Jazz Etter ~ Staff Speaker
Nominated by the students, the 2026 staff speaker will be teacher Jazz Etter. Etter primarily works for the science department, but keeps herself busy by being a moderator for Marine Chemistry, Capstone, and Investment club. Furthermore, she has a high level of dedication and plans to attend a summer internship at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center to focus on how to translate molecular biology techniques into the high school science classroom.
Etter calls herself “a scientist and a storyteller” and plans to share the arc of what she wanted to pursue in her childhood and middle school versus now. In her speech she wants to capture “the energy and hope of the students of where they see themselves now, and carry it forward, “ Etter said.
She often tells the students “know your worth” and “we are capable of doing hard things,” Claire Slim said.
Genevieve Davis ~ Valedictorian
Genevieve Davis is attending UC Berkeley next year, majoring in biology, and will be the valedictorian speaker this year. Outside of school she is a competitive sailor, marine chemistry researcher in native Hawaiian corals, and an active leader in Bellarmine’s Model United Nations.
Davis is excited to speak to the class and guests to highlight how “everyone is intelligent in their own way,” Davis explains.
An anecdote that she does not mention in her speech, but would like to share is “despite the outside pressure, do not just do activities because they look cool, but to do activities that you enjoy and will excel in.”
Alfonzo Amaranto ~ Class Speaker
Senior Alfonzo Amaranto, Student Body President, is the elected class speaker. Amaranto is currently planning to study Business Marketing next year at Central Washington University. On campus, Amaranto is a disciplined varsity track and field athlete.
Additionally, Amaranto has a creative side, as he is both a renowned photographer and videographer that enjoys capturing the special moments on campus. Furthermore, he wants to talk to the students about their personal journeys.
In his speech, Amaranto wants to note that one moment does not define your entire career, because your journey is the sum of everything between the middle and the end.
Marie Wiegman ~ Baccalaureate Mass Speaker
Senior Marie Wiegman will be attending Santa Clara University next year to major in Mathematics.
During her time as Bellarmine she involved herself in competitive sports, clubs, and campus ministry. As a varsity track and cross country runner for four years, she polished her work ethic and spent a lot of time “learning to be by yourself and putting in hard work even when it’s uncomfortable and not fun,” Wiegman said.
Additionally, her experience in robotics at Bellarmine has opened a lot of opportunities for her. Notably, in the outreach and business sub team, she had the opportunity to network with adults in the STEM-focused workforce. Moreover, in the robotics lab she grew interest in statistics, and will be pursuing this passion in the future. In her baccalaureate speech, she plans “to find a way to connect the beauty of the mass to our high school experience,” Wiegman says.
Over the past four years the mass has been the most she has felt connected to Bellarmine in a lot of ways, and plans to articulate this in her upcoming speech. Lastly, a quote Wiegman wants to charge but won’t mention in her speech is, “Curiosity will take you the furthest out of any skill.”
Bottom left to right: Alfonzo Amaranto, Marie Wiegman Photo compilation by (Cori Joyce)
