Top 10: Maria Bryant
By Elaina Edwards
Maria Bryant has excelled throughout her high school career, and it is no surprise that her academic prowess has landed her a well-deserved spot in the Top 10. Maria is a member of NHS, president of Peer Leadership, president of SADD club, vice president of the senior class, and on top of all of this, a two-sport athlete, playing volleyball and throwing for track and field. All of these stellar accomplishments have proven her hard work, dedication, and time management, and make her very worthy of graduating in the top ten of her class.
It is no secret that it takes a great deal of hard work to get to where Maria has gotten today. Her support system has proved invaluable to her success. “My parents are my biggest influences because they want me to be the best version of myself and push me to be successful,” Maria notes. She also gives herself credit for her motivation in the classroom, “I was motivated to excel in the classroom due to my competitive nature. I like to be the best and wanted to strive to be at the top of the class.”
Maria has also taken nearly all of the AP courses that Shenango offers, pushing herself to be the very best she can be. “AP Calculus as a whole has been the most challenging. I think that it is the hardest class I have taken in high school.” Nonetheless, she will take away many skills from that class that go far beyond learning calculus. There have also been classes along the way that Maria will remember for the rest of her life. She believes that her most rewarding class was Mrs. McKissick’s because she was always able to leave the classroom knowing that she learned something valuable.
Although she is very strong in the classroom, Maria demonstrates a different kind of strength as an athlete. She competes in both indoor and outdoor track and field, and she participated in volleyball her whole high school career. The extracurricular activity that brought Maria the most joy was volleyball because of the family-like atmosphere of the team.
All of Maria’s achievements inside and outside the classroom have set her up for a very successful future. Maria plans to attend the University of Akron to continue her academic and athletic career in track and field. She also wishes to become a dentist, while simultaneously working for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Maria would like to thank her teachers and Peer Leadership for the countless opportunities they have given her to excel in the future. Most of all, she thanks her dad because “he is always by my side and helping me figure out ways to overcome obstacles.”
Once Maria leaves Shenango, the relationships she has built with her classmates and teachers will be what she misses the most. One piece of advice that she would give students following in her footsteps is to not wish the moments away because of how fast the time goes. “I learned that there are going to be moments when you aren’t sure what your next step should be. It is important to enjoy the moment and let things fall into place.”