Sonoma Valley High School valedictorian, salutatorian thrived in and out of classrooms

While navigating through school during the pandemic was a major challenge for them and all other students, Aiden Griggs-Demmin and Aubrie Utnehmer managed to thrive both in their schoolwork and extracurricular activities.

Succeed, as in valedictorian and salutatorian as well as athletic distinctions and more at Sonoma Valley High School.

“I was able to succeed so well despite the pandemic because I had the support and guidance of my parents and siblings, and I was also forced to be adaptable and embrace the new learning style during the year of distance learning,” said Griggs-Demmin, the valedictorian.

Utnehmer, the salutatorian, says prioritizing classwork was the key.

“I believed that the reward of academic success would exceed the reward of maybe taking less rigorous courses or prioritizing self-care—which I understand is necessary for some people,” Utnehmer said. “It just worked for me. I would like to recognize my privilege; during the pandemic I had my own room for Zoom classes and my parents were able to comfortably work from home, while I know many of my peers had other significant responsibilities, like taking care of siblings or trying to focus on school in a crowded, noisy household.”

Griggs-Demmin discovered that following in the footsteps of three siblings who were valedictorians at your high school can be somewhat intimating.

But he lived up to his legacy as the top student for the class of 2022.

“I felt honored and proud when I found out I was valedictorian, and also a little bit relieved because there was definitely a little bit of expectation on me, considering three of my older siblings [Trevor, Angelica and Conner] received the award, as well,” Griggs-Demmin said. “It means a lot to me to make my parents proud and continue the tradition of academic excellence in my family.”

Griggs-Demmin always received good grades while attending Prestwood Elementary School, Harmony Middle School (in Hamilton, Virginia), Adele Harrison Middle School and SVHS.

“A lot of that is due to having great role models in my exemplary four older siblings and supportive parents,” he said. “I would really like to thank my parents for instilling a love for curiosity and reading from an early age as that gave me the tools necessary to be so successful in high school.”

Griggs-Demmin was born in Palo Alto, California, but has lived in Sonoma for all of his life except for a two-year stint in northern Virginia. His mother, Vicki Griggs-Demmin, is a private schoolteacher and his father, Jeffrey Griggs-Demmin, works in the engineering and tech industries for Keysight Technologies.

During his time at SVHS, Griggs-Demmin has particularly enjoyed his English and history classes. He also has served as the co-head editor of the school newspaper, The Dragon’s Tale, was president of the SVHS chapter of the California Scholarship Federation and was captain of the boys varsity soccer team.

At the Senior Award ceremony on May 26, he was selected to enter the Dragon Athletic Hall of Fame.

“This was an incredible honor,” he said. “Receiving the most prestigious award the school offers to a student athletically and academically is an achievement I am most proud of.”

Griggs-Demmin next will attend Haverford College, a private liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, where he plans to major in biochemistry and play NCAA soccer.

“I have not decided yet on a career, but I am leaning toward something in the medical field,” he added. “My sister, Angelica, is currently in medical school and is a great role model and source of information and guidance as I think about my future.”

When he’s not studying, attending school or playing soccer, he enjoys hiking and spending time with his family and friends.

The driving force for Utnehmer, the salutatorian, has been a relentless drive to get admitted to New York University (NYU).

“I have always been a straight-A student because it’s always been my dream to go to NYU,” Utnehmer said. “I wanted to be sure I did everything I could to be accepted.”

Sure enough, Utnehmer has achieved the dream, and views the salutatorian status as a reflection of a commitment to actualize it.

“To me, being salutatorian represents my hard work at the prospect of attending NYU, but it doesn’t define my intelligence nor does it for those who are not valedictorian or salutatorian,” Utnehmer said, who uses the pronoun they. “It also points to a level of privilege, like having parents who were able to support me, that allowed me to put so much effort into academics.”

Utnehmer was born in Marin County and their family soon moved to Santa Monica, California, for six years. The family then lived in Berlin for a year before settling in Sonoma in 2010. After being home-schooled, Utnehmer attended Crescent Montessori School, Sonoma Charter School and SVHS.

Their mother, Marie Utnehmer, owns and operates Noma Knits, a Sonoma-based yarn store, while their father, Bill Utnehmer, is an attorney. Their sister, Coral Utnehmer, is entering her third year at UCLA.

Utnehmer identifies their favorite subject as English, saying, “I love reading and analyzing literature within various contexts.”

Utnehmer also was a member of the tennis, basketball, swim and track teams and was involved with several clubs—Political Awareness (which they founded), Earth Club, Gender and Sexuality Awareness, and Model UN.

Utnehmer received other academic distinctions at SVHS, including lifetime membership in the California Scholarship Federation, and an award for digital portraits in a school art show.

At NYU, Utnehmer plans to major in journalism, with a focus on queer studies, and would like to then serve as a writer and creative director for Paper, a New York City-based independent magazine focusing on fashion, popular culture, nightlife, music, art and film.

“I’m really visually creative, so I love directing photo shoots and short films with dramatic hair and makeup,” Utnehmer said. “I’m inspired by drag, Lady Gaga and the New York club scene. I try to emulate limitless identity, other-worldliness and camp philosophy through my art. I’m looking forward to incorporating art in my academics and work life.”

The pair will be featured at the high school’s graduation ceremony on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Field of Dreams.

Reach the reporter, Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com.