Senior Nicholas Valin on graduating and the future

Niwot senior Nicholas Valin wasn't always the confident, aspirational young adult he is today. In fact, after going to private school and then being homeschooled for freshman year, his transition to Niwot was somewhat jarring.

"I was new as a sophomore, so for the first two days of school, I didn't know anyone and was silent," he said, laughing at the memory. "[But] I made a lot of friends after that."

Valin quickly became involved in the high school's forensics team, student council, Model UN and Politics Club; and in all of those organizations, he became a rising star. Not only is he a two-time state champion in debate, he is one of the debate captains, the Model UN Secretary General, the Politics Club president, and even student body Vice President.

While he is certainly proud of his NHS resume, he does wish he had gotten involved in some other activities, such as men's volleyball. "It got cut short [due to COVID], but I went to open gyms for men's volleyball."

Regardless, he's happy with the impression he's made at the school and is looking forward to what is to come. Valin hopes to go to Georgetown University in the fall to study either law or finance.

He said that what appeals to him about law is the problem-solving aspect of cases and the wide range of lawfields. He has been contemplating the idea of being a litigator--and perhaps his interest in debate and politics has laid the groundwork for that. As for finance, he expressed a longstanding interest in Wall Street, saying that the fast-paced environment and the need to adapt is intriguing.

"Overall, it [graduation] is really exciting because it's a new chapter in my life," he said. I"'m ending the high school chapter and the past 12 years of school. That's really exciting because I'm ready to move on and find new opportunities. It is anti-climatic because all the expected festivities aren't possible."

However, even though the normal end-of-year graduation activities aren't traditional, they've been adapted. A number of his neighbors came to his front yard to celebrate the senior countdown with him. While it is somewhat disappointing that the graduation ceremony isn't happening like normal, he appreciates SVVSD and Niwot High's efforts to still celebrate the seniors.

"I think it's really nice that it's a top priority of theirs." said Valin. "I'm willing to forgo a lot of the other festivities, but graduation is such a meaningful moment; not just for the graduates but for their families... I think it would be really nice to have some type of ceremony for us to have that closure and our families to see us get the diploma."

While Valin is, without a doubt, excited to move onto the next opportunities, he expressed a lot of gratitude towards his time within Niwot High's walls. He said that his favorite memory was winning the state championship for speech and debate, "They were really amazing memories and I got to share them with my friends."

In addition to his experiences with his friends, Valin said that he'd also miss the Niwot community. "I've been really lucky to have amazing teachers at Niwot High School and the community as a whole has been really welcoming. Definitely moving onto college I'll be missing the community feel of Niwot."