Rosary is full of some hard workers, but three particularly determined Royals have achieved impressive titles that deserve recognition. Isabella Capps ’21 has been named the valedictorian of the senior class, and both Lolani Blas ’21 and Tahlia Garcia ’21 have been named the class salutatorians.

 These young women have worked countless hours to achieve these titles, and I had some questions for them in order to get to the bottom of these monumental achievements:

Q. Has being salutatorian always been a goal of yours or was it something you later realized was possible?

Lolani replied, “I never really considered that I would be salutatorian! I always just tried my best in my classes, and it wasn’t until the past few months that I realized it was a possibility.”

Isabella had a similar response as she said, “Being valedictorian was never my goal or intention, and it never appeared on my radar as an option until everyone started asking if I would be valedictorian. Even after many people brought it up, I did not believe I would really attain it. I just worked hard in my classes and was rewarded in the end without actively trying to reach the goal of valedictorian.”

Q. Have you celebrated or do you plan on celebrating?

The 2020-2021 valedictorian made sure to congratulate herself with some time with family as she recounted, “I celebrated with my parents and grandparents at brunch after I committed to Johns Hopkins and found out about being named Valedictorian.”

Thalia had a similar experience, saying, “Yes, my family and I will have a nice dinner together to celebrate for graduation!”

Q. What do you think has been the most challenging part of achieving this feat?

Thalia described her experience with her journey to salutatorian when she said, “The most challenging part of achieving salutatorian was adjusting to online learning this past year. Luckily, I felt the support of my friends and family throughout this entire experience.”

Lolani explained, “I think that the most challenging part has been being consistent with my schoolwork in difficult times. As classes got harder as I got older, along with the added challenges of sports, my social life, and-of course-the pandemic, I had to adapt to these new situations and still be consistent in my classes and grades. It wasn’t always easy, but my hard work has paid off.

Q. Do you have any advice for those that are working to become salutatorian or are striving for academic excellence?

Lolani advises, “I think the best advice is to know your limits. Wanting and striving to be the best or have the highest grades is good drive, but don’t take classes that will make you miserable just because they boost your GPA. And if your goal really is to be salutatorian or valedictorian, hard work and putting in effort pays off in the end, I swear.”

Thalia counsels, “My advice to others who are striving for academic excellence is to give 110% effort in everything you do but also know your limits. Especially during my senior year, I learned to recognize when I needed to take a break and take care of myself!”

These girls are a wealth of knowledge, as Isabella said, “My advice to anyone striving for Valedictorian or Salutatorian would be to remain consistent with your effort and motivation. Also, I would advise students not to do well in an effort to be the top of their class, but to challenge themselves and make themselves proud. In the end, that is the best reward.”

These three ladies are inspirations of academic excellence, and they have everyone excited to see where they end up next as their time at Rosary as high school students comes to a close. Way to make your time as Royals special, and congrats to Isabella, Lolani, and Thalia!