fan, who earned a 4.8 grade point average. “But I really appreciated hav- ing this high school experience with so many opportunities and extraordinary people. I feel really lucky.” “Each year has been Fourth of July fireworks at La Jolla Cove cost about La Jolla High School valedictorian Tiffany Fan, $1,000 per minute and the display draws about 20,000 better than the last.” who earned a 4.8 grade point average, will lead LJHS GRADUATION spectators. DON BALCH | Village News her class of graduates at the June 21 commence- TIFFANY FAN • June 21, 2 p.m., LJHS Edwards Field ment ceremonies. DON BALCH | Village News LJHS Valedictorian • Number of graduates: 342 • Number of graduates receiving Fan will swap coasts to attend Yale Middle East and other areas where women’s academic distinction (3.5 GPA or Fireworks University this fall, where she plans to rights are not a big part of government or higher): 196 study political science.Aninternship at the everyday life,” Fan said of her internship. “As • Valedictorian: Tiffany Fan UnitedNations Association of San Diego a woman, I want to continue that journey.” • Salutatorian: Katharine Cary in Balboa Park last summer inspired One woman who has influenced Fan • Speakers: John de Beck, school board for the 4th that decision, she said. immensely, she said, is her mother. member “It really opened my eyes to what goes on “She’s always told me that everything in • Performances: Madrigals choir and Fundraising continues despite lawsuit threat around the world,” Fan said. life is 10 percent talent and 90 percent school band Women’s rights currently tops Fan’s list effort,” Fan said. “You’ve got to maximize • 15 graduates in the top 10 percent of of interests, and she hopes her college expe- that 90 percent.” BY JENNA FRAZIER | VILLAGE NEWS rience can help her make a difference in that Fan added that her younger sister, Kath- the class will receive gold tassels from field. the alumni association An American tradition may be in peril, as the La “We learned about areas in Africa and the SEE LJHS, Page 2 • 86 percent of graduates Jolla Community Fireworks Foundation (LJCFF) seeks continue to four-year universities donations for its 25th annual Fourth of July display at La Jolla Cove despite a letter from an environmental group warning that the show could result in a lawsuit. The Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF) threatened to sue LJCFF in addition to organiz- UCHS valedictorian upholds academic legacy ers of the Big Bay Boom Show and the Del Mar display, arguing that the La Jolla show, specifically, violates the California Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean BY JENNA FRAZIER | VILLAGE NEWS UCHS GRADUATION Waters of California, the Coastal Act and the Clean Water Act. The group also claimed that discharging Continuing a legacy that began with his • June 18, 2 p.m. any foreign materials into ocean water near shores is older brother in 2004, Prabhanjan Didwania • Centurion Stadium against the law. will address his peers as valedictorian of Uni- The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control versity City High School’s (UCHS) class of • Number of graduates: 416 Board is examining the results of a four-year study 2010 at a June 18 commencement ceremony. • Number of graduates receiving aca- conducted by SeaWorld on how fireworks affect water Didwania, who will graduate with a 4.74 demic distinction: 125 quality, in order to draft permit language that would grade-point average, had his eyes on the prize regulate all coastal fireworks displays in the region. from the beginning. • Valedictorian: Prabhanjan Didwania The draft should be available in early 2011. “I always wanted to become valedictorian • Salutatorians: Yongjian Si, Christy Meanwhile, the board has indicated it will not seek because of my brother,” he said. “It was a lot Chao, Alexis Lasker enforcement against producers of fireworks shows, of hard work, but in the end it paid off.” provided the displays are conducted safely and with Didwania’s brother, Maruti, is now 24 and UCHS valedictorian Prabhanjan Didwania leaves • 50 percent of graduates will enroll in responsible management and trash control. working on his Ph.D. at Stanford University. behind an excellent high school career. universities or private colleges, and 40 Deborah Marengo of LJCFF said that the group does PAUL HANSEN | Village News In the fall, Didwania will attend Duke Uni- percent will attend community college not believe the litigation is likely to proceed. versity as a biomedical engineering major “From our understanding, we will be issued the with a certificate degree in either global health including chemistry, biology, physics, envi- was presented in Melbourne, Australia. These same permits by the city of San Diego and we meet the or economics, he said. ronmental science and computer science. experiences helped influence what he hopes to guidelines in the same way that we have for the last 25 Science emerged as Didwania’s passion Outside of class, he worked in a hyperten- accomplish in the future, Didwania said. years,” Marengo said. “As long as we have communi- early on, and by his junior year he had com- sion research lab at the University of Califor- “I want to see a more peaceful world,” he ty support and people continue to donate, the show pleted every advanced placement science nia, San Diego Department of Medicine, pub- will go on.” course offered in the UCHS curriculum — lishing an international research paper that SEE UCHS, Page 2 SEE FIREWORKS, Page 2 THURSDAY · JUNE 17, 2010 2 LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWS NEWS service efforts, to which she contributed with “I also love being outdoors, hiking and going to OBITUARY LJHS three years and more than 400 hours of volun- the beach,” she said. CONTINUED FROMPage 1 teer work at the La Jolla Recreation Center. Fan’s summer plans before going away to col- James Everett Coffman Fan served as president of the Latin and Greek lege include working at local restaurant Lean and leen, would enter her sophomore year at LJHS Club, and was one of only 14 students to complete Green, lots of beach time and “spontaneity,” she (July 6, 1936-May 31, 2010) next year. Latin language courses through the advanced said. “I hope she has as great of an experience as I placement level. She was also a member of the Aside from wanting to learn and absorb as James (Jim) Everett Coff- did,” Fan said. Science Team, a noncompetitive group that held much as possible during the next few years — man passed on to his eter- During her years as a Viking, Fan competed on events like “Walk on Water” in which students and hopefully studying abroad in Spain — Fan nal home on Memorial Day, the campus tennis and badminton teams, helping created 8-foot “shoes” designed to transport a stu- said she wants to be surprised by what the future May 31, 2010. He was her school win the California Interscholastic Fed- dent from one side of the campus pool to the other. has in store for her. born to Ralph Everett Coff- eration title for tennis during her sophomore year. In her spare time, Fan said, she watches a lot of “I just want to see where my experiences take man and Eleanor James Fan was president of the California Scholastic “Law & Order” and “CSI,” and listens to hip-hop me,” she said. “So far, each year has been better Coffman July 6, 1936, the Federation and helped facilitate its community music and Taylor Swift. than the last.” first of three children. His parents, sister Yvonne, brother Phil, and niece The site, which helped him learn coding lan- “Padres and Chargers all the way,” he said. Barbara all preceded him UCHS guages like HTML, JavaScript, CSS and PHP. Didwania advises current students to stay in death. James Everett Coffman “I’m hoping in the near future someone focused and hold close the people who are Jim grew up in Denver, CONTINUED FROMPage 1 Colo. and spent many sum- will sponsor the project and I’ll be able to important to them. mers at the family cabin in Basalt, Colo. After grad- said. “The advancement of science and tech- watch it grow,” he said. “Never lose sight of what your goals are in uating from high school in Denver, he joined the U.S. nology is so important, and my goal is to con- In other activities, Didwania witnessed the life,” he said. “Always respect your parents and Coast Guard and was stationed part of his time of tribute to these fields by improving health and inner workings of political processes through grandparents because they’re the ones who service in Alaska. finding new cures.” the Aaron Price Fellows Program, competed struggled to make your life better.” He received his BS in electrical engineering from Didwania also used his skills to bring people in the Science Olympiad against students from While he will miss his family and plans to the University of Colorado at Boulder, his MSEE from together, launching a social networking site, all regional high schools and volunteered with “cherish every single moment” before he San Diego State University and his MBA from Nation- www.eYari.com, which has attracted more the San Diego Asian-Indian Socio-Cultural embarks on the next chapter of his life, Didwa- al University.