Latest news with #Valedictorian
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Lakeside seniors bid farewell
HARPERSFIELD — Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the Lakeside High School Class of 2025 as they graduated Thursday evening at SPIRE Academy. Alongside students were their families, school staff and district administration. Lakeside's graduation has generally been at the high school, but it was moved to SPIRE this year, after the high school's roof collapsed during the Thanksgiving weekend snowstorm. Valedictorian Aryanna Toth said there were many who helped her along the way to success. 'I would not be standing up here today if it were not for the individuals who believed in me even when I could not find it to believe in myself,' she said. 'The connections that I have made throughout these years are not fleeting.' Toth circled back to the nontraditional experience of the class of 2025. 'If I could use one word to describe it, it would probably be unusual,' she said. 'We began our freshman year coming out of the pandemic, and ended our senior year in the elementary school. I can't say this is how I expected the past four years to go, but I can say this experience has allowed us to go.' Toth learned from her experience in high school it is okay to ask people for help, she said. 'The way to truly appreciate the support that has been given to us is to actively use it, to integrate it into our future,' she said. Toth said the connections students have made will follow them for the rest of their lives. 'It is beyond important to allow yourself to rely on the support of others,' she said. 'I am not sure what will happen in the coming years, even the next two months, but what I am confident in is the connections I have built, and will continue to build moving forward.' Salutatorian Alexandra Shevchik said it was an honor to speak to her classmates. 'I have been stressing about what to say in this speech for a long time, because I feel like the people who give these speeches always have some super important life advice to give to the graduates,' she said. Shevchik had one piece of specific piece of advice to her classmates. 'Don't listen to advice,' she said. 'I know it may sound dumb to say that, but how can anyone but you know what you are going through or how you feeling at any given moment in your life.' Shevchik said everyone has to figure things out for themselves. 'Of course, if you need help along the way, there will be family, friends and teachers to give you some guidance or whatever else you may need,' she said. 'The most important thing is that you have the courage and determination to try and find an answer for yourself.' Shevchik thanked the family and friends who supported her, especially her grandfather, who she said instilled a love for learning in her, and whose birthday aligned with graduation. 'I am so glad I get to share this special day with you,' she said. Class of 2025 President Ana Wheelock said it was an honor to stand in front of her classmates. 'Our senior year took a turn that none of us saw coming,' she said. 'We found ourselves back at Huron Elementary, a place that once felt so huge when we were little, and now, just felt a little too small to us.' Wheelock and the other class of 2025 officers presented a stone emblem engraved with the Lakeside logo. 'This emblem will be built into the ground at the site of our new school [as] a symbol of our legacy and a foundation for our future generations,' Wheelock said. Lakeside High School Principal Doug Wetherholt said he could not be more proud of the class of 2025. 'I see more than just caps and gowns,' he said. 'I see stories, some filled with achievement, others shaped by struggles, but all bound together by perseverance.' Wetherholt said the class of 2025 endured more in its four years in high school than many people endure in a lifetime. 'I want to tell you a truth, something honest, and a little bit uncomfortable,' he said. 'The world owes you nothing, not a job, not a break, not even respect. I say that not to discourage you, but to empower you.' Wetherholt said each senior has proven they are strong enough to go out and get what they want. 'There are countless opportunities waiting for you,' he said. 'If you want success, earn it.' District Superintendent Lisa Newsome said the class of 2025 lifted themselves up and did not let the roof collapse stop them. 'You didn't just survive this year,' she said 'You grew. We showed resilience, and maybe, most importantly, this class proved that storms don't stop us, they shape us.'
Entrepreneur
4 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Top Colleges Now Value What Founders Have Always Hired For
Strong academics will never get a student admitted to a top college. They'll only get an application read. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. If you're an entrepreneur, you understand this dynamic well: credentials open doors, but character closes deals. College admissions work the same way. A perfect GPA and test scores don't get a student into an Ivy League school. They get the application opened. From there, it's emotional intelligence, social awareness and self-understanding that determine who gets in — and who gets waitlisted or denied. This is why every year, top colleges turn down Valedictorians — and admit Salutatorians who demonstrate more maturity, curiosity and insight into who they are and how they grow. Related: 8 Must-Have Leadership Qualities for Workplace Success Why "be authentic" isn't helpful advice When students sit down to write their personal statements, they're told to "be authentic" or "show emotional intelligence." But those phrases are abstract. What do they actually mean? How do admissions readers interpret them? Most families assume that Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is about being kind, likable or involved in service work. But SEL isn't about checking personality boxes. It's a competency framework. A set of skills. And increasingly, it's the clearest proxy for future success — not just in school, but in life. What SEL really is — and why it matters now more than ever At its core, SEL consists of five key competencies: Self-awareness Self-management Social awareness Relationship skills Responsible decision-making These are real-world, transferable skills — rooted in emotional intelligence (EQ) — that students must develop if they're going to thrive in dynamic, high-pressure environments like college. Or startups. Or the real world. Colleges aren't just evaluating what students know — they're assessing how students think, how they grow, and how they relate to others. That's why the personal essay exists in the first place: it's a live demonstration of how a student thinks about themselves and the world around them. It's also why, in the new admissions landscape — test-optional, post-affirmative-action, and increasingly holistic — SEL has moved from "nice to have" to strategic advantage. Character is the competitive edge According to the 2024–2025 Common Data Set, across Ivy League and Top 20 schools, the number one most consistently important non-academic factor in admissions isn't work experience. It's not talent. It's not even extracurriculars. It's character and personal qualities. Let that land for a moment. MIT marked this category as the only "very important" factor in their entire non-academic review process — above talent, extracurriculars or recommendations. What they're really asking is: Can this student lead themselves? Can they work with others? Can they adapt and grow under pressure? Related: 4 Best Practices for Smarter Higher-Education Admissions Procedures The three most strategic SEL moves students can make Over decades in admissions, we've helped students turn personal qualities into compelling essays that demonstrate maturity, leadership and EQ — not just say they have it. Here's what actually works: 1. Insight over performance Most students treat the personal essay like a TED Talk. They tell a big story and drop a moral in the final paragraph — hoping it lands like a mic drop. That doesn't work. Colleges want to see insight. Reflection. Specific examples of how a student grew, not just what happened to them. The strongest essays aren't about life-changing moments — they're about mindset shifts. Big realizations > big stories. 2. Build a voice, not a persona Trying to sound "smart," "quirky" or "deep" almost always backfires. Colleges can tell when students are forcing a certain personality or voice on the page. How? Because it's the same "voice" that appears on nearly half their applications, they eventually end up denying. Strong essays don't need gimmicks. They need clarity. Don't: Overuse metaphors to manufacture meaning Write in a voice that isn't yours Hide vulnerability behind clever formatting Do: Be specific about how your thinking has changed Use language that sounds like you, not a TEDx speaker Share grounded, honest moments — not performances 3. Study the right models Students often base their essays on viral "How I Got In" posts, which are more about performance than substance. These essays follow a formula that doesn't demonstrate actual SEL. Better models? Read published personal essays from real writers — Joan Didion, Brian Doyle, Esmé Wang. These are authors who write with emotional intelligence, depth and nuance. Final thought If you're a founder, you know what it's like to bet on people. Admissions officers do the same. They're not just looking at performance. They're looking at potential. And the clearest indicator of future potential — in leadership, in relationships, in adversity — is how well someone understands themselves. That's what SEL reveals. And that's why it's the most overlooked yet powerful lever in modern college admissions strategy.
