Senior Alexa Wing has worked extremely hard these past four years at UC High to reach the achievement of becoming the class of 2016 Valedictorian, with a 4.86  GPA.

   According to Wing’s mother, Head Counselor Sheryl Godfrey, Wing has wanted to be Valedictorian since the seventh grade. “Alexa had a math tutor from UC High who was a Valedictorian, and she said in seventh grade that she wanted to be a Valedictorian like he was,” said Godfrey. Wing maintained straight A’s through seventh and eighth grade and always studied on her own. “I never had to push her to do anything. She is completely self-motivated, and it’s not just [for] her school work. Her dedication to her soccer team and her workout and fitness schedule is amazing. I’ve never seen a teenager do that,” said Godfrey.

   Godfrey said, “It’s always just been me and her in the house, so there were never any distractions. She could always plan if she wanted people around or not, which is nice because not a lot of people can’t do that with siblings around. I also believe that we have great parents at the school, and it is always a good thing when there is a balance between the parent and the student. I know that with Alexa. I allowed her to be self-driven and figure out who she wanted to be on her own, and that relationship has been a great help.”

   Wing took 12 AP classes. Although she may have been stressed a bit during this time, she always held a positive attitude. “I always made sure to manage my time well and prioritize. I also made sure that all the important stuff was done first, and not to worry about the extra stuff on the side. Lastly, I made sure not to spend the whole day focused on school work, and that I had other stuff going on, like soccer and hanging out with friends. I tried to balance things as best as possible,” said Wing.

   In addition, Wing participates in CSF and Best Buddies and volunteers. “A lot of my time, especially the weekends, has gone to doing various volunteer opportunities, and just helping out for certain events,” she said.

   Wing has committed to go to Dartmouth for college, which is an Ivy League school in New Hampshire. She is majoring in her favorite subject, biology, and she  plans to minor in Environmental Studies and math. “My favorite classes at UC High were Math 150 and Math 151 with Dr. [Sharon] Hughes. However, I love science. I feel like it is the most interesting and most applicable [subject]  today,” she said.

   Outside of school, Wing focuses on working out and maintaining a fitness-oriented lifestyle. She has been playing soccer competitively since seventh grade. “I always make sure that I am as fit as I can be, especially when it comes to soccer, so that I can be on the field helping out my team. I work out because I want to be in the best possible place. My friends would definitely say that I am a healthy person, because it is very important to me. I love to spend a lot of my time working out, going on hikes and being outdoors,” she explained.

   Godfrey said, “Alexa knew emotionally how to stay stable, and she knew that if she wasn’t in a good place emotionally, she wouldn’t be able to reach her goals, and working out was a great therapy method for her to stay positive.” Wing has a tryout for the Varsity Soccer Team at Dartmouth, and plans on continuing this sport in her future. Senior Lauren Hurtado said, “I have known Alexa since sophomore year, and I think that she is very determined and goes after what she wants. She would always work her hardest for herself. Alexa has also always been a great friend.”

   Wing’s most difficult experience in high school was junior year. “It was definitely the most difficult year, and on top of all the school work, I was switching soccer teams. I was also doing the most volunteer work that year, and it was the most labor-intensive. I also feel like that is the year where I realized that I had to do well for college and figure out where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. Figuring out what was going to happen in the future was very stressful. However, I had a great support group of friends and family that supported all my decisions and helped me keep a good perspective on everything. I knew it would all work out eventually,” said Wing.

   “My favorite year has been senior year. The classes I am taking weren’t easier, but I had everything figured out at this point, and I was able to relax after college apps were over, and I knew where I was going. I feel like I had more free time my senior year than in all of high school. It’s like I’m finally catching up on sleep my last year from all four years of being sleep-deprived,” continued Wing.

    Wing said, “It feels really cool to be Valedictorian. It feels like all the hard work definitely paid off. All the studying, extra work for classes and stress was all for a good reason.”