With the beginning of second semester, grades start to settle and valedictorian, or valedictorians as it is, get solidified in place. In the past years, such as 2018, there have been multiple valedictorians. Instead of there being four valedictorians such as in the 2018 class, there are five within the class of 2023.

The valedictorian spot is being shared between Taylor-Grace Dodson, Emma Dowdy, Addyson Hunsicker, John Mills, and Zachary Payne, all of which have a GPA of 4.7.

They have each worked hard to get this position and pushed one another to work harder as all five students attended Governor’s School as well as took AP classes at the base school together over the past two years.

Dodson and Mills express their feelings about sharing the spot: “I’m honestly glad we’ve all conquered these feats with one another,” said Mills.

“I feel that we all worked really hard to earn this spot,” said Dodson.

The five valedictorians plan to go to different four-year colleges and have mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement in furthering their schooling.

Dodson is going to the University of Alabama, where she got a full-scholarship, to become a physical therapist.

Dowdy is going to George Mason University on a full-tuition scholarship to major in psychology.

Hunsicker is going to North Carolina State this fall to major in nuclear engineering and work on military bases.

Mills is planning to attend East Carolina University to major in biology and chemistry in hopes to get into medical school. He received a full-tuition merit-based scholarship called the Chancellor’s Fellow.

Payne is attending University of Virginia to fulfill his plans to get into dental school, following in his father’s footsteps. He also expresses his excitement in continuing his academic excellence in college!

They will have a collective speech with parts of their own and will deliver it together on stage at the graduation ceremony.