Becoming Valedictorian wasn’t on the radar for Erica Guelfi when she entered St. Joseph-Ogden High School four years ago.
“I was more just set on having straight A’s,” Guelfi said. “However, around junior year when I realized how important of an achievement it was, it definitely inspired me to keep working hard.”
Guelfi comes from a family of learners, who encouraged curiosity and consuming new information.
“For me, the opportunity to learn is an opportunity to better myself, and I always try to remember that education is a privilege, even if it can feel boring or stressful at times,” she said.
“My family has been super supportive, and has always encouraged me to work hard in school. I’ve been very lucky that they allowed me to focus more on my studies and did not pressure me to get a part-time job, and that has paid off during my college admissions process.
“I’ve also had some amazing teachers and coaches who have supported me and helped me grow as a student. All of this support has meant so much to me, and really helped get me to where I am now.”
Guelfi will leave behind a legacy of participation and leadership as she leaves St. Joseph-Ogden. She played part in the SJ-O band, scholastic bowl team, student council, drama, Rube Goldberg, National Honor Society, Advisory Mentoring Program, We the People, and Spanish Club.
Aside from being a great asset to her college resume, Guelfi also found that participation in high school extracurricular activities led to friendship.
“One lesson I will always take with me is to always work hard, you get out of life what you put into it,” she said. “In light of the current situation with the coronavirus, I have realized that I have missed out on a lot of fun times with my friends to study, so I want to strive to have a more balanced lifestyle in the future so I can have no regrets academically or socially.”
The lessons learned through St. Joseph-Ogden’s collaborative learning environment will go with Guelfi as she enters the next phase of education at Vanderbilt University where she will study Biomedical Engineering.
“I think that the people at our school are what make it special,” she said. “I can’t speak for all the grade levels, but my class has always had an amazing atmosphere of support. People aren’t too competitive, we’re really collaborative and just want everyone to succeed. I think that’s super important and really helps people in our school to thrive.”
Although goodbye may not look like what she thought it would, the St. Joseph-Ogden graduates will walk into their high school one last time with their loved ones as they accept their diploma. The final days of drama, scholastic bowl and homecoming were not lost on the 2020 graduate.
“One of my favorite parts of this year was getting to go to Chicago for the We the People competition,” Guelfi said. “It was such a unique experience, and it was so cool to see how polished and professional we all could appear. I think it really just reminded me that we are all going out into the real world soon, and that we are almost adults.”
Over the last nine weeks, Guelfi has felt the fear and uncertainty that so many others have experienced. She said that having school work helped her stay focused on her goals, though.
“I’m excited to graduate, but it is bittersweet since it is the end of high school without a chance for me to say goodbye to a lot of people,” she said.
