Luke continues our senior profile spotlights with a look at Jocelynn (Joss) Montoya–master kayaker, big fan of extra-credit Jeopardy, and AP Calculus lyricist.

By Junior Luke Sonderman

Joss, Class of 2023, has recently committed to the University of California Irvine (UCI). There’s a lot you may not know about Joss, so let’s take a brief moment to talk a little bit about her.

Joss Montoya was born in Glendale, California, in 2005. Joss spent most of her childhood in Los Angeles, moving to the desert and enrolling in Palm Valley during 10th grade. Joss’s favorite part about moving to the desert has been “the better school and better friends.” 

Throughout her time at Palm Valley, Joss has been a member of the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team and the Varsity Baseball Team. She achieved an athletic award for her dedication to the sports program at Palm Valley. “I’ve made lots of friends through the sports teams I’ve been a part of . . . . The athletics I’ve participated in have helped keep me active throughout the school year,” said Joss.

Aside from her sports career at Palm Valley, in her senior year, Joss held the position of Vice President in Student Government. Her leadership helped coordinate successful events over the course of this year such as the 2022 Upper School Homecoming, the Middle and Upper School Winter Dream Dance, the 2023 Upper School Prom at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Resort, and many others. She even, on occasion, dressed up as the school mascot Phineas the Firebird during school activities! Joss joined student government because “she wanted to make student life more fun, bringing more events for students in the Middle and Upper Schools.”

In the fall of 2023, Joss will be attending UC Irvine, planning to major in medicine. Joss intends on pursuing a career in dermatology. “I want to attend UCI because it is a great school and has a great campus,” said Joss. Some of Joss’s other college acceptances included Hawaii Pacific University with a full tuition scholarship, University of Arizona with a $30,000 per year scholarship, Oregon University with a $10,000 per year scholarship, and Azusa Pacific University with a $20,000 per year scholarship. Must be some genius, huh. 

Joss’s parting words for Palm Valley staff and students are, “I know school won’t be the same without me, but try to have some fun.”