Since Northwood did away with the Valedictorian title in 2019 and adopted the Latin honors system, which recognizes students based on established grade point average intervals for graduation, there has been discussion amongst students about whether or not it should be brought back. Each year, there are thousands of valedictorians from high schools across the United States, many of whom go on to study at America’s top universities. Despite this, there has been question in recent years about whether the valedictorian tradition is fair to the other students. Valedictorian, however, is a hard-earned title which, rather than mocking other students, could actually inspire them.
Rather than being unfair, the valedictorian title honors a student who has been consistent in their hard work over four years. The argument that the tradition is unfair or might cause jealousy has some merit, but Northwood has continued to announce the student with the highest grade point average at graduation, essentially rendering the jealousy argument moot. It is important to recognize the feelings of all students, but a hard-working student should not have to forfeit the valedictorian honor to make their peers happy. On average, half of Ivy-League admits are valedictorians, so it is evident that colleges value this position. The title of valedictorian simply means more than “top GPA” because of the prestige and opportunity that is traditionally associated with the honor.
While the most obvious beneficiaries of valedictorian are the honoree themselves, they have an opportunity to inspire other students with their stories. Many valedictorians come from low-income households, such as Larissa Martinez, a high school valedictorian from Texas who revealed in her 2016 graduation speech that she was an undocumented immigrant who had overcome financial barriers and her undocumented status to get into Yale University. Others have persevered through racism, sexism or other prejudice to get where they are. Martinez’s speech went viral, bringing awareness to the struggles of undocumented and low income students across the United States. By denying a valedictorian the guaranteed opportunity to speak at graduation, one not only denies their efforts but denies other students, at the school and all across the country, the opportunity to hear their story and be inspired or motivated to overcome obstacles.
Valedictorian is a long-held tradition in this country, one which many students aspire to achieve. It can motivate students to pursue the highest academic success, help students get into academically prestigious schools and give a platform for a deserving student to lead and inspire their fellow students. Therefore, it is my opinion that the Valedictorian title should be brought back to Northwood in the future.
