Villa High senior David Bernstein commits to UC Berkeley baseball, vows to give back to Vallejo community

David Bernstein, a senior at Villa High School, announced that he is committed to play baseball at the University of California, Berkeley and said he intends to return to Vallejo to support youth programs.

Bernstein opened by identifying himself and his school, saying, “I play baseball, and I'm committed to UC Berkeley to play baseball.” He described growing up in Vallejo and attending Glencoe Elementary School and Hogan Middle School before Villa High, adding that he has been on the campus since he was 2 years old.

He credited his parents and local mentors for his development. Bernstein said his mother emphasized academics while his father used “tough love” to push him on and off the field. He also named coaches and friends who supported him and said he improved academically from average grades in middle school to mostly A's and B's in high school.

Bernstein described the recruiting timeline that led to his commitment, saying contacts began around his eighth-grade summer and that signing was an emotional milestone with family and friends present. “Signing, I was pretty emotional, you know, and excited at the same time just to see, like, a lot of family and friends in the crowd that supported me throughout my whole journey,” he said.

He framed his future plans around giving back to his hometown. Bernstein said a godfather who returned to run local backpack drives and camps inspired him, and he said he wants to run similar programs in Vallejo after college to provide opportunities for younger students.

He concluded his remarks urging local support for students and schools, referencing the district by its initials and encouraging the audience to prioritize Vallejo City Unified. The remarks were delivered as a personal testimony and no district action was recorded following the statement.