Meet St. Michael-Albertville’s 2011 Valedictorian: Mariah Eystad

More than 300 St. Michael-Albertville seniors will don caps and gowns this Friday evening, with a broad range of talents and skills among them. One face, however, will stand apart from the rest.

The Class of 2011’s valedictorian, Mariah Eystad, has had her eyes on the top spot her entire high school career, and she has seen that goal come to fruition one class and one A at a time.

“I’ve always had that goal to get straight A’s, and I wanted to be No. 1,” she said.

The daughter of Connie and Dale Eystad, and the oldest of three daughters, Mariah has set quite a precedent for younger sisters Cierra and Kiana. She finished her high school career with a 4.025 grade point average, taking every advanced placement course available, with the exception of physics, as well as College in School (CIS) courses. She was one of only 10 students to take the most challenging AP calculus 2 class, having already taken the AP calculus 1 as a junior.

Besides her difficult course schedule, Eystad also found time to play volleyball and tennis as well as take part in National Honor Society and student council. She also works at Calvin Klein in the Albertville Premium Outlets.

“I just time-managed and made it all work,” she said. “There were days when I felt really stressed out, but now that I look back on it, it seems less stressful than it really was.”

Though she said there were some late nights involved to get her GPA at this high level, Eystad credits good note taking and efficient studying as key factors in keeping up stellar grades without losing too much shut-eye.

Her teachers would add a number of other good qualities that propelled her to the top of her class, describing her as thorough and meticulous, dedicated, ambitious and a true leader, just to name a few.

“Although Mariah has a high academic aptitude, she didn’t get to be first in her class without effort,” said Kay Nowell, her science teacher. “She has an extremely strong work ethic and is a dedicated, self-motivated student. She consistently earns the top grades in her classes due to her perseverance.”

High school life wasn’t all work and no play for this valedictorian, who counts some of her favorite high school memories to be the Friday night football games with friends, and celebrating homecoming with all of its fun traditions. She’s looking forward to having this last summer at home to celebrate at graduation parties, spend time with friends and get ready for campus life.

Eystad will jump into college life at St. Thomas University in St. Paul this fall, where she is planning to be a pre-med biology major. She chose this school over a few other choices because she loved the campus and the academic program, along with all of the opportunities for internships and jobs available right on her doorstep in the Twin Cities.

Eystad knows she would like to become a doctor, though she hasn’t yet pinpointed a specific track in the medical field that she wants to pursue. But if her current record translates to future success, the world is Eystad’s proverbial oyster.

“Mariah’s desire and dedication to succeed is what sets her so far above her peers,” said her algebra teacher, Darlene Kolling. “She has the skills and ambition to succeed at anything she chooses to do.”