When Samantha Politano steps on to the stage to speak to Wesley Chapel Highโs graduating class of 2017 on May 26, it will be the culmination of a dream sheโs had since the third grade, when the letter โAโ first appeared on her report card.
It was at that time โ when she saw not just one, but all As on that report card โ that she says she became determined to always get straight As, and to become her class valedictorian. And now, sheโs done it.
With a weighted GPA of 4.77, she has the privilege of the title, and the responsibility of making the speech.
โIโm really excited about it,โ Samantha says, โIโve been thinking about it since third grade, so I feel like itโs a lot of pressure.โ
At the same time sheโs receiving her high school diploma, sheโs also earning her Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree from Pasco Hernando State College, thanks to dual enrollment classes sheโs been taking for the last three years. Sheโll be recognized as an โhonors graduateโ for maintaining a 4.0 GPA in her college classes when she walks across the stage at that graduation ceremony.
While sheโs been busy studying, doing her homework and keeping her grades up, Samantha also has been committed to extracurricular activities as an officer in seven organizations. Sheโs not only student body president at WCH, sheโs also vice president of the PHSC chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
Samantha also received the Girl Scouts Gold Award, the highest award given by that organization. When she earned it in 2016, she was the only Gold Award recipient in Pasco County that year. She says she was an active Girl Scout for 12 years, and the project to earn the award was to make Wells Rd. โ where Wesley Chapel Elementary, Weightman Middle and Wesley Chapel High schools are located โ safer.
Currently, Samantha is planning to attend Florida State University in Tallahassee, where sheโll be in the Honors College.
โMy parents never went to college, so Iโve always dreamed of going to college,โ she says. โWhen I started at Wesley Chapel Elementary, I thought that was college.โ
Samantha says her parentsโ story is an inspiration to her. She looks up to her mom, who she says is, โso organized and gets everything done without getting distracted; she motivates me.โ
She also says that her dadโs hands are a reminder of why she works so hard to be successful. โDad used to be a gas fitter and he had to work hard, digging deep holes,โ she says. โHis hands are so rough. I want to work hard mentally so my family and I donโt have to work hard with our hands.โ
Samantha is still on the waiting list at both Harvard and Yale, and should find out by the end of May if sheโll be accepted into either of those Ivy League universities. If she does end up at FSU, she has earned so many scholarships that she will have the cost of her education covered, and then some. She earned a prestigious scholarship for students who have overcome significant adversity, called the Horatio Alger Scholarship. She also was named a national semi-finalist from the Elks National Foundation for a โmost valuable studentโ award, plus she was awarded scholarships from the Mary and Bob Sierra Family Foundation, the Florida PTA, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative and from FSU.
Ultimately, she says she hopes to become a lawyer. โItโs unfair that lawyers charge so much and that low-income families canโt afford a lawyer,โ Samantha explains. โIโd like to advocate for low-income families and help them.โ
Because her scholarships will cover four years of education, โIโll probably take my time,โ she says. โBecause I already have my A.A., it would be too easy to just do one major.โ Sheโs planning to study both English and Biology, following a track for marine biology, and thinks she might study abroad.
Samantha says that, to apply for law school, she can have any degree, so her choice to study marine biology is purely for fun and the experience of learning more about something she loves. โI wonโt be using that as a lawyer,โ she says. โIโm just passionate about it. Itโs going to be really enjoyable. I think more people should do things just because they enjoy them.โ