Rosary’s 2022-2023 Valedictorians Mary Larson and Emma Fredman, and Salutatorian Charlotte Jordan, have earned Rosary’s highest academic distinctions. As their AP Government teacher, Mrs. Ward says these young women “represent the best of the entire class. They are bold, bright, and brilliant.”

While these prestigious awards speak volumes about them, their co-curricular activities distinguish them as well. Charlotte has swum for Rosary and participated in numerous clubs; Mary was a standout on the basketball team; Emma helped start Rosary’s decathlon team and has interned at St. Jude Hospital.

When it comes to their success in the classroom, these students have not had an easy road, but they’ve found purpose in their struggle. Emma shared, “My hardest class was definitely AP Physics junior year. I learned that it’s okay to struggle, and I can discover new ways of studying when one approach doesn’t work out.” Mary offered, “My AP Calc AB class and my AP Lit class definitely almost got the best of me. However, with some late night studying and going to teachers for help, I was able to power through.”

Charlotte seconded Emma’s opinion about the rigor of AP Physics: “I hadn’t taken any physics classes before, so learning the content for the first time at an AP pace was pretty brutal. This class really tested my resolve, but I put a TON of effort into studying for the tests and communicating with Mr. Guerrero. It ended up being an incredibly useful lesson in work ethic and commitment.”

These Royals’ classmates are in awe of them. Fellow senior Sydney Rosario shared, “Over the past 4 years, I have had classes with Mary, Emma, and Charlotte. We have all grown together and I can attest to all three being incredibly hard workers. I wish them all the best and I’m excited to see what they achieve.”

These students have learned it’s important to balance school and mental health. “I try as much as I can to focus on balance. I find that I can’t do good in school if my mental or physical health is struggling. So, I make sure that I am not taking on too much (I like to push myself, but only take on what makes me happy), and I make sure to save time for reading, watching movies, going to new coffee shops, and seeing friends (all things that keep me sane),” offered Emma.

Heading to Claremont-McKenna, one of the nation’s top liberal arts schools, Charlotte said her success is dependent upon taking time out to enjoy life: “It’s critical students find little ways to de-stress, find hobbies, and spend time with friends.”

Mr. Bevins uses words like “determined, tenacious, and brilliant” to describe these students, but they were each somewhat surprised and delighted to hear the news they’d won their awards. Mary said, “I immediately started crying. I thought about all the late nights, early mornings, grueling work, the unhealthy number of tears I shed the past 4 years, and everything and everyone who helped me get here. I thought of my grandma as she was salutatorian of her high school, and I wish I could have celebrated with her, but she passed away a few years ago.”

Emma and Charlotte also thought of their families, overcome with emotion: “I was very shocked when I found out about my award. A lot of people who were present when administration told us said that my shock was apparent on my face. Right off the bat, I was very grateful for the acknowledgement and very proud of myself for getting here; I wanted to call my parents to tell them immediately,” Charlotte added.

The students’ parents also offered praise for their daughters’ accomplishments. Mrs. Larson celebrated Mary’s commitment to excellence, saying, “What we are most proud of is Mary’s dedication—her commitment to learning and working through challenges—and her sense of balance, not only in relentlessly pursuing excellence in her studies but also in sports, service to the community, and her support of life and other social justice issues.” Heading for Notre Dame in the fall, Mary will no doubt exhibit the same drive in college.

Like a proud mom, Mrs. Fredman shared that the success of Emma, who is headed to Johns Hopkins University this year, was not a surprise: “Since the moment Emma started Rosary as a freshman she took off running! She took advantage of every opportunity that she was given. She took all the Honors and AP classes that she could and aced them! She would stay up late late into the night and wake up early to continue studying before school. Oftentimes, she would meet with her teachers before and after school to go over assignments and get any questions answered. Emma is very driven, determined, confident, courageous, intelligent, and above all she has tremendous grit.”

Mrs. Jordan also beamed with pride for her daughter’s accomplishment: “We were thrilled to hear that Charlotte had been selected as salutatorian because she has worked diligently, with great personal sacrifice, to achieve this honor. It represents the culmination of her intellectual growth, academic integrity, work ethic, and unwavering tenacity. It also helped her place into her dream college where we know she will continue to thrive.”

Finally, Rosary’s Principal, Mr. Basford, wanted to express his admiration for Rosary’s top students: “This is an outstanding achievement and a great honor; I know your families must be very proud of all of you! Please know that all of you are in my prayers. It has been an honor to have all of you as Rosary students! This is just the beginning. So many more good things are coming for all of you.”

Rosary is proud to call these accomplished, kind, and driven young women our co-valedictorians and salutatorian. We hope their journeys inspire future Royals to achieve their goals too.