Saginaw High School
Valedictorian – Natalya Thompson
In all of my eighteen years of life I’ve learned a lot. Some little things I’ve learned about myself are things like my favorite color, my favorite movies and TV shows, my favorite genre of music, my favorite foods, etc.
But in the last four years I’ve learned a lot more about myself than any other years. I’ve not only learned school-related things, but life related things. Like what I want to do after high school, what kind of people I want in my life, what makes me happy, what makes me comfortable and uncomfortable, etc. When I got closer to graduating, I learned more and more about what’s important to me. My high school journey consisted of me learning more about myself, and how I want my future to look.
I look forward to reaching my full potential. I also look forward to achieving the things that are important to me. Things like going out into the world, getting my degree, meeting new people, making the most out of my life, traveling to see new places, and trying new things are all important to me. I most look forward to living peacefully, happy, and free. To make sure my life is something that I actually want, and not something that I just settled for, is so important to me also.
I look forward to a lot of things in the future and near future. Looking forward to things is important when you know what you want for yourself.
Salutatorian – Tornarus Johnson Jr.
There are a few things I have learned. First, I will want to start off by saying that I have learned that you do not have as much time as you think. The time that you think you have will fly by and you will never notice it, so you have to be valuable with the time and chances that you have.
Also, you need to be careful who you trust, but always make sure you can always work with people and keep a cordial relationship. Remember to keep yourself focused on you, and then help others.
I look forward to the future possibilities that I will have along the way. All of the hard work and dedication throughout these years of high school will translate that same type of work ethic into the real world.
Another thing I look forward to is what the future holds for me and my peers. We have all set certain goals for ourselves and we plan on accomplishing them through our strategies and our preparation to be great. I am very interested in seeing the impact that the class of 2023 and myself can make for the community of Saginaw because we all have unmeasured potential and opportunity to do great things both here and around the world.
Bridgeport High School
Valedictorian – Sanaii Liles
High school will be a memorable experience. I’ve gone through a lot and have had great opportunities to meet and learn from different people.
The most important thing I’ve learned from high school is the importance of leadership. During the adolescent time frame, teenagers are easily influenced to do the wrong things because they think it’s the best thing to do in order to fit in.
Throughout my high school career, I’ve been able to see mentors come to the school and preach about the importance of leadership and individuality, and it still resonates with me. Seniors are at the top of the school pyramid and the underclassmen look up to us. As a senior, I made it a priority to reach out to many underclassmen and talk to them about the importance of staying on track in high school while also remaining true to yourself.
I’ve built many mentor-mentee relationships and I love that I can be to them what my mentors were to me. As I make this huge transition into the real world and go into the collegiate level, I look forward to being able to apply my leadership skills as an adult and continue helping others better themselves and stay true to themselves to make the world a brighter place.
Salutatorian – Alexander Kiel
High school was certainly a learning experience for me! I learned the importance of resisting the tendency to be lazy. I learned to be disciplined in everything I do, from academics to sports and everything in between. To be successful in the classroom, respecting deadlines and putting in the work of studying to practice skills is essential. To continually beat my personal records in track and field events, I had to persevere through a variety of circumstances.
I improved my time on the mile event by twenty seconds and my time on the half-mile event by fifteen seconds. In the end, my perseverance paid off. I will graduate as salutatorian of Bridgeport High School and earned four personal records during my two seasons on the track team.
At Michigan Tech, I will study computer hardware engineering. I look forward to having a college experience in which I can learn the skills necessary to be successful in my career, meet new people, and be independent. After I earn my degree, I plan to work as a hardware engineer and eventually own my own business.
I will enjoy the benefits of financial stability and the freedom to do the things I want to do in life. If I have some spare time, I may also branch out into the fields of electrical engineering and culinary arts. I anticipate creating a career and building a life that is fulfilling.
