About 3,000 Anchorage School District seniors graduated this week. A pair of standout students excelled not only in the classroom, but found community and purpose from extracurricular activities.
South Anchorage High School graduate Anna Kardashyan moved to Alaska with her family from Russia at just three years old. Monday, she graduated as the valedictorian of the South Anchorage High School Class of 2025 with plans to attend Stanford University in the fall.
Kardashyan’s resume includes a national championship in Taekwondo, a state championship in policy debate, representing Alaska at the American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation, work with the Anchorage Youth Court and a stint as a U.S. Senate Page for Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Kardashyan said the experience helped open her mind to different perspectives.
“I went in thinking that our country is a very polarized one, that Senators can't sit together on both aisles and have civil conversations. But I quickly realized that that's not the case. You know, Republicans are friends with Democrats. Democrats can sit down with Republicans that it isn't as polarized as we sort of make it seem,” Kardashyan said.
Coming from an immigrant family, Kardashyan said her parents instilled in her the importance of hard work.
“My parents sacrificed a lot coming to this country, and they made it so that I could actually pursue my dreams and work hard towards my goals, and I will never take that for granted,” Kardashyan said. “I think that's something that is a driving force in everything I do.”
Kardashyan developed a passion for Taekwondo at an early age. In elementary school she attended her first national championship and took third place. She spent two years working toward her goal and finally won a national title at 9 years old.
“I think that was like one of the most important moments in my life,” Kardashyan said. “I realized that, yeah, if you set your mind to something, you can definitely accomplish it. You just have to put in the work and the energy.”
Kardashyan was also named a 2025 Coca-Cola Scholar with Service High School’s Natalie Hodge-Hannula. She was also one of just two high school students who worked for the Arctic Encounter Symposium last summer, an event that brings together lawmakers, Indigenous leaders, and industry stakeholders to discuss Arctic policy challenges and solutions.
Kardashyan plans to attend Stanford to study political science and data science, but was also accepted into Harvard, Yale, Princeton and MIT. She encourages incoming freshmen to soak up new experiences.
“Keep an open mind. Don't be afraid to fail. I think that taking risks are the reason I'm here today,” Kardashyan said. “If I didn't take the risk and move away from my family for five months in the Senate page program, I think the trajectory of my life would be completely different. Really jump at any opportunity that is given to you.”
Kardashyan said her family moved to the United States in search of opportunity. Now as a high school graduate headed to one of the nation’s top universities, she has a world of opportunity ahead of her.
Similar to Kardashyan, Bettye Davis East High School graduate Bryce Herda moved to Anchorage from Australia at an early age when his father retired from the U.S. military. Herda started playing violin in fourth grade at the Anchorage Waldorf School, where his mother teaches. He said going from a small private school to one of the most culturally diverse schools in the nation with over 1,600 students was a bit of a culture shock.
“I graduated with four people in my eighth grade, and so then I went to this class where it was 450 people and they're from all over the world, every walk of life, every situation you could think of, and it was amazing, honestly. It was amazing to see all those people, see all the situations, and I learned a lot about especially the economic diversity that is really represented at East,” Herda said.
Herda said he joined every club and activity he could, and recommends that incoming students try new things as well.
“Never let any opportunities pass you by, because there's so many opportunities within ASD. I mean, it is a great system, and it's a huge system, and there's so many different things to look out for. So if you have an interest or hobby, there's really an avenue for you to explore it, whether that's an anime club or if that's like an orchestra club,” Herda said.
Herda swam and cross-country skied all four years, and also dabbled in track and cross country running. He and the rest of the Thunderbird swim team returned to the pool at Bettye Davis East for practices last fall after damage from the November 2018 earthquake and a lifeguard shortage forced the team to practice at Bartlett High School.
“I think it’s the best pool in Anchorage,” Herda said. “It’s got these big, beautiful windows that look out on the sunset as you’re practicing.”Herda’s main interest outside of the classroom is playing violin. At the ASAA Solo and Ensemble Music Festival in early May, Herda won top honors, earning a command performance both as a soloist and with a group. He plans to attend Boston University to study finance and minor in violin performance.
The last day of school for Anchorage students is May 21, and the 2025-2026 school year will start on Aug. 14.
