Coventry High valedictorian to attend Yale with double major
COVENTRY — Mya Ransford, a student who demonstrated countless leadership, academic and athletic achievements, is the Coventry High School Class of 2025 valedictorian.
When she began her high school career, becoming the valedictorian was not a goal for Ransford, but she knew she wanted to try her best and work hard. Becoming valedictorian was not entirely a surprise, because she knew her ranking among her other peers, but it never became her goal.
'I think it was more about just learning in the journey rather than achieving the title,' she said. 'It's nice that I got the title, but it was more about learning in school.'
Throughout her high school career, Ransford has been involved in different clubs and athletic activities, while maintaining excellence in her academic curriculum. She is an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction and earned the AP Capstone Diploma.
'It's really exciting. It was a lot of hard work over the past four years, but it was worth it,' she said. 'I thank a lot of my teachers and my friends and family for supporting me and it's just a really good feeling that all this hard work led to this.'
She was vice president of the National Honor Society and president of the school's volunteering Albert Schweitzer Club, where she has contributed to organize 'PJ Day' and 'Get Out and Play Day,' as well as helping the school community.
In addition to her club's involvement, Ransford was this year's varsity tennis captain. In 2023, she was named Most Dedicated Player, and the following year, she earned the title of Most Valuable Player.
She also served as the student representative during the Coventry Board of Education meetings.
In the fall, Ransford will be entering Yale University as a double major in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry and Psychology. Some of her aspirations are teaching and conducting research in the field of pharmacology.
Jokingly, she said she decided to go there because New Haven has great pizza. Seriously, she likes the school's philosophy and the opportunities that they offer.
'I like psychology and biochemistry, so if I went to some schools, I might have to give up one of those things to go study the other,' Ransford said. 'But at Yale, they let you explore a whole bunch of different academic interests.'
As she enters her college career, she is looking forward to participating in some research, meeting new people, discovering new experiences and bringing all that back to her own community.
In the next few years, she sees herself going to graduate school and, eventually, earning a PhD in pharmacology.
'But, you know, things change. I might find a new academic interest that I like and it'll take me a completely different path,' she said. 'And I'm willing to do that.'
Her advice to the incoming Class of 2029 would be to take every opportunity that comes their way. She said freshmen should not be scared or intimidated by students who might look more grown up than they do, and she encourages them to talk to these older students, who are here to help new students be successful.
She believes that by getting involved in activities and working hard, students can learn a lot of skills that they will need in adulthood.
'I feel like it's easy to just kind of cruise through high school, but if you're willing to work hard and take the AP classes and you participate in extracurricular activities, that'll take you really far in life,' she said.
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