Valedictorian Alec Merodio experiences unprecedented year end

There has been a lot of concern that, due to COVID-19, the Class of 2020 didn’t get to really experience their senior year. They may have missed a lot of traditional senior activities, like prom and a physical graduation, the hard work of Alec Merodio is still paying off as he will always be known as the valedictorian of his graduating class.

“I feel excited, honored, and proud to be Armijo’s valedictorian,” he said. “I was given a call by the principal, Ms. Smith, while I was watching the Fast and Furious movies in my house.

Class valedictorian is the student who has the highest GPA over the years of high school, and it didn’t come easy for Merodio. “There is definitely added pressure to succeed,” he said. Most students who reach this honor do more than study and earn good grades. Merodio is no exception. For Armijo, he participated in water polo, soccer, baseball and tennis. For three years, he was in Leadership and participated in the Ping Pong club. He was in the Latino Club for two years and the College and Career Club for a year. He took AP Calculus as a sophomore and took a total of nine Higher Level International Baccalaureate (HL IB) classes the last two years of high school. “My hardest and most fulfilling class at Armijo was Spanish 1 with Mr. Arcia,” he said.

All of this was with one goal in mind. “I will be attending Johns Hopkins University for Cellular and Molecular Biology,” said Merodio. “I one day hope to be an orthopedic surgeon.”

Some of the things that he uses to relax from all the challenges are snowboarding, bowling and ping pong. “I also love to sleep,” he said. His parents are his role models. “They have shown me what hard work and dedication looks like.” Before he leaves Armijo officially, he wanted to share his gratitude. “I enjoyed my time at Armijo and want to thank everyone who has supported me. It means a lot…Stay focused and classy.”