2023 Cape Girardeau Central High School Valedictorian Srija Bandyopadhayay

__Srija Bandyopadhayay__

__Cape Girardeau Central High School__

__Parents:__ Asit Bandyopadhayay (father) and Sucharita Bandyopadhayay (mother).

__Post-graduation plans:__ Plan on attending Saint Louis University and major in biomedical engineering on the pre-med track.

High school activities: President of speech and debate and participated in the Robotics Club, Scholar Bowl and National Honors Society.

__Favorite high school experience:__ Some of my favorite high school experiences were the French banquets we organized during Honors French class. Another favorite memory would be the Six Flags trip we took in AP Physics for physics day. Even though I almost dropped my phone while collecting data on the roller coasters, it was a fun experience.

__Biggest role model:__ I don’t have just one role model, but it’s more like a group of people I am inspired by. I really look up to surgeons, especially pediatrics surgeons. When I was young, I met with an accident where I severely broke my ankle. I needed immediate surgery, but the nearest orthopedic pediatric surgeon was two hours away. I was transferred to the nearest pediatric surgeons and because of them I was able to walk again despite the horrible accident. I don’t remember who performed the surgery on me, but I really appreciate all the surgeons. Moreover, I want to become a surgeon one day and give people a new appreciation for life.

__Advice to underclassmen:__ Throughout the high school journey, I have made mistakes, and the biggest lesson I have learned is to not overwhelm yourself with responsibilities that you cannot put your best efforts in. Even though it’s very important for high schoolers to be involved in school, it is OK to take some breaks. At the end of the day, we are human beings, and overwhelming ourselves with tasks would only lead to less overall productivity. Additionally, I also want to emphasize the importance of having goals. In order to achieve our goals, we have to be focused and make small sacrifices. If we are unable to do that, our goals may become the sacrifice instead. Moreover, it is important to have focus and discipline if we are determined to achieve your goals.

__Three words to describe high school:__

Discipline. It’s important to maintain discipline if we want to succeed in high school. Not doing tasks on time would only cause more trouble in the future.

Meaningful. High school was the time where I truly learned myself and what I looked for in the future. The experiences and the lessons learned along the way make me into the person I am today.

Inspiring. High school gave me the inspiration and the motivation to do well. Surrounded by brilliant students and teachers inspired me to put my best efforts and overall turned me into a good student. Even though I have a long way to go, high school helped me persevere and inspired me to work hard.