Francesca Barilla will graduate as the Valedictorian at Sachem North this year. A familiar face in many Sachem circles, Barilla has a long list of activities and clubs she took part in during her high school career.
A proud member of the Sachem family, she will talk about her pride for her roots and hometown in her speech during Sachem North’s graduation on Saturday morning. Barilla will attend Northeastern University.
Here’s a Q&A with the Valedictorian:
What does it mean to be Valedictorian? “It was a goal of mine. I wanted to be the Valedictorian. I had the overall excellence award in eighth grade [at Samoset] and I knew I wanted to achieve that excellence again in high school. I’ve always had the goal. I made a promise to my Nana [Jeanne] before she passed away that I would do anything I could to be at the top of my class. She always said I could do it and knew I could do it.”
What clubs and activities do you take part in at Sachem? “Up until 11th grade I was a three-sport athlete with soccer, winter track and lacrosse. This year I focused on lacrosse, which consumed a lot of my time. I’m in all the honor societies; History, English, Foreign Language, Science and National. I’m the President of the Spanish Club; Secretary of the National Honor Society and also Student Government President.”
Why Northeastern? “I’m going to Northeastern to major in environmental engineering. It has a nice campus right in the middle of Boston. I loved it. It’s beautiful. They have a fantastic co-op program and hopefully I’ll be working in the summers. I want to go to law school and defend people who have been affected by the environment. I’ve always wanted to help people. This past year in environmental science I really took an interest to it.”
What does Sachem mean to you? “I’m really sad to leave. Sachem means the world to me. There are so many knowledgeable teachers and people who have helped me out. Ms. Cangelosi in particular. They’re more than teachers. They’re friends, they’re mentors. It’s a fantastic place. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I wish I could start it all over again. I’ll be back around here. They can’t get rid of me. It’s been a collective effort to get here. I’m a representative of a collective effort because there’s no way I would be here without the help of my teachers, my friends and my family.”
Are you excited about the speech? “I really hope that everyone likes it. I talk a lot about Sachem pride. I talk a lot about the class.”
The Francesca Barilla File
Weighted average: 104.17
Un-weighted average: 98.59
Advanced Placement Exams:
- World History 9
- World History 10
- English 11
- English 12
- Physics
- U.S. History
- Spanish
- Calculus
- Government and Politics
- Environmental Science
Clubs and activities:
- Student Government President
- Soccer (until junior year)
- Winter track (until junior year)
- Lacrosse
- History Honor Society
- English Honor Society
- Foreign Language Honor Society
- Science Honor Society
- National Honor Society (secretary)
- President of the Spanish Club