GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — The class of 2024 in Guilford County will soon be turning their tassels and throwing their caps into a bright future.
For one student at Southeast High School, she's marking a major milestone of her own and for the school.
Vanessa Cortes-Miramontes will be the first-ever Mexican-American valedictorian for Southeast High School.
Her Spanish teacher, Robinson Bustos, noticed how well she was doing in classes and said he kept pushing her to never give up.
"I am so proud because sometimes, people need inspiration to see what they are doing and I am so happy for her because she worked really really hard for this and I am happy that she achieved that goal," said Bustos.
Bustos said there are a lot of Hispanic students at the school and this representation matters.
He said she is now a role model for others to see that it is possible to get where she is as long as they work hard at it.
This valedictorian title comes after getting a 4.7 GPA, taking AP classes, being president of the global languages club, and making connections with the community and students.
While it's a difficult task to achieve.
Her advice is to focus on your work, do not procrastinate, and find someone who can cheer you on.
"The first semester of my senior year I had some really challenging classes and there were times I did not think I was going to pull it off, getting an A, but then I would see him and he would always motivate me," said Cortes-Miramontes. "I am like okay, well I have to do this, I wanted to do this for myself obviously but having that extra support there from a teacher, it was very motivating."
All this hard work will only continue.
Cortes-Miramontes will be attending UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall working to get a bachelor's degree in radio-logic science.