It doesn’t take an Einstein to identify the students who’ve claimed the valedictorian spot as their own. They’re hard-working, incredibly smart, and more than willing to push themselves to the limit to make the grade. The sophomore and junior classes each have their own: Lauren Beaty and Mariana Rios, respectively. These two have worked throughout their academic careers to keep their spot at the top.

  So, how exactly does this position affect their everyday lives? These students encounter many obstacles when trying to accomplish their goals and maintain their spot, including balancing school with their personal lives and extracurricular activities, as well as facing stress and sleep deprivation on a daily basis.

  Many would expect that as valedictorians are often preoccupied with schoolwork, it would have a negative impact on their relationships, with people seeing them only as competitors. Beaty, sophomore valedictorian, thinks differently.

  “People definitely treat me differently because of my dedication to my schoolwork,” she said. “But the people who really know me understand that there is more to me than academics.”

   Rios, the junior valedictorian, has had a somewhat different experience when it comes to her friendships. While people don’t treat her differently, she has a little trouble developing and maintaining bonds because of her obligations.

  “It’s hard to invest myself in relationships the way I would like to or hang out on a regular basis because I don’t have time,” Rios said.

  Being top of the class does not come with the expectation of excelling only in school work – it also comes with the expectation of being very involved with the school. Extracurricular activities are a big obstacle when it comes to finding a healthy balance. Each of these students participate in multiple activities, both in and out of school.

  “I participate in choir, tennis, science UIL, debate, and I am very involved in my youth group at church,” Beaty said. “I also volunteer at my church’s children’s choir.”

  Mariana is the president of HOSA, a student council representative, and also competes in Science and Literary Criticism UIL.

  Balancing all these activities is, as expected, challenging for these students. Extracurricular activities require a lot of dedication and time, making them hard to balance with schoolwork. Luckily, Rios has found a system that works well for her.

  “I usually prepare for extracurricular events during the weekends so that I can focus on school during the week,” she said.

  Time management is of the utmost importance to these students, but that’s not always easy considering everything they’re involved in on top of the immense amount of schoolwork.

  “It is definitely difficult,” Beaty said, “but I try to prioritize my time based on how valuable the activity is to me.”

  Both Beaty and Rios have held the title of valedictorian since the beginning of their freshman year. While many the students are incredibly competitive when it comes to their ranking, Beaty takes it all in stride.

  “I honestly don’t try to beat everyone else,” she said. “I just focus on putting in my best effort.”

  This position is, however, a high-stress and high-pressure one to maintain. Students develop an expectation for the valedictorian to maintain their rank – and sometimes, these peers create more pressure than even parents.

  “My family always tells me that no matter what my rank is, they are proud of what I have accomplished, so I do not feel a lot of pressure from them,” Rios said. “I do feel more pressure from my peers because this role of ‘valedictorian’ has become an expectation they have of me.”

  The most obvious problem for these students is something everyone can relate to: stress. Maintaining this spot requires a lot of time and effort, as well as being able to handle lots of work and pressure, so it’s no surprise that it can be incredibly overwhelming at times.

  “I have managed to maintain my rank by taking challenging courses and scrupulously studying,” Rios said. “I have become accustomed to a certain level of stress that is constantly there, but I have learned to manage it. I strive to stay calm and just work hard.”

  While students may envision the valedictorians as people who effortlessly manage their time wisely and never really struggle with even the most difficult classes, this is far from the truth. These students do have subjects that they have to work a bit harder in to make the grade they would like, but to them, it’s a learning experience.

  “I personally struggle more with English classes,” Beaty said. “Hoever,  I learn a lot so it’s well worth it.”

  Rios, on the other hand, has struggled more on the opposite end of the spectrum.

  “The most difficult classes also tend to be the most rewarding,” she said. “I have found these to be physics and chemistry.”

  Another big stress factor is keeping up with GPA and grades – with the technology available now that allows students to check their grades and rank at the push of a button, it’s easier than ever to be on top of things – and stress over them.

  “I do stress about grades, but that stress just manifests into the desire to work,” Rios said. “After I take a test, quiz, or turn something in, I don’t stress because I just have to trust I did my best and that it will produce the results I worked for.”

  A more negative part of being an excellent student is sleep deprivation. It’s been shown that students need to get roughly eight to ten hours of sleep per night. However, a study done in 2014 showed that only nine percent get the recommended amount of sleep. The valedictorians are no exception to this study.

  “It definitely varies from night to night,” Beaty said, “but I probably get an average of six to seven hours of sleep a night.”

  Sleep deprivation is a serious problem and there’s no question about whether or not participating in school classes and activities has an impact on sleeping habits, as both Beaty and Rios reported it has had a negative impact on theirs.

  “I definitely do not get the amount of sleep I wish I could get, but I get more than my peers would think,” Rios said. “I get seven and a half hours on a good night, but I have recently only been getting six hours of sleep. I usually try to get to bed early, but I’ve had a lot of work lately.”

  This sleep deprivation, in turn, can cause issues with concentration and negatively impact schoolwork. These students, however, have either gotten used to it, or learned how to manage it.

  “I don’t feel a huge impact on my schoolwork most of the time,” Rios said. “However, I can tell that when I get really little sleep, I can’t focus in class.”

  Beaty has essentially had the same experience with sleep deprivation.

  “I probably get an average of six to seven hours a night,” she said. “Although a lack of sleep doesn’t tend to have a huge impact on my schoolwork, there are instances when I could do a better job if I had more sleep.”

  On a more light-hearted note, these students are all working towards something: both have given a small synopsis of their goals later on in life.

  “I haven’t decided or thought a whole lot about where I’m going to go to college,” Beaty said. “However, I am interested in going into the medical field, and I would like to work with children. I currently think I want to be a pediatrician and go on medical mission trips to Chinese orphanages.”

  Rios plans to take a somewhat similar path.

  “I am still looking into several colleges and am currently undecided as to where I want to go,” she said, “but I plan to major in pre-med in college. I want to become a dermatologist.”

These students will, beyond a shadow of a doubt, go on to do great things and accomplish their goals. In the meantime, though, they’ll deal with stress, sleep deprivation, and the struggle of managing their time wisely both in and out of school. Regardless, Beaty ends the day on a resounding note of positivity: “It’s worth it to me.”