Valedictorian Isuani motivated by new perspectives

Not many high school students relish the idea of delivering an important speech in front of a large crowd of strangers, but Victoria Isuani isn't like many high school students. When the Niwot senior learned she would have an extra responsibility at the 2021 graduation ceremony, she quickly went to work crafting a message that was "inspirational, but still lighthearted."

"The day that my principal told me that I was going to be valedictorian, right away, I started coming up with ideas and I was really excited to share my views with my class," Isuani recalled. "A big aspect of my speech is all about being yourself, and so I wanted to make sure that my voice really shines through and that I was authentic in my speech."

For her remarks, Isuani said that she drew heavily from her own experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and the disrupted school year. Early on, she opted to stay fully remote for her entire senior year, and that has been "a little bit isolating, especially socially." she said. At the same time, the new routines allowed Isuani to learn more about herself and gain new perspectives.

"I was able to develop my own personality and find my likes and dislikes, in a separate environment that I'm normally in," she said. "Being able to find myself was really important to me because now I'm more true to myself than I was before."

Apparently one of Isuani's likes is getting things done, and by the second semester of her senior year, that included high school.

"I actually found the at-home learning method pretty motivational because I had a lot more time to complete my work," she said. "This past semester, I actually took 10 classes. Finding that motivation was a little bit difficult at first, but then I just had to realize that I'm so close to being done with high school and starting the next step of my life."

The next step of Isuani's life will take her to Tufts University in Boston, Mass., where she plans to study international relations and film and media studies, with a minor in French or computer science. She's been studying foreign languages for several years, including four years of IB French and two years of IB Spanish at Niwot.

"I just love the language classes because they're so culturally oriented, and you really learn how to develop your conversational skills," she said of her time at Niwot. "All the teachers are just so nice. And they're very kind, and they really open your eyes to the world, not necessarily what's in the textbook."

As for her interest in computer science, Isuani said taking Intro to App Development from Niwot teacher Teresa Ewing last semester had been an eye-opener.

"I wasn't really interested in computer science because I'm much more of a liberal arts kind of student, but I loved programming and learning how to code in different programming languages. I spoke to my teacher, and she told me that with my language background, I could go into a lot of different fields with some programming and international relations."

But Isuani hasn't settled on any of those fields just yet. She said she hopes to find something that allows her to keep learning about culture and languages, and also involves travel. She also sees the potential for graduate school and an academic path in her future.

Unfortunately, moving across the country means that Isuani will be giving up two things she has loved for a long time: her Jack Russell-lab mix, Ginger, and an accomplished ballet career that saw her make regular appearances with the Longmont Dance Theater Academy and the Centennial State Ballet, but also consumed up to 40 hours per week of her free time.

"This year has given me a lot of perspective, and I've realized that I have a lot of other interests that I'd like to pursue," she said. "So I might be closing that door a little bit. But dance will always be part of my life, and I'll still make sure to keep in shape."

In the meantime, the Tufts-bound Isuani is looking forward to a low-key summer spent reconnecting with friends and family.