Q&A: Hoover High School Valedictorian Antonio Ganios

Valedictorian Antonio Ganios talked with North Canton Patch this week about his time at Hoover High and his plans for what comes next. The 18-year-old son of Stavros and Helen Poa of North Canton is off to the University of Akron to get his degree in biochemistry and then head into the field of dentistry.

Keep reading to find out a little more about this young man who will graduate Sunday with a 4.6 GPA.

North Canton Patch: Tell me about your family.
Antonio Ganios: I have five siblings — Anna, 22; Maria, 15; Natalie, 13; Sophia, 9; and Christos, 7.

North Canton Patch: What extracurriculars were you in in school?
Ganios: I did track and field for four years. I was a freshman mentor, which means I mentored freshmen through their first year and helped them with questions. I did peer tutoring, cross country last year, I was part of the National Honor Society the last two years, and this year was my first year in Math Club.

North Canton Patch: Was valedictorian something you were shooting for, or did it just sort of happen?
Ganios: It kind of just happened. I really wasn’t aiming for that, to be honest. It’s something to be proud of, but I’ve got a big journey ahead of me.

North Canton Patch: What do you plan to do with your degree in biochemistry and dentistry? Do you want to stick around this area?
Ganios: Right now it’s really uncertain. I have family here, but I’m open to change.

North Canton Patch: How have your parents and the rest of your family helped you along the way?
Ganios: My parents have always given me a lot of support and have been good role models. My older sister finished fifth in her class, so she’s always been my “competitor,” a role model and someone to look up to. And my younger siblings show me the fun in life.

North Canton Patch: What have you enjoyed most about Hoover High School?
Ganios: The fact that we are all a community. Just that I knew everybody, everybody knew me and everybody was pretty good friends with everyone. There was no major tension. It just felt like a community.

North Canton Patch: What’s the toughest class you’ve taken?
Ganios: AP biology. I think just because it was the first AP class I took in high school, and there was a lot of material you had to learn and it was a lot of memorizing. It was the first class that shows you the AP atmosphere.

North Canton Patch: What teacher has been most helpful?
Ganios: If I had to choose just one, probably my calculus teacher, Mr. (Jeff) Kreis. I’ve had him for two years, so I’ve really gotten to know him well. He’s one of the best teachers we have as far as the way he teaches. The course is hard, but he doesn’t expect you to know anything he hasn’t taught.

North Canton Patch: How do you write a good graduation speech? Is there a formula, or what?
Ganios: I’m in the finalizing stages of mine now. I kind of realized it’s the last thing I get to tell a lot of my friends and my whole class, so I just tried to pick something that I learned in high school and that I’ll try to keep doing.

North Canton Patch: If you could offer any advice to younger students, what would it be?
Ganios: Put forth your best effort, and don’t give up.