Meet Two Brilliant Young Women Sure To Make Their Mark

Valedictorian Tendai Chisowa 

Her résumé reads more like a Who’s Who entry than that of a 17-year-old high school girl. Besides having an inexplicable 4.62 GPA, a plethora of awards and accolades – Bausch & Lomb Science Award, President’s Volunteer Service Award, to name a few -- and a list of community and civic volunteer activities that could rival that of the most prolific altruist – Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, several church-related volunteer groups -- , Tendai Chisowa, the Montville High School 2012 graduating class valedictorian, wants to practice medicine, find cures for deadly diseases and work to transform her native Zambia “from a third world country into a first world country --- or at least lay the foundation for such a transformation.” 

Remember her name, because it’s a near certainly she will likely achieve these goals, if her dedication to her academic career is any barometer. 

“My cousins live in Zambia and they are orphans because their parents died of TB - an ailment that is easily treated in the US. Because of their parents' deaths, they struggle to pay for school and my mom does her best to help them out, but they still lack a lot of necessities that people in America enjoy,” she explained. “There are thousands of children who have no family members to assist them, and so I want to develop programs that will help such aspiring students go to school. My dream is transform Zambia.” 

Born in Africa, Tendai came to the U.S. when she was five, lived in Nebraska, Michigan, and Connecticut. 

“…so it’s safe to say that I've been raised in many different places,” she said.

She attended three different elementary schools and three different middle schools but has spent her entire four-year high school career at Montville. She will attend Williams College in Massachusetts. 

When asked what the best advice she ever received was, the answer was an easy one. 

“The best advice I ever received was to use my education for the benefit of others. This is one reason why I want to use my love of science to improve desolate areas of the world that lack many of the health benefits people in first world countries,” she said. 

And what’s her advice to incoming freshman and younger high school students? 

“Think in the future and not in the present. It may be tempting to party, drink, and put off school work because it is the 'cool' thing to do, but 10 years from now, your choices will come with consequences. Focusing on school work now will ensure that you really get to enjoy life in the future instead of struggling to make ends meet.”

Salutatorian Christiana Ciaudelli 

Born and raised in Uncasville, indeed, she’s lived in the same house her whole life, Christiana Ciaudelli is a hometown girl. She’s been a cheerleader – captain and youth coach --, hospital volunteer and National Honor Society chapter vice president, athlete and class president, award-winner, Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference attendee and now, the salutatorian for the Montville High School Class of 2012.

“She’s had an amazing educational career and she’s so well rounded. She does it all and does it to the best of her ability,” said her proud mother Rosemary. “She constantly surprises us …on a daily basis.”

Christiana will be attending the University of Connecticut on a Presidential Scholars Award for Valedictorians and Salutatorians. Her plan is to major in accounting.

“I want to start off as an accountant, possibly a forensic one, and then down the road open my own business and become an entrepreneur,” she said.

Christiana said the best advice she’s received in her high school career came from her English teacher, Ms. Baril.

“She told me to relax. I was always so worried about what exactly she wanted and I wanted to do it the right way, it was very stressful. She told me to just relax and do what I thought was right, not what I thought she wanted. I tried it out this year and it worked,” she said.

“Senior year was a lot less stressful and I still did well in all of my classes. Senior year has been the most enjoyable in high school because I got my work done but I wasn't so crazed about it, it let me enjoy my last year at Montville High School.”
 
And Christiana takes that thread about enjoying high school and weaves it in her message for incoming freshman.

“Of course enjoy high school, but realize that even your freshman year really effects the outcome of high school. I was so happy with myself that I got good grades during my freshman year because if I didn't I probably wouldn't  be number two because it's based off of all four years. So always try your best, but don't forget to enjoy it,” she suggested.

Chrisitana has mixed feelings about leaving high school.

“Many students are so excited to leave Montville, but it's really bittersweet for me,” she said. “I've grown close with so many teachers it will be sad not to walk through those halls every day. High school is what you make it, so make it a place you enjoy spending your time.”

Montville High School Class of 2012 graduates Friday, June 15 at 6 p.m.