Get to Know the 2011 Mt. Hope High School Valedictorian

The Class of 2011 will soon take the stage to receive their diplomas. That means a busy week for Valedictorian Michelle Farias, 18, of Bristol, who is still working to finish her speech to her peers. 

"I'm nervous about it," she said. "I have bits of it written so far, but I get stressed out just thinking about it."

Though she masters almost anything she does in life, from softball to academics, she admits that she also has not settled on a major to pursue at Wesleyan University. But Farias said she's not concerned about finding her direction.

"I think I ranked number one because I'm good in a lot of subjects," she said. "I like science, English, everything, except for math. Wesleyan is a pretty liberal school and I want to take a lot of classes to see what I really want to do." 

Although Farias says she is looking forward to going to college in the fall to meet new people, she says that she is sad to leave the life she has grown accustomed to behind.

"I'm going to miss living at home," she said. "I get along really well with my parents. They have never tried to push me, but they always helped me do my best."

Farias says she expects the theme of her speech to be based on support from family, friends and mentors that have gotten her through her life. 

"I think I'm going to talk about how much support we get in high school," she said. "You don't really realize how much support you have until it's gone, and after this, most of us are off on our own."