The titles valedictorian and salutatorian are some of the most coveted in the high school world, but the journey and hard work put into these titles is significant. Robinson’s IB and Traditional valedictorians and salutatorians share their thoughts on what it means for them to be recognized in this way and how they got there.

Q: What gave you the edge to be on top?

Ngan Nguyen, Traditional Valedictorian: I don’t really know what I did to be honest, I mean I took really rigorous classes because I wanted to challenge myself. Honestly I didn’t think I would even become valedictorian until I got my transcript and it said number one.

Kyle Johnson, IB Valedictorian: “I took some dual enrollment classes over the summer and I think that’s what really bumped up my GPA, but it was always really important for me to take classes I was interested in and not just random classes that would boost my GPA.”

Ciara Faison, Traditional Salutatorian: “One thing I did to set myself apart was each year I would take an extra 1-2 AP classes, while my other classmates didn’t”

Nick Fata, IB Salutatorian: “I did spend a lot of time on my online classes, but I wanted to make sure that the classes I was taking interested me so that I would want to complete them.”

Q: Was it hard to balance academics and extra classes with extracurricular activities?

CF: “Honestly, it was hard. I actually had to quit my job at one point just to be able to manage my schedule and during the swim season it was especially difficult with practices and meets.”

NF: “There were some psychological obstacles, I knew I could spend my summer relaxing and sleeping but having the motivation to get up and do my classes was tough sometimes.”

KJ: “I found it especially difficult Junior year when we already had a heavy load of IB work and I had my online and duel enrollment courses on top of that”

Q: Was it worth it?

CF: “Yeah I think it was worth it because I know I will be able to look back in my yearbook and always remember that I was salutatorian. And actually it was really special to me because in my family being salutatorian wasn’t really expected and I will be the first person in my family to go to college so it was a really big deal for me and my family.”

NF: “I know I tried my hardest and theres a certain sense of fulfillment in that and getting recognized for all this work I’ve put in for these past for years.”

Q: Where do you see yourself in the future?

CF: I plan to go to USF in the summer and plan on going into pre-med but that might change.

NF: I’m thinking about Georgia Tech, but I’m still unsure.