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06/13/2018 08:30 AMShe may consider herself a bit shy, and her academic style bends toward hard work done with quiet effort, but on June 15, Zelda Galdenzi is going to be heard, loud and clear.
As the valedictorian of the North Branford High School (NBHS) Class of 2018, Zelda knows she has the unique opportunity to inspire her classmates with her speech during commencement ceremonies on the NBHS field on Friday, June 15. And, while she’d greatly prefer not to stand in front of the biggest audience she’s ever encountered and give a speech, she’s not going to miss this chance.
“It’s kind of ironic,” says Zelda. “Although I’m kind of shy and quiet, I’m going to talk about using your voice. I think it’s important. This class has done so many great things—our sports this year have been amazing, and academically, we’ve done so much. As we go on, we need use our skills and talents that we obviously have to do greater things and make a difference where it’s needed.”
As someone who excelled in sports, including her defensive play with this year’s undefeated, state-championship field hockey team, while also topping the academic ladder, Zelda says every student at NBHS shares the sense of family and accomplishment she sees in the Class of 2018.
“We’re close as a class and everyone’s supportive of each other. Even if you’re not close friends with someone, you support them or go to games. It’s really nice to see,” says Zelda, adding graduation night will be one with “a lot of emotion” for her classmates.
“It’s exciting because you’re going off and doing new things that you want to do, but you’re going to miss everyone,” she says.
In addition to playing with NBHS field hockey and tennis for four years, Zelda also served as a NBHS student representative and was National Honor Society secretary at NBHS.
Zelda has attended North Branford Public Schools since kindergarten and says the district gave her plenty of options and academic challenges on the road to becoming valedictorian, including Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
“There are a lot of AP classes with a lot of different options. I started as a sophomore in U.S. history because that was the only one you could take as a sophomore, and then I went on to take others,” says Zelda, for a total of eight AP classes.
She earned both AP Scholar with Honors Award and AP Scholar Award during her NBHS career. This year alone, Zelda’s awards include Connecticut Association of Schools’ Scholar Athlete Award, NBHS Four-Year Excellence in Science Award, U.S. Marine Corp Scholastic Excellence Award, Air Force Math and Science Award, Medals of Academic Excellence in English and Human Anatomy & Physiology, Presidential Award for Educational Excellence, Field Hockey Second Team All-Conference, National Field Hockey Coaches Association High School National Academic Squad with Distinction, and AP Scholar Award.
Zelda’s path toward being named 2018 valedictorian began with other awards received during her academic and athletic career as a freshman, sophomore, and junior at NBHS, including Tennis Second Team All-Conference, Barnard Book Award; Medals of Academic Excellence for AP Environmental, Pre-calculus, and General Science; National Field Hockey Coaches Association High School National Academic Squad with Distinction; AP Scholar with Honor; and Shoreline Writing Contest Winner.
The list of awards is impressive, but Zelda says her academic style is pretty straight forward.
“I have to work really hard, but certain things, like science, I’ve always loved and it comes a little easier to me,” she says. “When I got the four-year science award and [Air Force] math and science award this year, that was special to me, because I want to do stuff like that and worked hard in those fields. So it kind of paid off.”
Zelda is thrilled to be continuing her studies at her top-choice college, Wesleyan University in Middletown, in the fall. She intends to major in biology and neuroscience.
“It’s a really good school academically, and I want to push myself harder,” she says. “But also, the people there have personality, which is so nice. They’re unique, and I want to be a part of that.”
Zelda’s unique role as NBHS Class of 2018 valedictorian was the result of her four years of hard work, but not the goal of that academic rigor, she adds.
“I just wanted to push myself harder, and it just kind of comes with that,” she says.
To her fellow students and those who will come after the Class of 2018, Zelda adds believing in yourself, combined with setting the bar high, is a pretty good approach to being successful in any pursuit.
“Always believe in yourself, and push yourself. You need to know that you have the potential. Keep working hard,” she says.