Unusual top students represent Sonoma values

When the top students of the graduating class are announced, they usually aren’t very much like Abbey Lee, Sonoma’s valedictorian or Sean McCarthy, the salutatorian.
“If you look at usual valedictorian and salutatorian, you don’t think of either of us. People expect us to do everything perfectly and be really intense about it, but it’s just like a Sonoma Valley attitude. We don’t stress about these things,” said McCarthy.
Both outstanding students attribute their successes to living and growing up in Sonoma Valley with the support of their families.
Lee, who went to Prestwood, says that much of her support comes from her parents.
“My parents have not been the kind of parents who push me because they’ve raised me in a way that made me want to do well… my mom and dad are both very successful which inspires me to do the same. They don’t have to be the kind of parents to push their kids because of that.”
McCarthy also says his parents don’t push him towards good grades.
“They just tell me that I have to do my best and work hard. They gave me pressure to work, not to do well, which in some ways is better. I know a lot of people whose parents are intense about grades, but that’s not going to work in college.”
They also both point out that intellectual pursuits aren’t everything.
“Do something to balance academics. You’re not going to make it in whatever it is you want to do if you just study. Sonoma has a lot more to offer than other larger places because it’s small. The businesses here are more laid back and so there are more opportunities. Since it’s laid-back in Sonoma, you can do more than in a more intense place,” says McCarthy.
However, this doesn’t mean they didn’t work hard. Both of the students are going on to college.
“Just the fact that both my parents went to college means that the thought of not going to college never occurred to me,” says McCarthy, whose father is an engineer and mother has both an English and law degree. McCarthy, who is following much of his family at UC Berkeley, had to choose between it and UCLA. “I think I choose Berkeley in the end because it was so near to family.”
McCarthy is more undecided about his major and eventual career, but is entering college as an engineering major and, later, hopes to get a masters in business.
“This combination, mechanical Engineering and an MBA are actually a pretty wide range of things, so I can learn from my job rather than getting my job with my education,” he says.
Lee, who is going to Santa Clara University, says that growing up in Sonoma was a big part of her decision between that school and UC Davis.
“I had to go to a school where I thought I would thrive. Coming from Sonoma, I really love the small town and close-knit atmosphere. I felt like I would feel lost at Davis,” she says.
Lee, who originally wanted to go into medicine, is now a communications major.
“I can decide what I really want to specialize in as time goes on and Santa Clara has a really good communications feel.”
Lee, who remembers wanting to be the first female president while growing up, still is thinking about going into politics. As Student Voice and Sonoma’s representative to Girl’s State, she has had a great deal of experience in the field.
“I definitely want to continue going on in politics. I always believed that in order to really create a positive impact or just create change is to be the person that everyone sees. Not everyone is going to like you, but the people that do will help you change. Growing up, I’ve realized that I don’t really want to be president, since that’s one heck of a job, but you never know. There are lot of ethical moral problems in politics and I have to figure out what I actually believe in before I go out into that world.”
Both students want to give their thanks to their community.
“Thank you for supporting us, the students, thank you for making a place where students can feel supported and loved. You don’t understand the impact you have created on students’ lives. I hope you can continue to support students to make them feel ready to go out into the world,” says Lee.
“As a class, I’d like to thank the community because they have afforded us with a great deal of opportunities that we wouldn’t get anywhere else. I’m nothing special. This class is amazing. I just got picked arbitrarily due to my class schedule more than anything else. Maybe it’s this class or where we grew up, but we take what we have learned here and apply it to the real world,” says McCarthy.
Both students will be speaking at the graduation, which is held at Arnold Field at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 8.