Southwick Regional School's valedictorian Alyssa Jacob is shooting for the stars
SOUTHWICK — For Alyssa Jacob, the Southwick Regional School's Class of 2025 valedictorian, it was never about the honor, but the journey to the top of class.
'I wasn't ever really trying. I just worked as hard I could, not leaving anything on the table … if I get it, great, if not, I did my best,' she said Thursday, two days before she'll address her fellow students during their graduation ceremony with her valedictory address.
But she was surprised.
'It's crazy. I didn't think the day would get here,' said the 18-year-old about ending one chapter of her life and getting started on the next one.
It was a recurring theme in her valedictory address.
'Some days, this moment didn't feel like it would ever get here but let me take this time to remind you all that even if you don't think it's real: we made it, it's here, and we all can finally take a deep breath,' she spoke about with her classmates.
To get there, she credited her parents, retired Lt. Col. Andrew Jacob, who served as a wing commander for the 104th Fighter Wing at the Barnes Air National Guard Base and now flies commercial airliners for Delta Air Lines, and her mother Mindi Jacob, who one taught at Powder Mill Elementary School.
'My parents are incredibly driven,' she said about the example they set for her and her brother, Drew, who will be a junior at SRS next year.
That drive will serve her well as she heads off to the University of Tennessee in the fall to study aerospace engineering with the ultimate goal of working on spacecraft, which figures since her favorite movie is 'Interstellar.'
And it makes sense since her favorite is math while giving a shout out to her math teachers Anna Hitchcock and Amy Pomeroy for taking to the next level.
She also thanked her history teacher Desiree Moriarty.
While preparing for the next chapter with work in the classroom, she held a job at Big Y, and played for the Rams field hockey team.
Playing since the fifth grade, Jacob's hoping to continue to play it in college at the intramural level.
'And to make friends,' she said.
About her friends, she said they have been a vital part of her years in school.
'It's going to be hard going away,' she said.
Outside of school, work, and sports, Jacob said that she's a voracious reader.
'I really like fiction and fantasy, like the Harry Potter books and Percy Jackson,' she said. Percy Jackson is a fictional character in Rick Riordan's 'Percy Jackson & the Olympians' series.
She, like all her classmates, had to endure the isolation during the pandemic and considers it now as a part of her past.
But, she had to inner strength to persevere.
'I was always OK with being by myself,' she said acknowledging that some of her classmates had difficulty during those two years.
In her parting words to her classmates, she summed up their next chapter.
'None of us knows exactly where we are headed next. But I hope that whatever path we take, we remember this: success isn't about being the loudest or the smartest or the most polished. Sometimes, it's just about showing up when it's hard. Listening more than you speak. Choosing to be kind when it's easier not to be.'
Read the original article on MassLive.
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