Graduation season is stirring, and as the school year winds down, CSRA high school seniors are preparing to turn their tassels and step into their futures. The valedictorians and salutatorians have been selected in Augusta-Richmond County, many already making plans on how to put their mark on the world.
Westside High School will hold its graduation ceremony, like all county high schools, at the James Brown Arena this week.
Westside’s valedictorian for the class of 2023 is Sean Medcalfe, a star athlete who has managed to be at the top of his class through most of high school, which he attributes to his teachers’ dedication.
“I think it’s really seeing the teachers themselves put in an equal amount of work,” said Medcalfe about what inspires him toward the diligence that has led to his academic success. “If I need to go in early or stay late, they’re willing to do that for me. So, it’s almost my way of repaying them.”
A Richmond County STAR Student, Medcalfe selected science teacher Rebecca Potter as his STAR teacher for encouraging his interest in environmental science.
“She’s the best teacher I’ve ever had,” he said. “She found a way to make learning this stuff fun, but also make sense in my head.”
Medcalfe is active in several sports, including track and field and football, the latter of which he’ll be playing for Luther College in Iowa. There he intends to major in environmental studies, with an ultimate aim of earning his Ph.D. in environmental science to work for the EPA.
In his speech as valedictorian, Medcalfe will extol the virtues of teamwork, and how it benefited his class.
“We got through COVID as a class, both students and teachers alike,” he said. “It was new for both of us, yet because we all got our head down and we worked as a team, we were able to do it, and do it well.”
Westside High’s salutatorian for this year’s class is Anli Sanjuan Hernandez, who also has an interest in science, particularly biology.
“It’s just so fun and interesting to me,” said Hernandez. “I just love the way it connects to literally everything. I feel like that interest and joy in learning about biology is what makes it easy for me as well.”
Hernandez plans to attend Emory University and major in biology as a pre-med student with plans to eventually become a surgeon.
Alongside her studies, she has been in ROTC, where, she said, she discovered a love for leadership. The speech she has prepared for the graduation ceremony addresses how she and her fellow grads are stepping out into adulthood — “out of the bubble that protects us from the world.”
Her passion for community service has led to her to work with the Golden Harvest Food Bank.
“I have done community service since my freshman year,” she said. “I love to give back to the community. They’ve done so much for me, I would just love to do the same for them. And why not do it by helping other people?”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
