Determination leads to academic distinction for Russellville valedictorian Sarabia

Hard work. Determination. Discipline. Those are the three words that best describe Giselle Sarabia’s path to becoming the Russellville High School valedictorian for the Class of 2026.

When it came to her goals in school Sarabia admits that being valedictorian wasn’t originally top of mind—she just wanted to be the best student she could be. The effort she put forth to do that ultimately paid dividends as she walked across the graduation stage top of her class.

“I worked myself hard and worked long nights to get to that position. But for me, what it means is that I was disciplined enough to get there,” she said. “I mainly focused on my studies and (being valedictorian) wasn’t really my true goal, it was just to make 100s.”

As a sophomore, Sarabia was seeking scholarship information from a school counselor, and that’s when she learned she was then ranked second in her class.

“Then I thought, ‘Well, if I work even harder then maybe in a few years I can eventually become number one,’” she said.

And she did.

Sarabia went into class every day with a determination to fully grasp each subject. Before taking one class, she took the initiative to study the subject ahead of time. During that experience, she said, she rediscovered the joy of learning.

“Pre-calculus was hard for me, so when I took calculus I studied one month ahead of time just to get the feeling for it,” Sarabia said. “I was already studying hard to keep my GPA up, but in my mind I was thinking that I needed to find my love for learning again. So, I started learning one month ahead to truly understand the concepts. Then as the units went by I fell in love with calculus.”

In addition to her bookwork Sarabia, who made a 31 on the ACT and took 13 AP courses, was active in a number of extracurriculars including History Club, Mu Alpha Theta, Technology Students Association, FBLA, and the Library Club. Her resume also runs long with membership in honor societies and awards and certifications earned for chemistry, engineering, and coding, among others.

In the future Sarabia intends to enroll at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and pursue a degree in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

“Math and science have always been my strongest subjects,” she said. “I took some engineering courses and I really found my job in engineering.”

Thinking back on her time at Russellville High School, Sarabia will remember her favorite teachers—Nicole Watts, Brea Colagross, Zachary Bruce, Melinda Pounds and Kim Burney—for the influence they had on her.

“What made them my favorite teachers were they are really passionate about teaching and really care about their students,” she said.

She’ll also remember the generosity shown to her by classmates when she first came to Russellville in 2021.

“I didn’t have any friends yet, but in my English class a group of girls asked me to sit with them and be their friend. I think that showed the genuine kindness of Russellville,” she added.

Finally, she’ll remember the lessons she’s learned—the lessons that helped make her her class’ valedictorian—and hope that younger students at RHS will discover that knowledge, as well.

“You may have the the talent, but that will only take you so far,” she said. “It’s your determination and your consistent effort that gets you where you want to be.”