Meet the 2022 ITC Valedictorian & Salutatorian!

We are so proud of all of our Class of 2022 #SCSDGraduates! Today, learn more about the Valedictorian and Salutatorian at ITC - the school's top two academic performers this year. 

ITC Valedictorian: Anjana Allay

 
What are your plans after graduation (what college, what interest in terms of major)? Le Moyne College to study Nursing. Since I was a child, in my home country, Nepal, it was common for girls to go into the hospital field to care for others. I’ve always wanted to study nursing – it’s rigorous and competitive and I want to try it.
 
What activities have you been involved in outside of class/outside of school? ACES, Track, Student Government, involved in the school’s multicultural festival.
 
What has been the best part of your high school career and why? The best part of my high school career has been being connected with my teachers and communicating with them. I’ve appreciated having the opportunity to talk to my teachers whenever I needed. I always felt secure when I talked to them. They would never judge me – I was always able to say what I want, or if I had trouble. It made high school feel like home.  
 
What was your proudest moment in high school? My proudest moment is overcoming my lack of motivation. Coping with COVID-19 was difficult for me – dealing with all the stressors that came along with it. I had to learn to self-advocate and get myself back on track. I had to navigate and know myself in order to cope with the stress, and that makes me proud. In my family, I’m the first generation to graduate from high school, so my parents weren’t really able to help me – I’m really proud of handling things myself and getting myself back on track. 
 
What are you most looking forward to about college? I’m looking forward to working in a hospital setting – I want to learn from and connect with people in that field. I want to know what possibilities are out there, to learn what’s coming in the medical field. I look forward to living at college, studying full time… I want to work hard and be successful.  
 
What’s the best thing you’ve learned over the course of your time in the SCSD? The best thing I’ve learned is to ask for help. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no! You have to take initiative and reach out to people. And be open… give new things a try!
 
What advice would you give to other students as they continue their studies here? You can tell yourself you’re going to work or you’re not going to work. You can tell yourself you’re weak or that you’re strong. Whatever you say to yourself is what will happen – so think about what you’re saying to yourself in your mind and choose to encourage yourself!
 
What is something major you hope to achieve in life? I want to be able to take control of my mental, physical and emotional health. And I want to make my family proud.  

ITC Salutatorian: Maya Dhakal

 
What are your plans after graduation? Le Moyne College to study Nursing.
 
What activities have you been involved in outside of class/outside of school? ACES, Track, involved in the school’s multicultural festival.
 
What has been the best part of your high school career and why? The best part of my high school career was being able to enjoy time with my friends and teachers. I’ve learned to be mature, to stand on my own two feet. For me, high school was a place where I could share my hopes with my teachers and friends. It’s a learning space but also a place where I was surrounded by people who want me to be successful and who are always there for me. They’re always rooting for me and helping me to do better. My teachers are the ones who motivated me and helped me to do better.
 
What was your proudest moment in high school? My proudest moment was being able to take college classes during high school. I’m from Nepal, and English is my second language. When I first got into high school, I didn’t have much experience in speaking and writing. I wanted to see how college classes work and how professors teach. I wanted that experience – but I didn’t expect to do well! It made me think that if I can do those classes, there are other challenging things that I can do. Last year, during the pandemic, it was the first time I had to focus on two things at the same time – track and schoolwork – and do them both well. I’m so proud of that!
 
What are you most looking forward to about college? I get effected by things easily. I know the nursing field will require me to learn to develop a strong heart, and I hope the nursing program will help me learn that. I want to be able to see people and help them out instead of being afraid and taking a step back. I hope college will help me learn not to fear things – I want to be able to help people by using the knowledge I have.
 
What’s the best thing you’ve learned over the course of your time in the SCSD? Whenever you have questions, don’t be afraid – ask! Be confident and step forward and speak for yourself. Don’t expect others to speak for you. You have to be responsible for your own success. Don’t be afraid of anything.
 
What advice would you give to other students as they continue their studies here? Take advantage of the opportunities you’re given! Look out for the opportunities and take full advantage of them. If you cannot figure it out, ask for help from someone else. You have to be responsible for your own future. You can’t expect others to do those things for you. You have to figure out how to get to the place you want to be and not expect others to get you there. Always act smart!
 
What is something major you hope to achieve in life? To be financially independent so I don’t have to depend on anyone else. In our culture, there are a lot of people who depend on their husband or their son. I want to have my own freedom. I want to be able to be out there on my own. To be that, I have to be financially independent. After being financially independent, I want to help young students. I had the opportunity to go to school and it’s given me so many opportunities. I want to help kids in other countries have the ability to go to school and get an education so they can make their own future. I want to make my family and my mentors proud. So many people have impacted me positively. I want to be able to do something that makes them proud. I want to show them that whatever they have done for me, it wasn’t a waste. It was worth it.