Saloni Mehra went into her final year of high school in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Land O’Lakes High tied with eight other IB students in the academic battle to become Class of 2016 valedictorian.
That’s exactly how she finished, too.
“It’s crazy,’’ she says.
Mehra, a Wesley Chapel resident, finished her high school career with a 4.79 grade-point-average, becoming one of nine – that’s right, we said NINE – valedictorians at Land O’Lakes.
“It’s kind of a first,’’ Saloni said, chuckling. “They (school officials) just didn’t know how to settle it.”
Which Saloni says is fine with her and her co-valedictorians. She says all nine valedictorian Gators are friends, and none minded the fact the school couldn’t figure out a tiebreaker.
As for who gives the traditional valedictorian speech, Saloni says the nine settled that by co-hosting graduation, kind of like presenters at an awards show.
Being co-class valedictorian is, “icing on the cake,’’ Saloni says. She has always been driven to succeed in the classroom, so getting good grades was just what she expected.
In high school, Mehra thrived in an IB program regarded for its tough schedule of projects and homework. She says that balancing her schedule became one of the more important survival skills she learned.
“It was pretty brutal,’’ Saloni says. “There were a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of work. But, it taught you how to manage your time. Sometimes, the work just piles up and you have to prioritize, so you meet your deadlines…lots of deadlines.”
How many all-nighters did Saloni pull in four years of high school?
“I lost count,’’ she says.
Her frenetic schedule did not keep Saloni from being involved in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) at Land O’Lakes, competing in state competitions all four years with the club, nor did it stop her from swimming for the Gator varsity team, where she advanced to Regionals twice.
She says her greatest love, however, has been synchronized swimming, where Saloni was one of the first members of the New Tampa Family YMCA in Tampa Palms program as an 8-year-old when that program began a decade ago.
With a background in gymnastics and dance — which she did for 13 years, learning everything from Classical Indian to Bollywood to Jazz to Hip-Hop, with a little ballet thrown in — Saloni became an exceptional synchronized swimmer, the Summer Olympic sport which is often referred to as water dancing.
“My Mom came home from the YMCA one day and told me they were starting this team for this sport, and we had no idea what synchronized swimming was,’’ says Saloni. “I decided to try it out and I loved it.”
Saloni, who does solos, has advanced to Junior Olympics, where she will be competing nationally for one of the last times June 24-July 2 in East Meadow, NY. She also competed for a spot on the U.S. National team during tryouts in Arizona in April.
Although she says she once had Olympic dreams herself, next year, Saloni plans to swim with the Florida Gator synchro club team. Saloni picked the Gainesville school, which she will attend on a Presidential Scholarship, over 10 others, including the likes of Boston University, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Until then, she says she plans on putting all of those all-nighters and daily swimming practices on the back burner for a bit. The IB program definitely taught her a little bit about time management.
“I’m going to take some time off and enjoy the summer,’’ Saloni says.
Masterson and Alexis Dempsey of Wesley Chapel graduated from Saint Leo University on April 30.