As the Class of 2025 prepares to graduate and take their next steps into college, it’s time to reflect on how far they’ve come, from freshmen navigating through high school to accomplished seniors ready to leave memories. This year’s valedictorian is Valerie Colin, whose hard work, leadership, and determination has set her apart. As she prepares to move on to her next chapter at Yale University, Valerie reflects on her journey and shares her thoughts on the experiences that shaped her along the way.
- Many people say that time flies by in high school, do you feel the same way?
“Yeah, it flies by and it’s like, oh my goodness, I don’t want to graduate yet, it’s bittersweet.”
- Looking back at your freshman self, what advice would you give her?
“I definitely was more quiet, and I would say don’t be afraid to ask for help. I think I struggled a lot with that, it made me just not branch out, and stick to myself. I would have liked to be more intentional about what I do, who I hang out with because our time is valuable.”
- Many students believe that in order to get into a top university, it requires you to be entirely perfect. But everybody faces challenges and makes mistakes. What was your biggest academic challenge in high school, and how did you overcome it?
“For me, I’m hearing impaired, so I have hearing aids on both sides of my ears. My biggest challenge for me was navigating through high school. I never received any accommodations. My health care provider suggested placing me in special-education classes, but I knew that I wanted to challenge myself.”
“It’s not that I couldn’t keep up with the work, I just had a hard time hearing if the teacher spoke softly, or if they don’t use speaker systems. I always had to ask to sit in the front. I had to take initiative first. Sometimes people can be insensitive and make comments, but their words do matter, it hurts. There were a lot of times where I had to speak up.”
- Many juniors feel overwhelmed when thinking about their senior year, especially since it’s their last year of high school. How did you manage to stay focused during that time?
“I definitely tried to manage my time, like what I was saying before about being intentional, don’t overwhelm myself during the last minute. I know a lot of kids think that in order to get into a top school you need to be doing ten different extracurriculars, president of ten different clubs, participate in athletics, I wouldn’t think that way.”
“Do what you love doing, and it won’t feel like it’s a task. That will help you for college applications. Sticking to two to three activities and it feels like you won’t feel overwhelmed. What I do is I have a planner to plan out what I do every day, like answering one question for college applications, then the next day. Don’t do everything in one day. Leaving things at the last minute isn’t good because it isn’t your best work.”
- What message will you convey in your valedictorian speech?
“I’m currently still drafting but I think it will be something inspirational. I think my biggest message would be to not confine yourself in a box. Branch out, try new things, and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do or influence you. Definitely, stay centered and grounded within yourself.”
- If you could thank one person that helped you get to this point, who would it be and why?
“I think my sister. I have one older sister, her name is Mayerling, I call her Mayi. She’s always been my role model and my inspiration. We are the same person in different ways. I just love her. She’s always been the person that I can go to, or get support.”
- What are you hoping to study, and what inspired that interest?
“I’m hoping to study psychology. Since the pandemic, I realized that I was drawn into psychology because my dad works in construction. He couldn’t stop working, many people have an office job or work through zoom, but my dad couldn’t do that. I know that it’s the case for a lot of families, especially for low-income and first generation.”
“That was a time where I felt like mental health became a very important concept that people were starting to be more aware of. I noticed that my dad had to set his physical and mental health aside to provide for our family. I feel like that was a wake up call for me, even in my community, it’s very black and white. There are no facilities that provide mental health help. I believe that providing more resources, or even reaching out to people, would be amazing if Preuss had that.”
- What are you most excited or nervous about when it comes to college?
“I’m definitely excited to explore my independence in a new environment, completely by myself. I’m definitely nervous about finding my people. Especially being on the other side of the country, long-distance contact with my family, I can’t just fly over. I want to see how I adapt, and hopefully I can find my people.”
- Any final words for the underclassmen, who might look up to you?
“I just want to reiterate, be intentional with your time. Do things that you’re passionate about, focus on you, don’t focus on what someone else wants for you. Find what’s going to make you happy. In order to be successful, being happy is a part of that.”
