After four years of academic excellence, leadership, and determination, Gabriela Stephens, known to most as Ela, has been named the Valedictorian of the Class of 2025.
A familiar face to many, Ela always puts her hardest into doing the most she can academically, but what sets her apart is the grace with which she’s balanced rigorous coursework, extracurricular commitments, and meaningful community service.
She challenges herself in many areas academically, taking on course loads and doing the most she can to excel. Ela’s favorite courses she’s taken over her years at Ramapo include Biology, U.S Government and Politics, and Economics.
This year Ela took AP biology with Ms. Angerson enjoyed her class and the opportunities she was given to learn more about her favorite subject. Ms. Angerson loved having Ela in her class and always appreciated her bubbly personality and eagerness to learn. She said, “Her smile says so much about her nature – that she’s attentive, engaged, and has an intuitive understanding. When you add that to her amazing acumen, you end up with one remarkable woman. Ela is a person who listens closely, is a deep thinker, and always shows herself to be kindhearted and empathetic.”
One of Ela’s closest friends, Micaela Chamberlin, a fellow graduate from the class of 2025, admires Ela’s wisdom, kindness, and persistence throughout every aspect of her life. She shares, “Ela’s academic success didn’t come solely from her natural intelligence, but from her drive and work ethic, especially when no one was watching. In my opinion, this is one of Ela’s most impressive and admirable qualities. Without procrastination or complaint, she would study for hours upon hours for every major test or assignment, consistently earning A’s.” With her dedication to each corner of her academic responsibilities, Ela has deserved every aspect of her success, and Micaela is grateful for the influence she has had on her own life with the great attitude, determination, and tenacity she never fails to exemplify.
“Ela has been in my life since the day she was born, and I am so grateful for that. She has been on my side through thick and thin, and we have navigated through so many of life’s obstacles as a team. I admire her strong sense of individuality and integrity, as she never conforms to expectations or societal pressures just to fit in,” Micaela said.
While Ela exceeds Ramapo’s academic standard, she is also a well-rounded student, dedicating her time to activities outside of school and giving back to the community.
Throughout high school, she was most involved as a teammate on the Varsity Ramapo Girls Soccer team, a member of Ramapo’s Stock Market Club, and in numerous activities outside of Ramapo, like volunteering as a soccer coach and spending summers as a camp counselor.
She stated, “These extracurricular activities are centered around things I am very passionate about, and I was able to stay motivated because I enjoyed the work I was doing.”
With an effort to serve the community and make a difference for those less fortunate, Ela helped found and run the program Families Feed Families through Oasis, a haven for women and children in Paterson. As the coordinator of the program, Ela was able to be a leading individual towards the initiative of feeding families in need and was put in charge of organizing the biannual food drive for the program. Throughout her time being involved and leading this initiative, Ela improved her communication and leadership skills giving her the opportunity to learn lifelong skills. “It was really rewarding to be a part of something that made such a direct impact on our broader community,” she said.
Ms. Angerson went on to say, “Ela approaches the world with deliberate curiosity. She does not take things at face value and instead asks questions and seeks to understand beyond what is in front of her. Her ability to think critically is one of the keys to her achievements in school, on the field, in clubs, in leadership roles and in serving her community.”
As a passionate individual for human biology and the study of life, Ela volunteered a lot of her time at Valley Hospital, more specifically, their Kireker Center for Child Development, where she was given the opportunity to learn and understand more about the field that interests her most.
Ela will be attending the University of Virginia in the fall and plans to major in Human Biology. After college, she wants to work in the medical field, interested in both the research and clinical work aspects. While attending the University of Virginia, Ela is excited to expand her horizons and explore what Charlottesville has to offer, as well as meet new people!
Excited for her success, Ms. Angerson said, “Ela combines intellectual integrity with personal reflection, making her not only successful, but inspiring. I can’t wait to see what she does in the world!”
As she prepares to depart Ramapo High School, Ela is thankful for the opportunities, friendships, and memories that have come with her high school career. Her favorite memories at Ramapo include team bonding with the soccer team with events like pasta parties, Friday night football games, being a part of Relay for Life, and spending lunch with friends.
Ela emphasizes the need for a proper balance of academic rigor and also making time for the people and things that give you joy outside of school. To the lower classmen, she advises, “Don’t let yourself stress too much about the things you can’t control. It’s important to work hard, but it’s even more important to take care of yourself.”
Ela said that the one thing that helps her balance school work and personal life is staying organized and setting aside time for breaks. “Whether that’s getting ice cream with friends or watching a movie with my family, stepping away from my computer always helps me reset,” she says.
Micaela also notes that Ela’s ability to balance school work and personal life is admirable and one of the characteristics that contributes to her success. Micaela said, “She always knows the right time to have fun and enjoy herself, while also balancing when to be professional and focus on her work.”
As the class of 2025’s high school career comes to an end, we wish the best of luck to our Valedictorian, Gabriela Stephens, with no doubt of her success in the future. We congratulate all the hard work she has put in to earn this title academically, as well as her dedication to learning life lessons throughout giving back to the community and excelling.
Ela clearly exemplifies the characteristics of what Ramapo stands for, and we wish her nothing but success, learning, and growth as she continues to navigate life!
