The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked valedictorians at metro Atlanta schools questions about their time in high school and their futures. Here’s what some graduates in Cobb schools had to say. Students are listed alphabetically by last name. Some schools have multiple valedictorians. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Siryet Bekele
- School: Hillgrove High
- College: University of Georgia
- Intended major: Biochemistry and molecular biology
- Advice for freshmen: Stay focused on what you love. Throughout high school, it’s inevitable that you will face many challenges and will want to stop when it gets hard, but you must remember the “why” behind your actions. Hardships are temporary, but you’ll always remember the experiences that make you stronger.
- Most helpful study habit: Filming a time-lapse video of myself while studying. Not only does this keep me from procrastinating on Netflix or TikTok, but it challenges me to see how long I can work without interrupting the video. Also, watching the papers flip and get completed is satisfying, which only motivates me to continue this habit.
- Favorite memory from high school: Participating in a campus cleanup during freshman year. Although it was my first “back-in-person” experience after the COVID-19 quarantine and I didn’t know anyone, the school community was incredibly welcoming. My shyness was swept away by a wave of friendliness that was so positive, encouraging and ultimately unforgettable.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? Yes, I feel like I’m ready for life after high school. More than understanding math theorems and classic works of literature, I have overcome a plethora of challenges in high school. Through creative problem solving, peer cooperation, compromising and prioritization, I have worked efficiently to achieve my goals. Surely, these skills will help in my future endeavors.
- What worries you about the future? Whether I will keep balance in my life. While I look forward to being ambitious and focused on my career, I don’t want to be consumed by it completely. Currently, I do my best to make deliberate efforts to balance all aspects of my life: being academically successful while maintaining my hobbies and relationships.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Brandon Buchalter
- School: Campbell High
- College: Vanderbilt University
- Intended major: Mathematics
- Most helpful study habit: I put aside distractions and fight the urge to be distracted. By letting my family know I am studying, putting my phone out of reach and turning it off, and not thinking about problems or drama happening in my life, I am able to be very effective during my study time.
- Favorite memory from high school: While I don’t have many specific memories that stand out, my junior year Spanish class made many memories for me. Because that class was so difficult yet very fun, I learned a lot and solidified friendships in that class, making it very memorable for me.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I feel very prepared to go to university after high school. The International Baccalaureate program has prepared me to take difficult classes and write many (and different types of) essays, and the experiences I have had throughout high school have given me skills that will help me speak up for myself as necessary. My family has also allowed me to grow in such a manner that has led to me being ready to move out in August.
- What worries you about the future? It is worrying that, in my opinion, the current level of international attention and efforts on the climate crisis is not enough to combat its growth and that this could cause irreversible harm in the future. I am also worried about the general lack of acknowledgment surrounding rising antisemitism and other forms of hate as this could have negative effects on me and others I know.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Bryce Chapin
- School: Pope High
- College: Georgia Tech
- Intended major: Industrial engineering
- Advice for freshmen: Challenge yourself with classes that genuinely interest you. You want to take the most rigorous classes you can, but if the interest isn’t there, the motivation to work hard probably won’t be there either.
- Most helpful study habit: Taking good notes in class and reviewing them each night when I get home from school.
- Favorite memory from high school: Winning our rivalry football match vs. Lassiter High my senior year.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? Yes, I feel like Pope has prepared me for life after high school by offering very challenging courses taught by really great teachers. I feel equipped with the knowledge I have learned at Pope to be able to succeed at Georgia Tech.
- What worries you about your future? Learning how to live on my own away from my family.
Credit: courtesy photo
Credit: courtesy photo
Claire Isbitts
- School: North Cobb High
- College: University of Georgia
- Intended major: Public health and film studies
- Advice for freshmen: Incoming freshmen absolutely need an agenda or some form of to-do list. It keeps due dates, tests, homework, etc., organized, and even if you don’t physically check anything off, it helps to ensure you remember to do it. Plus, there’s the added satisfaction of actually checking off a box.
- Most helpful study habit: Going back through the unit and analyzing my strengths and weaknesses. Off of that, then I can study much more effectively, because I rewrite my notes in some format to study due to how I remember information, so focusing on a few areas takes much less time than the whole unit.
- Favorite memory from high school: Probably going to see my school’s production of “Chicago” (for the first of three times). I went with my friends, and I watched my friends perform absolutely amazingly. I felt happy just to be around them, and so proud for them.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? There is no question that I am 100% academically prepared for college. I am so fortunate to have gone to a school that pushed me and allowed me to push myself far. Socially, I think high school has taught me a lot of lessons that I’m hoping I’ve learned a lot from. I think I’m ready to go on to college and beyond. Even if I’m not, or doubt my readiness (a lot of the time), I really didn’t feel ready for high school, but I, with help, figured it out all right.
- What worries you about your future? I worry a lot about whether I’m going to have passion for my work and life when I’m older. I want to be able to do something that I love, and it’s terrifying, to me, to consider a life where I’m dissatisfied with what I do and what I’ve become.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Lexi Latham-Drain
- School: Cobb Online Learning Academy/Cobb Horizon High
- College: Undecided
- Intended major: Undecided
- Advice for freshmen: Always give yourself a head start. Not only would it help with downtime, but it comes with plenty of advantages such as coursework organization and relieving stress. Being a step ahead definitely helps in the long run!
- Most helpful study habit: Reward yourself. Work before you play, work before you treat yourself and work toward a goal to motivate and encourage a cycle. This can be applied to any situation outside of school.
- Favorite memory from high school: My graduation ceremony. The moment felt so remarkable. The best part about it was placing my first medal around my neck and letting it shine.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I had quite a few glimpses of life before I even finished my senior year. Ready as I’ll ever be.
- What worries you about the future? I know that loads of trouble will worry me most regarding my future, and trouble comes in all forms. If I’m able to squeeze through the obstacles, I think I’ll be OK.
Credit: courtesy photo
Credit: courtesy photo
Elina Natu
- School: Campbell High
- College: Emory University
- Intended major: Neuroscience and behavioral biology
- Advice for freshmen: Create a schedule and figure out how to best manage your time to reduce the amount of stress deadlines may cause as a result of procrastination.
- Most helpful study habit: I find that taking notes and writing out, not typing, the information I am studying allows me to better comprehend and remember it. Also, taking the time to fully understand the content that is confusing or does not make sense is extremely beneficial for assessments and being able to recall the information long term.
- Favorite memory from high school: My favorite memory is rather general but it would probably be Mr. Rogers’ class in junior year. His class was very fun and was always a nice way to start the morning, many good memories come from that class.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? In terms of preparedness, I feel well equipped to make the transition to university.
- What worries you about the future? The advances in technology are quickly making some skill sets obsolete and I worry that I may develop certain expertise that will no longer be necessary when I enter the workforce after college.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Jesus Ortiz
- School: Osborne High
- College: Georgia Tech
- Intended major: Aerospace engineering
- Advice for freshmen: Always do your best, even in the most difficult situations during your school years. The road to success isn’t easy. Despite it all, one has to be prepared for everything life throws in your path. Trust God and everything will be successful.
- Favorite memory from high school: Attending my first ever soccer game. When I was in high school, I lost interest in the sport I loved. My friends from the soccer team convinced me to attend my first game. Upon attending that game, the emotions I thought I lost forever sparked back to life. From that game going forward, I pushed myself to become successful in school and attend all the soccer games I could.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I feel like I am ready. I learned ample lessons in school that I am ready to utilize for the real world. Additionally, I have gained wisdom from some of the best teachers I’ve had, empowering me to become ready for the real world.
- What worries you about your future? The only thing I am worried about is adjusting to my new environment. Each transition is scary to endure. Going to Georgia Tech will be scary because I am going with only a few people I know and I am scared I will be alone in the crowd.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Isabella Sternagle
- School: Sprayberry High
- College: University of Georgia
- Intended major: Biology
- Advice for freshmen: It’s OK if you don’t have a plan, but it’s not OK to not try to find one. Join clubs and activities that you are interested in. Take classes that you want to take. The more you try, the more likely you are to discover what you enjoy!
- Most helpful study habit: Sleep!! There is nothing better the night before a test or presentation than sleep.
- Favorite memory from high school: The HOSA conferences I was able to attend. It was so fun to get to hang out with my friends outside of school and get to learn and compete in health care events.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I feel like the teachers at Sprayberry helped me become prepared for my next steps at college. I am more excited than anything!
- What worries you about the future? I am worried about disappointing the people who poured into me and not living up to my potential.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Catherine Varicak
- School: Harrison High
- College: University of Georgia
- Intended major: Cognitive science
- Advice for freshmen: Make sure to get involved and meet new people. High school would have been hard to get through without being involved in clubs and meeting many new friends in different social circles.
- Most helpful study habit: Take breaks occasionally while studying. I also come up with fun rhymes or sayings to remember information.
- Favorite memory from high school: Senior spring break. Though it wasn’t in school, a lot of my high school friends were able to come together, relax and have fun at the beach.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I think I am, I’m a little scared about what’s going to happen next but I’m more excited to find out!
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
MaCayla Wakefield
- School: South Cobb High
- College: Howard University
- Intended major: Biochemistry
- Advice for freshmen: I would advise a freshman to brainstorm everything they would like to accomplish each year in high school, including the summers. This can include internships, standardized test preparation, and their desired AP/Honors courses. Then I would create a timeline for each month in every year of high school. Be extremely detailed and take your time; this is especially helpful for college preparation. I did this the summer of my freshman year and checked back in at the end of each year to see how close I was to my goals.
- Most helpful study habit: Do all the work I am assigned the day of. This is a great way to maximize my time, especially when tests are coming up because I will not be completing work that has been put off. I can easily focus my efforts on studying and getting an ample amount of sleep.
- Favorite memory from high school: While I have a lot of great memories from high school, my favorite would have to be my research symposium. I was able to present my own research in front of medical professionals and win first place! Another great memory would probably be going to the Georgia Aquarium for my biotech class with my friends and seeing the dolphin show.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I definitely feel more than prepared for life after high school, especially since I will be completing a postsecondary education. My completion of the rigorous curriculum at South Cobb’s Medical Magnet Program gave me confidence that I will be able to handle any challenges presented in college.
- What worries you about the future? Something that worries me about the future is which path I will follow, vocationally. I know I want to be a medical professional but I am not sure which field I would want to specialize in. Additionally, I am worried about my impact in this world. I want to ensure that the path I choose will create a lasting change for generations to come because that is what I believe we were put on this earth to do … evolve.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Carolyn Wong
- School: Pebblebrook High
- College: Columbia University
- Intended major: Undecided
- Advice for freshmen: Find your friends and don’t be afraid to be ambitious with your goals!
- Most helpful study habit: Deleting social media apps and FaceTiming friends to have a study session — I often FaceTime my friend groups, and we self-study on mute.
- Favorite memory from high school: My friends and I would go on daily walks outside (to go from building to building) during transition time in between each class period. It was nice being able to talk to them out of the classroom for a couple minutes each day!
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I feel that I’m prepared in my ability to work with different types of people and learn quickly!
- What worries you about the future? Honestly, whether or not I will end up living a life in which I am making choices that make me happy and staying true to myself.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Kelly Wu
- School: Lassiter High
- College: Georgia Tech
- Intended major: Biomedical engineering
- Advice for freshmen: You define what fun means to you. The fear of missing out and peer pressure are more subtle and scarier than what you’d expect. Be cautious of herd mentality and be OK with not fitting in. It builds character.
- Most helpful study habit: I try to complete most of my homework at school. I do practice questions, vocab, or compile a summary sheet of important information from the unit after school, depending on what I see necessary for the class.
- Favorite memory from high school: I loved snacking on Starbursts and Cheez-It puffs while playing mancala and Monopoly after junior year prom.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? Yes! After these last four years, I have a better understanding of my values, boundaries, expectations in friendships/relationships, and morals. This acquired self-awareness gives me confidence to navigate my future.
- What worries you about the future? Everything will work out, whether or not I initially understand the purpose of an experience. There’s no need to worry. But, what if I die alone?
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