TOP OF THE CLASS 2023: Meet the Valedictorians

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

Kaylee Shelley is the Valedictorian of the Beaver Dam High School Class of 2023. She is the daughter of Karina and Kevin Shelley.

Kaylee’s family moved to the Scenic/Littlefield area from Texas when she was in 2nd grade. Ever since then, she has attended Littlefield Unified School District schools. She said that it has taken a while for her to fully enjoy the small town life.

“At first, it just seemed really small to me compared to what I was used to,” Kaylee said. “But it has kind of grown on me over the years. The real benefit is that you get to know your classmates and teachers much better. And that is kind of nice.”

Kaylee has been very involved at school as the student body treasurer in the Student Council organization. She is especially pleased with the group’s efforts this year in holding a series of fundraisers to earn money for members of her class to go on the senior trip. The trip was last weekend and the group went to southern California to visit Universal Studios and Disneyland.

“The fundraisers we organized raised a lot of money for people who wouldn’t have been able to go without those funds,” Kaylee said. “So that was a good thing.”

Kaylee has big plans for after high school. She is going to attend the University of Hartfordshire near London, England.

She explained that she has travelled with her family to Europe and had decided she would like to study abroad for college. This was the only school she could find that offered her anticipated major study in English.

Kaylee plans to study Astrophysics in college. She would then like to continue on to eventually earn a PhD in the subject and, perhaps, someday work in the field.
“Of course, it would be great to work someplace like NASA someday,” she said. “But we will just have to see.”

Kaylee gave a piece of advice for kids who are still coming up through high school at BDHS. “I’d just say that they should stay open-minded about high school,” she said. “Don’t go by stereotypes you might see in the movies or on TV. Just stay open about things and people. They aren’t always what they seem.”

Kaylee specifically expressed gratitude to her mother for her support. “My mom came from Argentina,” she said. “She has always pushed me to be the best version of myself I could be. I could never do this without her.”

Natali Martinez has earned the distinction of being the Salutatorian at Beaver Dam High School for the Class of 2023. She is the daughter of Ramon Martinez of Scenic, Arizona.

Natali has been involved with sports during her time at BDHS. She has played softball for all four years of high school. She also played on the basketball team for two years. The Diamondbacks basketball team made it to the NIAA 1A State tournament this past season during her senior year.

Natali has also served on the BDHS student council. One of her favorite activities planned during her service was the Beaver Dam Day water field day activity. “It is a lot of fun with all of us together,” she said. “And it just reminds us to just enjoy being kids.”

After graduation, Natali plans to take a gap period when she works and saves up money. Later on next year, she plans to move to Texas along with her older sister. Once there, she plans to enroll in a trade school. She is not entirely sure which trade to study. But she currently is interested in skin care and dermatology.

Natali said that math has come easy to her in high school. She also enjoys writing, as an outlet for her feelings and expression.

By way of advice to younger high school students, Natali quoted some wisdom from her basketball coach at BDHS.
“He always told us, ‘You don’t just deserve anything you want. But you deserve everything that you work for!’” Natali said.

By ELISE DALLEY

The Progress

Moapa Valley High School 2023 Graduate, Cassandra Nelson, has finally fulfilled the promise she made to herself long ago: that is, to make her father proud by being Valedictorian of her class and becoming the daughter he always wanted her to be.

However, achieving this dream wasn’t always easy. Cassandra had to take all the AP and Dual Credit classes available in order to maximize her GPA. Although she disliked the work, she felt that overall it wasn’t that bad.

“The only problem was when multiple AP classes assigned lots of homework at the same time,” she recalled. “That didn’t happen often though.”

Cassandra was also involved in extracurricular activities and clubs like Robotics, National Honor Society, and Spanish Honor Society. She also participated in blood drives and various other activities involved with her Spanish Club, which she particularly enjoyed.

One high point of Cassandra’s high school career was her freshman year in Robotics when the team won awards such as the Judges Award as a first year robotics team. Then again in her sophomore year, her team won the competition that allowed them to go to Worlds. She also has enjoyed hanging out with her friends during school hours.

A difficult point in Cassandra’s high school experience was when she had her first AP test. It was and AP English Comp test taken in her junior year. “I literally had a panic attack over it,” she said, “I ended up getting a four in the end, though. So the anxiety around the test was worse than the actual test.”

Cassandra expressed the great impact Valedictorian has made. “I feel that attaining Valedictorian has allowed me to hit my peak in my high school career,” she stated. “My advice to anyone attempting to attain Valedictorian is to go for all the AP Classes and don’t be scared.”

Cassandra’s advice to incoming freshmen is, “Establish a good work ethic now, it will help you out greatly later. Don’t procrastinate, and get as much work as you can done in class. Then you can relax when you are home.”

After graduation, Cassandra plans to go enjoy herself on the senior trip. Then she will prepare to attend Brigham Young University in the fall.

Kenzie Hughes has enjoyed making new friends in high school and taking part in the activities that the high school experience has to offer. Working towards becoming the 2023 MVHS Salutatorian affected her high school year immensely. She worked extremely hard and sacrificed a lot in order to achieve it. She has worked very hard to keep her grades up and stay in the top of her class.

Throughout high school Kenzie has enrolled in various AP courses in order to strengthen her GPA and keep up with the competition.

Aside from AP classes, Kenzie has also stayed very involved. She has been a part of the Student Council Committee, National Honors Society, Spanish Honor Society, Cross Country team, Flag Football team, and Softball team.

Kenzie’s advice to those working towards Salutatorian or Valedictorian is to take all the advanced classes possible. But, she quickly adds, don’t sacrifice fun. “You only get to enjoy high school once,” she said. “So make sure to have a healthy balance of fun and work. Most importantly, don’t give up, even when you want to.”

“High school is much more fun when you are involved with lots of things.” adds Kenzie. “It offers a lot of ways to meet people.”

To those starting high school Kenzie advises, “Have the mindset of not having any regrets when you leave because it will be here much sooner than you think.”

Upon graduation Kenzie plans to attend Utah State University in the fall to major in business management.
Kenzie is the daughter of Cody and Amy Hughes of Logandale.

Iain McMurray thoroughly enjoyed his senior year at Moapa Valley High School. He has put in a lot of work to become one of the school’s two 2023 Salutatorians.

Ian has been heavily involved in many things at school and in the community. These include the robotics team, FFA leadership, MVHS band and more. Iain has also participated in the MVHS wrestling, cross country, and swim teams.

Iain has received ample awards and recognition for all of his achievements and continues to accomplish above and beyond the necessary.

“I never really planned on getting Salutatorian,” explained Iain, “But once I realized I was in the running I worked extra hard for it.”

Iain explained that becoming Salutatorian took a lot of late night homework sessions; even when he didn’t want to. But through perseverance and dedication, he accomplished that goal.

Iain plans to keep up the good work and continue expanding his education. Upon graduation, he plans to attend Utah State University where he will major in computer science.

Iain is the son of Sean and Maggie McMurray of Logandale.

By HECTOR RUIZ

The Progress

Angel Garcia is a highly responsible and academic student who says he is proud of the achievement of being a valedictorian of the VVHS Class of 2023. But he was also a bit surprised.
“I wasn’t really gunning for valedictorian, I just kinda kept getting straight-A’s because that’s just who I am,” Angel said.

It wasn’t until the beginning of this school year that he noticed that he was ranked at number one in his class.

Although he was confident in himself that he could keep it up, a sudden dip in his class rank this year caused Angel to begin to doubt his own potential. But he was able to take an extra class to receive the credit that raised him back in his spot of number one.

Angel said that the academic journey was never an easy task and he couldn’t have done it without his parents: Angel Garcia Sr. and Juana Landeros; and his friends.

Angel’s parents have been essential in his successes, he said. “They were always pushing me to do better,” he said.

Angel also is very proud to represent his Mexican heritage as well as many young Latin American academics wanting to reach higher horizons.

Angel is not only academically gifted but he’s also a bright and talented musician. He has played in the Las Vegas Honor Band at Las Vegas Academy which, he said, was a memorable experience.
“It was really fun!” he said of the Honor Band. “There was a good mix of music being played ranging from Cumbias to Japanese pieces. It was hard but it was so fun.”

Angel has played the flute, the trumpet, the trombone, and the tenor saxophone.
Angel has a broad range of other interests as well. “I love playing video games a lot,” he said. “I love reading a lot of fantasy. I love to draw. I also love tennis a lot and it has become a really big part of my life.”

His advice to anyone in high school is to “just try your best and be yourself, sometimes you wanna give up but just pick yourself up, talk to someone you trust and go at it again.”

After high school, Angel plans to attend UNLV and study Computer Science. He thanks his parents, his friends, and everybody in his life who’s been supportive on his path.

With a seemingly endless supply of enthusiasm, Tyra Ludvigson has also become one of two valedictorians for the Virgin Valley High School Class of 2023.

Tyra admits that the journey to this accomplishment was a challenging one and she credits her success to staying focused and having amazing teachers

Tyra said that she is “pumped” that her high school experience is coming to a close. She said she has always received straight-A’s. She jokes that the only thing she has not been able to pass was her shoelace-tying test back in first grade.

Tyra has taken part in many other extracurriculars at VVHS. She served as 2023 Student Body President, Vice President of the Honor Society, and member of HOPE Squad.
She was also a two-time all star state champ on the VVHS flag footbal team.
She has also worked as a writer for The Progress.

Outside of academics and extracurriculars Tyra stated that she is a secret quilter/seamstress which is something that she truly enjoys doing on her off time.
Tyra sums up her high school career with one word: “experience!”

She said that she would miss cheering in the student sections. “I loved the student sections and screaming so loud to where I know I’m not going to be able to speak the next day,” she said.,

She also said that she would miss her Student Council and all that they did in her senior year.
After high school, Tyra’s plans are set. She plans on going to Utah Tech University in St. George to study engineering.

Ten years from now she sees herself fully debt-free and starting her own engineering business.
Tyra’s journey to become valedictorian was inspired by her family. “My siblings have been valedictorians,” she said. “Seeing how hard they worked, especially my sister, inspired me to go after it.”

Her words of wisdom she imparts to high schoolers to follow are: “Full send or no send, but always full send!” She explains this by saying “If you’re going to do something invest everything or nothing at all. Never back down from a challenge!”

In closing, Tyra shares, “Virgin Valley is home to my best memories! I am extremely grateful for everyone who was able to be a part of my time spent there! Although I’m sad to be graduating, I’m excited to start my next chapter in life!”

Nayeli Andrade has had a long-held childhood dream to be either valedictorian or salutatorian of her graduating class. She is seeing that dream become reality this week as Salutatorian at Virgin Valley High School.

She thanks and credits her parents: Erica and Esteban Andrade who both pushed and encouraged her pursue this achievement.

Outside of academics, Nayeli is a very active person who pursued competitive swimming, hiking, and being outdoors.

As a Latina she says to her it’s not as big of a deal but to her family her achievement means the world.

After high school she plans on continuing her education at Utah Tech University and pursuing a career in the medical field as either a doctor or a nurse.

Nayeli shared that to become a salutatorian was not that much work to her. “It wasn’t as hard for me as I had set that standard for myself that I had to study hard,” she said. “I have been getting straight A’s since elementary school.”

Nayeli says that she’s going to miss the people at the high school.
To anyone who wishes to hold a class achievement such as Valedictorian or Salutatorian the best advice she can give is: “Talk to your counselors and do everything you can. But don’t kill yourself over a piece of paper and a speech. Make sure you have fun with it and find a good balance.”

Nayeli states that while she is excited to graduate, it still does not feel real and hasn’t hit her yet.
She shares the words of advice that have had a profound impact on her: “It’s okay to grow up in a small town, but don’t get stuck in a small town.”