With a Valedictorian, comes a Salutatorian, and this year’s Class of 2022 Salutatorian is Braeden Carroll. His diligent work throughout high school has gotten him accepted into Princeton University with a major in engineering.
While taking many advanced classes, he has learned how to come up with different work ethics. Carroll says, “Through all my AP and Honors classes, I have learned that strategic time management can make a seemingly daunting task much more manageable. As long as you don’t procrastinate on assignments, any class can be manageable.”
He also has some advice for those who are striving to be high-achieving students. He says, “Pursue your own interests and spend time doing things they enjoy. I’m glad that I chose classes I was interested in, as opposed to simply chasing GPA boosters, so I could learn things about which I was curious.”
History Teacher Matthew Arroyo says, “Braeden is an outstanding student who strives to perform his best in all academic endeavors. He is motivated, completes assignments early, and always seeks feedback to improve his work.”
Many students believe that their grades and school is the only thing that matters. However, from experience, Carroll shows others that it is important to have a balance between school and your social life. He says, “I still had time to run year-round, hang out with friends, and take part in other hobbies, instead of constantly worrying about school work. School is important, but it is not everything.”
Carroll has also been very high-achieving in Wind Ensemble, Pep Band, and Percussion Ensemble in school. Band Teacher Ryan Stroud says, “When Braeden was auditioning for various Honor Bands, he would spend a lot of time practicing. That valuable use of his time led him to a point where he didn’t have to work as hard because the skills became innate to him. That’s what all of us should be striving for in our lives. Work really hard so that your skills become second nature, and then, try to apply those skills to something that you love to do.
Although high school is highly focused on grades, there is much more to learn than just academics. He says, “School provides a unique forum in which we can discuss our opinions and reflect opposing viewpoints off of one another. Learning what other people think can help you learn about yourself, so school has played a significant role in helping me find my way among my peers and in the world.”
