Sarah Menendez is one of 27 valedictorians.
What college do you plan to attend? “University of Central Florida.”
What is your intended major? “Electrical Engineering.”
What is your favorite memory from Boone? “My favorite Boone memory is when we hosted the boys wrestling districts. I sang the national anthem and kept score for one of the mats. I got to watch many of our guys move on to regionals and watched my cousin become district champ for his weight class. When school would get hard and stressful, I was always able to look to wrestling as a distraction, so this day was a great way to keep my mind of the pressures of schoolwork and due dates.”
What extracurriculars did you participate in? “Wrestling, Flag Football, Orchestra.”
What is your advice for incoming students? “My advice to incoming students would be to have fun. In my last two years of high school, I chose to do full time dual enrollment and also take on a part time job. Because of this, I wasn’t able to experience as much as I would have liked. I didn’t have the time to take on clubs or continue with sports without overwhelming myself. Although I do recommend getting ahead with dual enrollment because it has provided me with more opportunities, just remember that you’re only in high school once, so enjoy it as much as you can.”
What’s an interesting fact about you? “I write songs with my brother.”
What are you most looking forward to about college? “I am most looking forward to the additional freedom that comes with college. I will have the ability to choose when I want to go to school and what classes I want to take when I want to take them. I will be able to completely personalize my schedule, which I really like.”
What do you do in your spare time? “In my spare time I’m usually either singing or watching TV.”
What was the biggest challenge you faced at school? “Time management. I’m a really bad procrastinator and also had a pretty busy schedule, so it was sometimes difficult to get everything I needed done, while also being under the pressure to have good grades.”
What was your favorite boone tradition? “I always liked Senior Snake. I remember seeing it for the first time my freshman year and just thinking it looked so fun.”
What was your favorite class in high school? “My favorite class in high school was probably orchestra. It was laid back and easy and I was able to do something that I really enjoyed.”
What is your biggest goal for next year? “My biggest goal for next year is to become more involved in school activities. I always wanted to do this more at Boone but I either didn’t have the time or was too scared to join.”