For Savannah Whitney, learning she’d been named Hahnville High School’s valedictorian represented achieving a goal she’d had since third grade.
“When I first got actual grades, I came home and told my parents that I wanted to be valedictorian,” Whitney said. “I was eight. I honestly have no idea of how that thought came about.”
When Whitney got to HHS, the goal was still firmly in her mind. As a member of the choir, she also performed at the school’s graduations and recalled thinking as the valedictorian name was called, “That’s going to be me.”
Making and meeting that goal is in this HHS graduate’s DNA.
“I think I’ve always been the kind of person to push myself,” she said of competition serving as a catalyst that drives her even further. “It’s a great feeling to know that I’ve worked hard and it’s paid off, and getting recognized for it.”
Whitney has been named Student of the Year in her fifth, eighth and 12th school years.
“As far as I know, I’m the only student in the parish to have done that,” she said. “It’s kind of the culmination of the things I’ve worked for all my life.”
Whitney acknowledged that every single time she competed with people, including her friends for these recognitions, it affirmed her hard work“Just like the Student of the Year accomplishment, it’s proof that I’m not crazy for working as hard as I did,” she said. “My work was purposeful, and it’s also proof that dreams can come true no matter how outrageous they might seem when you’re eight years old.”
Hahnville High School further contributed to her sense of self.
“As a whole, it helped me find who I am as a person and as a student,” Whitney said. “I was faced with a lot of challenges in class, extracurricular and social life, and all of those were able to shape me to who I am today. I’m very thankful for that.”
Whitney’s parents also taught her a strong work ethic, but she quickly added they would be proud of her no matter what she did.
“They don’t expect as much of me as I expect of myself,” she said of her parents, Troy and Bethany Whitney of Luling. “They’re okay with whatever I do as long as I’ve tried my best.”
Whitney’s achievements are many, including Summa Cum Laude, Superintendent’s List, Dow Award of Scholastic Achievement, Tulane Book Award, highest ACT score in the junior class, AP Scholar Award, National Merit Letter of Commendation, United States Senate Youth Program State Finalist, and Student of the Year Scholarships.
She plans on attending Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. to major in biomedical sciences with a concentration in global studies. Her goal is to become a trauma surgeon and work with Doctors without Borders.
Whitney readily conceded she’s scared of going to a new place 14 hours away for college, but she also acknowledged it as the right place where she can perform her best.“I know whatever happens in college, med school and the rest of my life that God has a plan and it’s going to go his way regardless of what I want to happen,” she added.
But her outlook also lies in her own words to fellow students at graduation: “Graduates, I urge you to be daring. Take risks. Step out of your comfort zone. Life is too short, too fleeting and too valuable to spend time fearing the possibility of failure. So what if you fall? More importantly, what if you fly? Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
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