On Thursday June 18, Seneca High School held its commencement graduation ceremony as the 2014–2015 school year came to an end.
The class of 2015 went out in style, as all 279 students received their diplomas and were addressed by their class valedictorian Cailey Talbot and salutatorian Julie Ann Horner before they were sent off to pursue the next chapter of their lives.
The Sun sat down with both the valedictorian and the salutatorian of this year’s graduating class:
The Sun: What college do you plan to attend in the fall?
Horner: University of Delaware
Talbot: MIT in Cambridge Massachusetts
The Sun: How did you decide on this school?
Horner: The atmosphere was great when I first got there, it seemed like the one. It was all I wanted in a college.
Talbot: The atmosphere. The decision process for colleges is difficult because all of the tours that you go on are different based on who you get as a guide. I wanted an academically rigorous school but didn’t want the Division I commitment as far as my field hockey career goes. MIT has a great Division III program and I love the community, everyone is so supportive. A lot of things at MIT are based on collaboration. A ton of the students said they couldn’t do homework without a couple other people so everyone is learning together. It’s not a cutthroat environment, everyone is nice and helpful.
The Sun: What major do you plan to pursue there?
Horner: I plan to focus on biological sciences, anything pre-med.
Talbot: I want to focus on the brain in cognitive sciences, pre-med as well.
The Sun: Any idea what you plan to do with that degree yet?
Horner: I plan to go to med school. I’m not sure what kind of doctor I want to be yet.
Talbot: I’ve been interested in the brain since middle school so I want to do more research on that, specifically stress and mental illness. Bio has always been my favorite class, more tangible application than psych. Medicine is so fascinating to me. I’ve considered maybe going into surgery as well.
The Sun: What will the topic of your speech be when you address the class at the graduation ceremony?
Horner: Our journey through Seneca. I really want to focus on those four years and what sets our class apart from the rest. Our class is different in the sense that it is not the best or the worst, but it is the one that will make a difference in this world.
Talbot: Instead of looking back like the class president and everyone else will be doing, I think my job, as the valedictorian, is to look forward. I want to share advice with classmates on different matters like decision making. I always say when I’m really old I want to be able to reflect on what I did to live a fulfilling life. I know I can’t expect people to accept all of my advice as their own, but I just encourage people to take a step back and look at things from a different perspective, be open to trying new things. I will try to inspire my classmates to take their own path and dream bigger.
The Sun: What does it mean to you to achieve an accomplishment like this?
Horner: It means a lot to see all of the hard work paying off and to be the last to address the class before we all go our separate ways.
Talbot: It’s an honor. I’m happy and really glad to make my family proud. I think one of the things that means more to me is the image in most people’s heads when they think of the valedictorian, most times as a nerdy student who isn’t involved in anything but academics. I’m not like that at all. I value academics, obviously, but I’m a pretty relatable, down to earth person. I’m involved in different things like sports and drama, and I’m suffering from senioritis just as much of the next person. I’m glad that I can show people there’s not a specific stereotype that you have to fall under to receive this honor and anyone can do it.
