After taking a full schedule at Valencia her junior year and continuing the dual enrollment track onto University of Central Florida, senior Nicole Agosto Rivera accomplished her goal of becoming the number one valedictorian.
“It’s been my goal since the beginning,” Agosto Rivera said. “When I heard from my guidance counselor that I was currently ranked number two, my heart sank and all the fears came crashing in of ‘what now’.”
For her entire school career, Agosto Rivera felt the pressure to push herself and keep a consistent grade point average. It became part of her identity to work diligently at maintaining her grades.
“It was expected of me from family and friends. Since elementary school I was told that I was smart and that there was no excuse for me not to get all As, that if I didn’t, I was just being lazy. I spent most of my childhood trying to be the ‘perfect’ daughter; I wanted so badly to make my mom proud that not getting a 4.0 wasn’t an option,” Agosto Rivera said.
She worked at the Orange County Regional History Center and worked as an audio visual tech at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in her spare time.
“Being a full time college student and working a full time job means spending my ‘free time’ studying, doing homework, or trying to catch up on sleep,” Agosto Rivera said.
Agosto-Rivera plans to attend the University of Central Florida Rosen College to double major in Hospitality and Tourism Management and Restaurant and Food Service Management. Obtaining this degree will help her achieve her dream goal of opening her own bakery.
“With the obstacles I’ve faced and have yet overcome, I’ve made it my goal to make this world a better place one smile at a time. Through genuine customer service I want to ‘be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud,’ as Dr. Maya Angelou said,” Agosto Rivera said.