May 16, 2018 // Uncategorized

Valedictorian Elizabeth Roy

Michelle Donaghey

Bishop Dwenger High School: Fort Wayne

Looking back on the past four years, Bishop Dwenger High School valedictorian Elizabeth Roy said she is fortunate to have been involved in many different extracurricular activities. 

She ran cross country every year, serving as team captain her senior year. She worked on the school newspaper all four years, working her way up to co-editor-in-chief. In her junior year, Elizabeth was invited to join National Honor Society, where she served as a board member. She also participated on Academic Team, and for three years she was part of the Science Olympiad team: “an activity that cultivated my love of the sciences.” Her favorite service opportunity was volunteering with the Indiana Special Olympics.

Outside of these activities, Elizabeth loves to travel and to read. “Since I can remember I have always been an avid reader, so much so that I used to hide during chore time at home so I could read. I even wrote my college essay about the female literary characters that had an impact on my growth as a young woman.”

Her Catholic education “went above and beyond” what she dreamed it would be.

“My teachers have been dedicated to incorporating Catholicism into each and every subject, and the conversations I’ve had with my chemistry and calculus teachers about the correlation between science and faith are something I truly value as I enter such fields in college. However, it was the unabashed conviction of my fellow students for sharing their faith that has allowed my own to strengthen all the more.”

One of her favorite memories of high school was the bus ride back from the March for Life in Washington, D.C. “After spending two days together, marching for our future generations, the bond between my fellow BD marchers and myself did not disappear during our 12-hour drive home. I talked with many other sleep-deprived students that I had yet to get to know during my four years, sharing differing opinions, relating funny stories, and discussing our shared beliefs. It gave me a sense both of what I loved so much about high school, as well as what I look forward to in college.”

She plans to take part in undergraduate research while at Duke University majoring in chemistry and psychology-research science. 

“My biggest hope is to be able to utilize the skills and opportunities I have been blessed with by my family and my Catholic education to not only thrive in my field of choice, but to more importantly lead others to flourish in their own lives.”