The Valedictorians and Salutatorians of the Class of 2022 were announced on Thursday, Feb. 16. RHSToday has compiled a list of questions to ask them about their academic achievement and future plans.

Q: What gave you the motivation to end up on top? Was becoming Valedictorian or Salutatorian ever a goal for you?

Marina Werkmeister, Traditional Valedictorian: “Being 100% honest, I didn’t know I was a contender for Valedictorian/Salutatorian until the end of my junior year so I didn’t go too much out of my way to raise my GPA besides a few extra online courses. It was never really a goal but always something that would’ve been a great accomplishment.”

Lindsey Chadwick, Traditional Salutatorian: “My parents always helped me and pushed me to get good grades and motivated me to do my work.”

Sriya Kollipara IB Valedictorian: ” I am a studious person so it worked out for me in the end.”

Priya Sambasivan, IB Salutatorian: “To be honest, it was a goal of mine for a short period of time but I never expected to actually achieve it. Starting high school, I didn’t think it was worth the stress but at the end of ninth grade, I learned I actually had a chance. Then in 10th grade, I took a bunch of extra classes, but it was super stressful and not realistic to maintain so for 11th and 12th grade, I stopped. I guess those extra classes are what pulled me through.”

Q: How did you balance your academics, extracurriculars and even your social life?

MW: “I’ve always been a student-athlete so I’m used to balancing out my school work. Socially, I’m like a friendly introvert, I know lots of people and can mesh well with others but I enjoy just hanging out with my best friend the most so it’s easy to make plans.”

LC: “I always used up my free time. Obviously, I would take breaks and relax but if I had work that needed to be done, I did it. I’ve played softball since I was four so I’ve never struggled with school and softball at the same time. When I added flag into the mix of things, that’s when it got a little difficult, only because they are in the same season. Since I played two sports, those are my main friends. I see them around school and almost every day. We sometimes do stuff after practices or on the weekends.”

SK: “I pretty much didn’t sleep till my senior year to be honest because I tried to do everything at once. But this year, I’ve been a lot happier throwing out my calendar and not taking on stress and just doing whatever it is: studying, basketball or just hanging out with my friends whenever I want to.”

PS: “Balancing everything wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. There have been many times when I had to skip a social event because of responsibilities for either clubs or sports, but up until this year, balancing academics wasn’t very challenging because I would do a lot of my work at school instead of saving it for home.”

Q: Do you think all of this hard work was worth it?

MW: “I think becoming Valedictorian was an amazing and surprising accomplishment. Since I didn’t really start applying myself to the position until the past year, I wouldn’t say I had to work any extra than normal. I’m in an academically focused family and I think that has pushed me to better my academics throughout my entire high school career.”

LC: “Yes it was. I’ve always said that I’m not really that smart, I just work hard and I still stand by that.”

SK: “It’s hard to say. I guess we will find out 10-20 years from now, but for the short term, I would say probably.”

PS: “Yeah definitely, I think during junior year and the first semester of senior year I was starting to regret spending so much time on academics and extracurriculars because I felt I was missing out on those types of formative “high school memories.” But now I’m starting to see the fruits of my labor and it’s really gratifying. Plus, I realized that I’m still making those memories and I haven’t really missed out on as much as I thought it was. So yeah, I definitely think it was worth it.”

Q: What advice would you give to underclassmen right now?

MW: “My advice for underclassmen would be to hold your mental health and happiness above any academic validation. While good grades seem important for colleges and success, I believe staying mentally available will take you much further.”

LC:  “Just do your work and do it on time. If you don’t understand something, then ask. Teachers for the most part are almost always willing to help you. You just have to respect them and ask. If they see you giving an effort they will put effort into you.”

SK: “I would just say do whatever makes you happy.”

PS: “I would say that if being Valedictorian and Salutatorian is a goal of yours and you decided to take extra classes, it’s better to do them now than when you’re an upper-classman because you have a lot more work and responsibilities. My general advice for everyone would be to always remember the big picture so that little things aren’t too stressful and you can keep them in perspective. Also, what I’ve come to realize is, at least academically speaking, any work you put in is almost always worth it in the end, so don’t feel bad about anything in the present and keep the future in mind.”

Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

MW: “In ten years, I hope to have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. A big goal of mine regarding my future has been completing my degree early and being able to successfully live on my own.”

LC: “I see myself settled down somewhere with a good job and nice house and a dog.”

SK: “Probably not the best answer for a Valedictorian, but I am undecided on what I’m going to do. I’m probably going to UF and I’m gonna figure it out from there.”

PS: “In ten years, I hope that I’ll still be in school, maybe in my fellowship or residency of medical school. I want to have a close-knit group of friends and family and I just want to not have any regrets and be happy and healthy while helping other people.”