The administration named David Cai (12) valedictorian this year.

Q: How did you feel when you were told that you were the valedictorian?

A: I honestly feel pretty happy. It was something that I’ve been passively working toward, and its great to know that that work does pay off.

Q: Had you been working toward being the valedictorian? Why or why not?

A: I have not. I mostly just focused on taking classes and doing what I want for the future. I took classes just for the classes and didn’t care too much about GPA.

Q: What kinds of classes did you take throughout high school? Which ones did you enjoy the most or think were most valuable?

A: I took a lot of everything. I went into AP for all subjects including my language, which was Spanish. Every class was a different experience and I think every single one of them will be valuable in the future. I enjoyed the sciences and mathematics the most since I have a natural incline toward those subjects. The highlights of my entire high school experience all involve science classes. Causing a beaker to explode, messing up a simulation of the solar system, etc. 

Q: What extracurriculars are you involved in?

A: I wasn’t too involved since I had classes at Wright State taking up a large chunk of time every day. I did involve myself in the marching band, though. It was a good way to relax and an amazing way to socialize. I also founded the math club years back and participated every Friday.

Q: How do you feel that these extracurriculars had an impact on your success? Which activities do you feel had the most impact on you and why?

A: I honestly feel like the marching band had a tremendous effect on me, comparable to that of math. It really was a good way for me to spend time just having fun. Furthermore, writing cadences for drumline and learning how to compose was probably one of the most fun things I learned by myself. It really opened a whole new world of pass-time activities and a whole new world of fun. 

Q: Do you plan to celebrate being chosen valedictorian? If so, how?

A: I don’t have any plans for celebrating, so most likely, no.

Q: What would you recommend to younger students who want to work toward being future valedictorians themselves?

A: If you’re working towards valedictorian, you’ve got to commit. Take advantage of CCP and AP classes. You must be ready to take on several hours of homework a night and hard content almost every day. Sometimes, you make sacrifices and drop certain activities. Just know that unless you’re passively working towards valedictorian by only focusing on academics, it probably will be very difficult to get it. Good luck though!