As the school year dwindled down to only a small number of remaining days until graduation and the girls depart the SHA campus for (hopefully not) the last time, the anticipation to find out who the valedictorian, salutatorian, and remaining top five members of the class will be felt even more urgent.  With the close of each SHA girls’ time at Sacred Heart Academy and the end of an era of lugging around boulder- sized backpacks, mountains of homework, and hours committed to practices and games and rehearsals, it is no doubt that excitement is high, awaiting the reveal of the elusive top five ranked seniors for the graduating class.  With four years of hard work, five stellar seniors are rewarded with the prestigious honor of being one of the five girls with the highest grade point average within their grade, the honor of valedictorian being bestowed to the girl who performed with the most skill and precision.

Of the top five, the Valedictorian is the academic title honoring the success and excellence of the student with the highest ranking among their graduating class, also granting that student the opportunity to deliver the valediction’s speech at graduation. Following right behind, the second highest ranking member, the salutatorian also is given the honor to deliver a speech, the salutation, addressing the graduating class, their growth over the past four years together, and on an outlook toward the future and gratefulness for the past.  Following the salutatorian, the third, fourth, and fifth highest ranking members are honored for their excellence in terms of their final grade point average and achievements during their years at SHA.  Generally, the top five members of the graduating class are highly regarded for their ability in terms of knowledge, intellect, as well as character and service, making them key members of the SHA community and amazing people all around.

On Wednesday, May 11^th, the entire student body gathered for the announcement naming the girls who would be a part of the top five, as the seniors and the rest of the school buzzed with anticipation and nerves.

As then announced, Helena Bui, esteemed member of the SHA senior class, won the title of valedictorian this year (which was indeed deserved!) and Jennifer Piciw, also an incredible student and person all around, was awarded the title of salutatorian.  Following, the third and fourth highest ranking members of the senior class were Elizabeth Smith and Kristen Austin, each of whom is a lovely addition to the graduating class.  With the fifth position, however, there was a bit of a conflict in terms of deciding who the title would go to—the fifth and final member of the top five could not be confined to simply one student, however, as two made the mark—in that case, because of the tie, Mitali Banerjee and Isobel Munday were each granted the title as the fifth highest graduating senior.

Each of the members of the top five, being outstanding intellects as well as active members in the school community and student body, have a large cumulative list of accomplishments and achievements accumulated during their four years attending Sacred Heart Academy, ranging from various honors societies, AP and national exam recognition, university awards given at the past honors convocations (including awards from honorable schools such as The College of the Holy Cross, University of Rochester, and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), as well as various members having been honored through the SCC, Summa Scholars, among other academic acknowledgements that should be regarded with the highest respect.  These six girls, each amazing in their own right, exhibit a true quality of hard work and commitment in their dedication to their studies, the school community, and their character, and this definitely shines through in terms of their accomplishments and recognition as members of the top five.

Upon interviewing valedictorian of the class of 2016, the kind and talented Helena Bui, shared insight on the past four years. We discussed her feelings in terms of admittance into Yale, being the top of her class, and the coming of a close to her senior year and high school experience:

As the end of your high school career is coming to a close, what is one of the most memorable moments from your four years at SHA?

Bui: Oh man, there are so many memories that I’ve made at SHA that I honestly don’t think I can truly pinpoint one moment and call it the pinnacle of all of my SHA memories, you know what I mean? …Life at SHA is made of the little memories that merge together in one beautiful story. It’s our own little universe that is made up of these moments. Looking back, I find that I find the little memories so magical—we don’t need a huge supernova to occur to account it as memorable. …For instance, if I had to single out like one tiny general memory that is near and dear to me, I would probably say the times that my best friends and I would sit together at lunch and laugh and talk about anything and everything under the moon. We’d just laugh and laugh and enjoy each other’s company for that ever-so-short 25 minutes. You’d see the genuine, pure happiness in the grinning faces and the crinkled eyes of everyone despite the 5 thousands hours of homework we all had, but those were the moments that were true, and raw, and real. Every moment at SHA, no matter how big or small, has meant a lot to me and each is special in its own right.

How does it feel to know that your incredibly hard work at SHA over the years has paid off so well?  How do you feel about top five and being able to accept such an honor?

Bui: Honestly, I still am trying to register my feelings! I’m feeling so many different emotions wrapped into one! A great number of people have congratulated and complimented me on account of my accomplishment, and every single accolade means the world to me, but for some reason, it’s still something that I have to come to terms with.  It’s surreal to say that least. It may seem that I brush it off as something “normal” or “whatever” but I honestly sometimes do not know how to react…I feel so thankful and so amazingly grateful and just so…I don’t even know of an appropriate word to describe this, but I do know that I am just so blessed. I’m the first-generation college student in my family, and with my parents being immigrants from Vietnam, this accomplishment means the entire universe to me and to them. It’s such a privilege and honor to represent those minority students and first-generation students, as well as the Vietnamese population. This honor not only impacts my family and I in a positive light, but it gives me further validation and motivation to know that, “Hey, if I can do this, what else can I do to better this world and to better my community?” I know it seems so far-stretched out, but this honor has just granted me a momentary sigh of relief that I must be doing something right and it has given the encouragement to keep moving forward.

That’s such a great thing to hear! And I’ve heard that you’ve also gotten into Yale which is exciting within itself!  What are you most looking forward to?

Bui: I am so incredibly excited to go to Yale next year; my excitement and nervous anticipation is driving me wild (and don’t worry; I’m looking forward to savoring the last moments of SHA too)! I live about 10 minutes away from the Yale campus and having been able to go and visit for the few admitted students’ days was definitely an amazing experience; it was environment that felt like its own. It seems like an automatic expectation that those at Yale would be quite uppity and pretentious, but I honestly forgot that I was in one of the top schools in the nation when I was there!  Everyone that I met was  so down-to-earth, friendly, welcoming, kind, and helpful. Obviously, my perception may be a bit skewed since I don’t go there YET, but it was an amazing couple of days. I’m definitely looking forward to making new life-long relationships and taking full advantage of what such an amazing institution has to offer. I’m looking forward to experiencing things that I haven’t before, and finding new passions and getting the opportunity to actually pursue them. The possibilities are just awe-inspiring, whether it’s socially, academically or personally.

Being a major member of the top five, what kind of advice can you give for students aiming to achieve and accomplish so much during their high school years? Is there any advice you would give to your freshman self as you head off to college?

Bui: I may be able to give two separate piece of advice here, which may be more than applicable in high school, college, and beyond, advice that I would certainly think is beyond important for any SHA girl, no matter her grade:

First and foremost, find what you love and what makes you happy; find what makes you flourish and grow deeper in love with yourself and the world and find your passion. In term of college admissions, Yale, for instance, doesn’t always pick the person who graduated top of their class or the person who has ended their high school career with a 5.00 GPA or the person with 50 or more extracurricular activities on their roster. Rather, they look for people with passion as they know that with that passion, those people can change the world.  From what I’ve experienced so far in terms of Yale, I’ve met so many people who have been admitted who haven’t been valedictorian or salutatorian or anything even close to that and I’ve also met a lot of people who were in their high school’s top five, like me.  Rather than always focusing on your grades and where you rank, it is incredibly important to realize that on top of that, you must admit to your personal passion, no matter what your passion it.  We all want to grow as leaders, experts, thinkers, and catalysts in some way, shape or form in any field or major and you passion can help to lead you there—find what makes you tick, run with it, and work hard.

Secondly, never be afraid to challenge yourself, and more importantly, as long as it’s not totally destroying your health, stick with what you’ve committed to. Don’t be afraid to take risks: you go put in that application for that scholarship, girl! Run for student council, apply for that internship. Email that professor. Ask for help. Vocalize your idea during the meeting. It’s daunting and scary, but sometimes the Nike logo serves its purpose: just do it.  It is important to follow that gut feeling and stick with whatever you have chosen to do and to try your absolute hardest to get through and triumph.  Just know that you can get through it and you will, as even I did.

Following their four years at Sacred Heart Academy, each of the members of the top five are attending college in the fall, surely continuing on with their SHA morals and studious efforts wherever they may be heading off to:

Helena Bui, valedictorian and Summa Scholar, will be staying close to home and is attending Yale University after her intensive years at Sacred Heart Academy, having been involved in a series of incredibly enriching and valuable clubs (including her involvement with the National Honor Society as Vice President, Mu Alpha Theta, and more) and having receiving great honors such as being named a  2016 SCC Scholar Leader and given the AP Scholar award, the University of Rochester Xerox Innovator Award, and many others.

Jennifer Piciw, salutatorian and Summa Scholar, will be attending University of Richmond following her SHA graduation and the many memories she made her, having been involved in the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and many more, along with her having received countless awards such as the being named a 2016 SCC Scholar Leader and given the AP Scholar award, the university of Rochester Bausch and Lomb Medal, as well as numerous science fair recognitions over the years.

Elizabeth Smith, the third ranked member and fellow Summa Scholar, will be attending University of Notre Dame following her years at Sacred Heart and endless commitment to her achievements here in various clubs (such as the Latin, Science, and National Honor Society—acting as President, as well as the musical among others) and her many awards received here, including her being the Yale Book Club Recipient, indicating her outstanding personal character and intellectual promise.

Kristen Austin, the fourth ranked member, will be attending Villanova University following her Sacred Heart legacy as a summa scholar, recipient of the College of the Holy Cross Book Award, indicating her high academic achievement in a competitive class level and active participation in her school community, along with her involvement with Mu Alpha Theta, the national Latin exam, and the Science, Latin, and National Honor Society.

Finally, the fifth ranked co- members will each continue their legacy after SHA along with their fellow members of the class of 2016:  Mitali Banerjee, a Summa Scholar, will be attending UCONN following her time at SHA where she received many acknowledgements including the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Medal, being noticed as an AP Scholar, admitted into the Science and National honor society, Mu Alpha Theta, and countless science fair recognitions among many.   Isobel Munday will be attending Boston University, a fellow Summa Scholar and great member of the SHA community, having been an AP Scholar, member of the Latin, Science, and Nation Honor Society (as treasurer), Mu Alpha Theta, and many others.

Each member of the graduating class of 2016, the members of the top five included, has left their mark on SHA and the hearts of many, making their impact upon their departure so much greater.