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 DeKalb 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: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Aryel Allen
- School: Southwest DeKalb High
- College: Georgia Southern
- Intended major: Biology
- Advice for freshmen: I would tell freshmen to put themselves first. When I first got to high school, I was very consumed by the social experience. I forgot to stay organized and do what I needed to do for myself.
- Helpful study habit: Repetition. The more you repeatedly read something, the more you will retain it.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I don’t feel like I’m necessarily ready but prepared. I know life can throw a lot of things at you, which I feel like I’m prepared for, but I’m just not ready to handle it all.
- What worries you about the future? My biggest worry about the future is if I will be as successful as I want to be. I have everything I need to be successful, but I see so many others not living up to their full potential, and that bothers me.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Adriel Ammah
- School: Cedar Grove High
- College: Georgia Southern University or University of Georgia
- Intended major: Biology
- Helpful study habit: Eliminate all distractions when you are studying/working. If you put all your attention toward the task with no distractions, it will get done faster and more efficiently since being more attentive will lead to a lower likelihood of making errors.
- Favorite memory from high school: Marching my first field show in band. The experience was very nerve-wracking yet fun and exciting. It’s something I’ll never forget.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? To be honest, I feel that I still have some room to grow, but overall, I am ready for life after high school. I know as I grow older, I will make more mistakes and learn more lessons that will turn me into a true adult.
- What worries you about the future? All the responsibilities I will have to handle and balance on my own. Things like paying bills on time, earning my degree, paying taxes, it all seems very daunting and scary. But fear is nothing more than a shackle that holds you back from your full potential, so I know I will overcome these challenges.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Jada C. Bailey
- School: Arabia Mountain High
- College: Duke University
- Intended major: Statistical science
- Advice for freshmen: A piece of advice I would give to freshmen is to establish a good work ethic early on. Compelling work ethic outperforms genius every time, and when you start as early as freshman year, you are already on the road to greatness.
- Helpful study habit: My most helpful study habit is a three-step process. First, write down everything you remember about the subject you are studying. Secondly, match what you wrote with your notes to see what you may have missed or forgotten. Lastly, add what you missed to the notes you wrote from memory, and study it all together. Repeat this process until you are confident that you can list almost everything from memory.
- Favorite memory from high school: My sophomore chemistry class. Chemistry proved to be extremely difficult for my class, so a small group of us rallied together and decided to have each other’s backs for the class. We were strangers who shared a common struggle, and decided to take measures to ensure that all of us could succeed together. All of us ended up passing the class with no grade lower than a B.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? Yes! High school should not be the “end all be all” for anyone; it should serve as merely a steppingstone into a wonderful life. Since middle school, I’ve fantasized about my future, specifically how I want to live, where I want to live, what I want to achieve, how I want to give back to my family and community and much more. I am ecstatic to take the first step to start making it happen.
- What worries you about the future? I can’t exactly pinpoint any specifics, since I have no idea what the future may hold. However, I do feel that worrying about events that you can’t control is counterproductive and pointless. I choose not to worry about the “what-ifs” (unless they’re positive), and instead stay optimistic about anything that comes my way.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Danielle Beaucejour
- School: DeKalb School of the Arts
- College: Georgia Tech
- Intended major: Business administration
- Advice for freshmen: I’d advise freshmen not to compare themselves with others, but instead to focus on their own progress and celebrate their accomplishments.
- Favorite memory from high school: One of my favorite memories is attending SPA meetings (my school’s version of pep rallies), where my class and I participated in activities to win points for my grade.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I feel ready to take the next step in my life, but I know there’s still much to learn on my journey.
- What worries you about the future? How excessive phone use and screen time will affect my generation. Today, social media has become a prevalent addiction among teens, and negative effects from its use are already evident. I worry about the potentially long-lasting impact this will have on us.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Jack Bolte
- School: Chamblee High
- College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Intended major: Electrical engineering
- Advice for freshmen: Find something you are passionate about and give it your all. Do things that you genuinely enjoy and don’t do anything just for college.
- Helpful study habit: I study in 30-minute blocks and take breaks in between. This way, I’m always focused — I always have the next break to look forward to.
- Favorite memory from high school: Qualifying for the International Science and Engineering Fair. Seeing all the work that my teammates and I put into our project pay off was amazing.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I feel like I have the skills for life after high school, but it will definitely take some adjustment being so far away from home.
- What worries you about the future? There is a lot of uncertainty in the world. I hope that our generation can make progress toward solving the problems and conflicts that currently exist.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Zoe Amarise Carter
- School: Columbia High
- College: Oglethorpe University
- Intended major: Public health policy
- Advice for freshmen: Prioritize their schoolwork but to also prioritize themselves. Part of being in high school is to excel at school work because it builds the foundation for skills needed in higher education and the world of work. However, taking care of your mental health is just as important because you cannot take anything in if you are already overwhelmed.
- Favorite memory from high school: Looking back, one moment that stands out the most was preparing for Homecoming Week. The week was very hectic as we had to plan multiple fundraising events, coordinate with other clubs to secure event decorations and establish a run-through for the homecoming court. The reason this memory was my favorite was because I was able to use my skills to create events to bring joy to others. While there were stressful moments at times, I was assisted by others in my club to make sure everything ran smoothly.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? The knowledge and experiences that I have acquired throughout my schooling have prepared me for life after high school; however, the feeling of being overwhelmed still lingers as I prepare to embark on a new journey in life. Though I am filled with excitement about beginning my new journey, I still often wonder what exactly my future will hold. Will it be filled with anxiety as I navigate through uncharted territories in life? Will the unknown of the economy and my new career keep me up at night? Will I ever be able to put my worries to rest and be in the moment of life? However, I believe the people that I have surrounded myself with and the experiences I have endured have made me strong enough to overcome these challenges.
- What worries you about the future? I am worried about what lies ahead as I do not have any control over outside factors. However, I do have control over myself, what actions I choose to take and how I let other things affect me. Therefore I try not to stay anxious about what my future awaits, and focus more on the present. As a result, I choose to stay in the present and what I have power over now — such as my mental health, finishing high school and studying for AP tests — rather than giving in to the angst of the future.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Exahel Castaneda
- School: Cross Keys High
- College: Georgia Tech
- Intended major: Computer science
- Helpful study habit: My most helpful study habit for every subject but math was simply rewriting all my notes in my own words and studying them out loud by closing my eyes and reciting everything I had just studied.
- Favorite memory from high school: My favorite memory from high school was every second I spent in the classroom, being taught by the gifted teachers at Cross Keys. I always enjoyed learning the next subject and the entertaining methods that made material understandable, enjoyable and yet challenging.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I feel I am more than ready for life after high school. I’ve taken enough AP classes at Cross Keys to manage myself through college and have done hours of homework and studying to the point where it’s a habit. With this newfound determination, I like to believe that I’ll achieve whatever I apply myself to do.
- What worries you about the future? I’m not worried about the future, as I have everything planned out. Even if something goes wrong, I’ll improve upon my errors and conquer all obstacles.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Shreya Ghosh Chatterjee
- School: Lakeside High
- College: Georgia Tech
- Intended major: Chemistry
- Advice for freshmen: Always stand up for yourself. If someone wrongs you, there is more merit in putting up a fight and losing than not putting up a fight at all.
- Favorite memory from high school: During the pandemic, when everything was virtual, cross-country practice sometimes started before sunrise. My favorite memory is the feeling of completing a run right at sunrise — it’s magical.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? Absolutely not — but I have the attitude that life after high school is not ready for me!
- What worries you about the future? I am worried that one day, a man sitting in Congress will have more control over my body than I will. Unfortunately, that possibility seems closer to reality every day.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Terry Crawford
- School: Druid Hills High
- College: Georgia Tech
- Intended major: Computational media
- Advice for freshmen: I would recommend that you step out of your comfort zone as soon as you get to high school. Don’t stick with the friends that you already have, try to make new ones. Join all the clubs you’re remotely interested in, try out for all sorts of sports and engage with your classmates around you.
- Favorite memory from high school: Winning a JV cross-country race in my sophomore year. All season, I had been battling back and forth with two other teammates for the seventh varsity spot. By winning this race, I was able to crush the other two boys’ times and cement my spot on the varsity team for the rest of the season. It was also my first time winning a race, and the adrenaline and euphoria are still fresh on my mind to this day.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? Before high school, I moved from Beijing to Atlanta because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, I’ve lived by the mindset that I have to take life one year at a time and enjoy each year that I have, because I never know when something drastic will happen. I don’t know where I’ll be 10 years from now, or even five years from now, but I know I will be able to make the most of this upcoming year as I begin college.
- What worries you about the future? After being forced to move due to a global disease, there isn’t a lot that worries me anymore. I know that God will watch out for me and care for me no matter where I go, and my future is in his loving hands.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Chance Hill
- School: Martin Luther King Jr. High
- College: Kennesaw State University
- Intended major: Graphic design
- Advice for freshmen: Make sure you have a plan or at least an idea for your future. It’s important to already start mapping out your life to make the school years go by fast. It could even be as trivial as deciding what activities you want to involve yourself in for the next semester.
- Helpful study habit: I love studying in the comfort of my bed. I have easy access to food and it’s very quiet so those are great assets for me.
- Favorite memory from high school: A 10th grade field trip I went on with my entire friend group. My friends are hilarious so the whole day was filled with laughter. Life was so much simpler back then.
- What worries you about the future? Finances and student debt worry me about the future. I’m constantly applying to scholarships because I know I could rack up a lot of student debt and I don’t want that. My future major is graphic design, so because that’s in the technology field and the world is advancing in the technology era, that should give me many opportunities of employment giving me financial stability.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Alec Issa
- School: Marist School
- College: Emory University
- Intended major: Chemistry/pre-med
- Advice for freshmen: This is the start of your high school journey, and the combination of academic courses and extracurriculars can be daunting — but don’t be afraid to explore! Take that challenging class that interests you, join that club and create strong relationships with your teachers. In this way, you would be able to plant the seeds to make your high school experience unforgettable!
- Helpful study habit: Depending on the class, drilling practice problems may be even more important than spending hours going through your notes, especially for STEM-intensive subjects. The practice problems will be the closest to what you’ll see on the exam, so solving multiple problems is like weightlifting in preparation for a powerlifting competition.
- Favorite memory from high school: One of my favorite memories from high school is being the first student (on my first try) to beat one of the Marist AP US History teachers, Mr. Gregory, in table tennis on his miniature table set.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? Yes, I am so excited and ready for college! Emory is a research powerhouse, and I am excited to use the opportunities there to start undergraduate research early on.
- What worries you about the future? Life as a premedical student is still uncertain, just like high school, especially since I would still have to take the MCAT and apply to medical school in four years. However, these worries give me the courage to persevere and do my best in college.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Mikiah Johns
- School: Redan High
- College: Alabama A&M University
- Intended major: Biology
- Advice for freshmen: Stay on top of your grades. Grades are important. Although some say freshman year is an easy year, that doesn’t mean to slack around. Freshman year is like your first impression determining the rest of your high school years.
- Favorite memory from high school: Becoming Miss Redan High School.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I feel like I’m prepared for life after school because I had the best parents, teachers and coaches to guide me throughout my life.
- What worries you about the future? I honestly don’t have any worries about the future because I know God loves me and know I have faith in him, so he’s going to make sure I succeed no matter what.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Leah Johnson
- School: Columbia High
- College: Kennesaw State University
- Intended major: Animation
- Advice for freshmen: Tend to one’s own business, show kindness to teachers and other adults in the building and stay organized and focused on school work.
- Helpful study habit: My most helpful study habit is playing games related to what I am learning. I enjoy learning on Quizizz and Kahoot. Not only does it allow me to compete, but also builds my confidence in a subject. It is best for me to make learning as fun as possible.
- Favorite memory from high school: My favorite high school memory occurred during my junior year when I assisted with the activities during Senior Week. At the time, I had a lot of friends who were seniors and it felt like a great way to send them off to their post-high school journey. I had so much fun watching them enjoy the water fight activity, dance during the senior brunch and take funny pictures during the ice cream social.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? To be honest, I feel as though I am partially ready for life after high school. Yes, I am ready for a break. Being a high school student, I have to get permission to move around the school, and learning materials are predetermined based on your grade level. However, adulthood is very different. No one needs permission to use the restroom during lunch, yet I’d have to learn how to file my own taxes and learn how to create a monthly budget. In life, I will have to learn things that no amount of studying can teach me — but pure experience can.
- What worries you about the future? Not only getting a job but making enough money to live comfortably on my income. I know inflation is negatively impacting a lot of families financially and I fear that no matter how much money I make, I will still struggle to make ends meet.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Gordon Lichtstein
- School: Decatur High
- College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Intended major: Computer science and linguistics
- Advice for freshmen: Make friends that push you to be better and think about how you can make a positive impact on the world.
- Most helpful study habit: Doing lots of practice tests, reviewing your incorrect answers and taking breaks are honestly the most powerful study strategies I’ve found.
- Favorite memory from high school: I loved the hands-on experiments and fun with my friends in physics.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I think I am. While the uncertainty of the future can be scary at times, I try to maintain a hopeful optimism that I’ll be capable of handling whatever it may hold.
- What worries you about the future? I worry about humanity’s ability to collectively shift our attention to existential threats such as climate change.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Fanta Ndiaye
- School: Arabia Mountain High
- College: Brown University
- Intended major: Computer science and atmospheric science
- Advice for freshmen: Have two types of goals. Academically, believe in your ability and always complete extra credit (whether you need it or not). And morally, don’t compromise being kind to others or yourself for the sake of acceptance.
- Helpful study habit: The most helpful study habit for me was using free online resources, such as Khan Academy and YouTube tutorials on things I wanted to perfect or needed clarification on.
- Favorite memory from high school: It was a memory I had with my two closest friends this year. After attending a ceremony in support of me, we went to Waffle House and just talked, laughed and reminisced.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I believe I am ready for life after high school. I think it’s because although I’m terrified out of my mind for the future, I understand that I have a strong support system and that I’m not in a rush to grow up or abandon the experiences and lessons I learned in high school.
- What worries you about the future? Not living up to my potential and becoming complacent in college. I’m not sure who I’ll be in the next four years but I’m hopeful it’s someone that I can be proud of.
Credit: photo provided
Credit: photo provided
Matthew Phillips
- School: Lakeside High
- College: Princeton University
- Intended major: Politics
- Advice for freshmen: They should make sure to get to know their teachers as they are more willing to help if a connection is made.
- Favorite memory from high school: One of my favorite high school memories was getting to be a Mock Supreme Court Justice in my 10th grade AP government class.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? I definitely feel ready for life after high school as my parents taught me how to be independent and I’ve had the academic college experience through Dual Enrollment.
- What worries you about the future? I’m worried about what career I will decide to go into, as the battle between financial success vs. doing what I want may become an issue.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
Neil Shah
- School: Dunwoody High
- College: Georgia Tech
- Intended major: Physics
- Advice for freshmen: As my principal Coach Bass likes to say, get involved. Forming connections with your peers and finding upperclassmen to mentor you can be the key to a successful and happy high school career. Find clubs and competitions that sound interesting to you and try them out; it’s OK if you don’t like them or don’t do well initially. The next three years are for whittling down your interests.
- Helpful study habit: Being a programmer for my school’s robotics team, I’ve run into lots of issues with my code. To solve them, I use “rubber duck debugging.” Take a rubber duck, your pet or any object and tell it about your problem — or explain a concept that you are studying. Once you can do that without thinking, you’ve studied enough.
- Favorite memory from high school: Winning a 2-2 tie for my varsity tennis team is definitely up there in my favorite memories. My match was the decider for our win, and I rallied from a losing position in the final tiebreak to defeat the other team. Celebrating with my team afterwards was also a highlight, and I wouldn’t give up my time on the tennis team for anything else.
- Do you feel like you’re ready for life after high school? Absolutely. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been ready to head into the real world since junior year. I’m excited to take free rein and challenge myself at the next level to discover what I’m really capable of.
- What worries you about the future? Since I began following presidential elections in 2020, I’ve noticed an increasing degree of partisanship among politicians and the general public. Today, there are a plethora of people and movements that attempt to suppress certain students, teachers, races, and genders in the name of “equity.” I fear that this polarization is eroding the United States’ place as a world leader in education and progress.
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