ROGERS — Trio Named To Team
Editor’s Note: Hilary Zedlitz of Heritage High School, Morena Valdizon of Rogers High School and Rachel Brewer of the Benton County School of the Arts were named to NWA Media’s All-Academic Team based on nominations from school officials. Team members were asked their opinions on issues pertinent to themselves and their future. Three young women were selected as Academic All-Stars to represent their high schools in Rogers. Today they talk about what they expect from the future.
Hilary Zedlitz
You founded the Free Minds Diversity Club at Heritage. Why is diversity important to you?
I went to a camp that was for diversity. It was the first time I realized there are different kinds of diversity, not just where you’re from or how you look, but how you speak, what religion you practice and what music you listen to. We have people in all sizes, every spectrum of belief and culture. Getting to know each other is kind of what our club does in our school. We all can experience the same things.
What do you think will be some of the biggest challenges for your generation?
Things are more competitive as far as getting jobs and getting scholarships. That’s one big thing that we’ve already dealt with and I think we’ll continue to deal with throughout our lives. They’re becoming more selective.
How do you think your school has prepared you for those challenges?
The first time I’ve been out of the country was at Heritage with a school group. Just how our school relates to each other. We have a very diverse population.
What advice do you have for incoming freshmen?
Get involved and stay active in your school and in your classes. Those are ways to keep motivated in high school. If there’s not something there you’re interested in, start it. It’s very easy to start a club in high school. I think the biggest thing is finding a place where you belong and making a place where you belong.
Morena Valdizon
Why did you select the medical field?
I’ve been in a medical atmosphere all my life. I was born with a club foot, which is a birth defect where my right foot is bent inward. I’ve had four reconstructive surgeries.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I’m either still in school or freshly out. I would probably just join a hospital like Mercy here. I’m not sure about my own practice just now because I have talked to a couple doctors who have had their own, and while they say they like the liberty of it, they say it’s definitely a challenge.
What do you think will be some of the biggest challenges for your generation?
I think we’ll be a little bit shell-shocked. It’s not going to be like when our parents graduated where if they finished college they could find a lot of jobs. I think we’re going to have to be extremely more competitive and be more prepared since everything will be more advanced.
How do you think your time at school has prepared you for those challenges?
I think they’ve prepared us for the fast pace that we’re going to have to deal with and given us the skills necessary to problem solve or to look at a situation differently or from different point of views, especially AP classes.
What advice do you have for incoming freshmen?
I would definitely tell them to not take the school for granted and not take their freshman year for granted. Once you get to high school, it all starts mattering what classes you take. Do not be afraid to take opportunities. The teachers are always there to help you. Keep your grades up. It’s really important in the end. I know some friends who didn’t think their freshman year was important, and now they’re applying to colleges, and they look all the way to your freshman year.
Rachel Brewer
Why did you select psychology as a major?
I’m kind of there for everybody in my school in the leadership positions that I’ve taken on. It’s made me a very public face at my school, and people feel like they can come talk to me. I realized just how much I do enjoy helping people who are in difficult situations and helping people take care of the problems they have so that they can succeed.
What do you think will be some of the biggest challenges for your generation?
I think definitely overcoming the nation’s debt crisis or at least making a dent in it … and also designing sustainable or renewable energy. The fossil fuels aren’t going to last forever.
How do you think your time at school has prepared you for those challenges?
My time at BCSA has made me more independent and definitely more organized. I can take those skills with me for the rest of my life.
What advice do you have for incoming freshmen?
Get involved. That’s the biggest thing you want to do whether you want to get involved in Student Council or National Honor Society, thespians, whatever your niche is or whatever you think you’re best at or you want to get better at. Getting involved really helps you come out of your shell, and it helps you grow as a person. I was really shy when I came into high school, and I didn’t want to talk to anybody, I didn’t want to be in anything, but I said, I should really be in Student Council, and it just kind of led me to where I am now.