A Hootworthy Finish: Talisa’s Path to Valedictorian

You could list everything Talisa’s done this year, but it almost sounds made up. Valedictorian. FBLA president. Miss Albany Teen. Then you talk to her, and it all feels pretty simple. 

With graduation coming up, she said it still hasn’t fully hit her. She’s trying to stay present and take it all in. That drive has been there for a while. Back in fifth grade, she made Jupiter on a pottery wheel for a science fair. Not halfway. All the way in.

Finding out she was valedictorian caught her off guard. She got pulled into a Zoom meeting and thought she might be in trouble. She even had her mom on FaceTime during it. Then they told her. The moment flipped fast, and all those late nights and sacrifices suddenly made sense.

Through FBLA and pageantry, she’s learned that leadership isn’t just about leading people. It’s about helping people lead themselves. That shows up in her work, especially with “CTRL the Future,” her cybersecurity and digital literacy initiative inspired by personal experience with online fraud.

Her FBLA journey took her to nationals in California, where she placed second in computer programming and connected with students from all over the country. Winning Miss Albany Teen was a different kind of moment. She said she cried for an hour and couldn’t pull it together. It pushed her outside of her comfort zone in a way school never had.

Talisa credits GCA for giving her the flexibility to pursue all of it. When asked how she hopes people remember her, she kept it simple. As a leader. As someone who showed it’s possible to do a lot and do it well.

She’s quick to thank God, her parents, family, friends, teachers, and GCA for helping her get there.

Stay hootworthy, Talisa!

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