Congratulations to Paul Mansfield, one of Serra’s three Class of 2020 valedictorians, who is preparing to study at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo this fall. Paul said he plans to study general engineering. 

Not many high school seniors have thought so precisely about what the next decade might look like -- but Paul has. 

“I will be either the founder of a multinational asteroid in collaboration with similar companies such as Planetary Resources and Deep Space Resources to mine asteroids rich in platinum-group metals such as ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum in hope to protect Earth's resources, or become the first multi trillionaire …” he said.

Regardless of what Paul chooses to do, there’s no question that he’ll do it well.

At Serra, Paul was involved in theater his sophomore, junior and senior year, was on the diving team as a junior and senior and was involved in Campus Ministry as a big brother junior year and an Encounter leader as a senior.
His time at Serra has honed skills he will utilize forever.

“Serra has taught me how to deal with academic stress and hardships; and, through announcements, I believe I have more confidence in reading and speaking to a lot of people,” Paul said.

His greatest accomplishment to date is being valedictorian at Serra, something that takes extreme determination to reach the highest level of academic achievement. His favorite Serra tradition is the unshakable brotherhood.

Paul remains particularly grateful to his parents for all they have done for him.

“Thank you for paying for me to go to Serra; thank you for dealing with me and my messes … thank you for treating me with respect and having confidence in me when I couldn't find confidence in myself; thank you for taking the time to homeschool me and persevering despite people saying I wouldn't be successful without going to traditional middle school,” he said. He added that the list goes on, so he’ll find time to tell them more in person.

Paul’s favorite inspirational quote is by Albert Einstein, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

We cannot wait to see where you go, Paul! Congratulations on your countless achievements here at Serra, including being this year’s valedictorian.

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