On June 13, as North Haven High School’s (NHHS) Class of 2016 graduates, Rachel Buonasora will address her classmates as their valedictorian.

“It is such a great honor,” says Rachel. “It’s something you think of and hope for for many years and when it actually comes true, it’s a little surreal. I just always want to do best and give it my all and [being named valedictorian] is a side effect of doing that. It’s not necessarily something I’ve been striving for, but it’s very nice to have achieved.”

Rachel has always enjoyed learning throughout her time in the North Haven school system, going to Montowese Elementary School before attending the middle school and high school.

In addition to earning the top spot in her graduating class, Rachel received the Yale Book Award earlier this year. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, English Honor Society, and Latin Honor Society. She is vice president of Mu Alpha Theta, the math honor society, and she is the secretary of the Science Honor Society. She notes that hard work and time management have been keys to her success.

“My strong skills in time management helped me become valedictorian because, while I consider myself a smart person, there are so many smart people in my class,” says Rachel. “There are so many great, deserving kids. I don’t see it as a competition, but something that’s been achieved by all of us—a certain level in our educational careers that is worth celebrating.”

Rachel not only credits her fellow top 10 graduates for their hard work in the classroom, but dedication to multiple sports, activities, and extracurricular activities as well. Rachel was a four-year member of the NHHS girls’ swim team, earning a varsity spot her sophomore year. As a senior, she served as team captain and won the Sportsmanship Award.

“Being part of the swim team was one of my most memorable experiences because sports and academics go well together and we had such a nice group of girls,” says Rachel. “One of the biggest things I tried to do as captain was lead by example. Being a captain helps you learn the most effective way of communication to get them to put their all in just as you have.”

Rachel is also a member of Future Problem Solving, an extra-curricular club that explores different challenges facing society, such as land transportation, enhanced human beings, processed foods, and more. The group then studies the topic and discusses possible solutions to problems that may arise.

From her involvement with that club and as a student who has always enjoyed math and science, Rachel decided to pursue engineering in college. She applied to nine colleges, ultimately deciding on Lehigh University in Pennsylvania when she was accepted into its Integrated Business and Engineering Program.

“That was definitely a driving force for why I chose that school,” says Rachel. “It’s a very unique program and I like the idea of pursuing a dual degree in business and engineering and finding parallels between those two topics. I’m very interested in engineering and business [and] there are many possibilities since I haven’t signed up for specialized courses to see what I’m best suited for yet.”

Rachel has already challenged herself with her academics with her classes at North Haven. She also took a psychology course at Yale through its Yale-New Haven area program, which she enjoyed because she was able to “get the exposure to college classes and rigor.”

While Rachel is excited about the “fresh start” that college brings and exploring a new place and challenging college material, leaving North Haven will be bittersweet.

“I love the high school and I love North Haven—it’s been my home for the past 18 years,” says Rachel, who also enjoyed her humanities classes at NHHS. “I will miss the sense of community, my family, and my church, St. Therese.”

In the past, Rachel has been a religious education teacher at her church where she also helps with the annual Christmas pageant and caroling. Having taken piano lessons when she was young, she has also worked as a substitute organist when needed. For the past year and a half, she has also volunteered at Ben Haven, a home for autistic adults, which has been a “profound experience.”

Rachel leaves for school at the end of August and while she enjoys boating with her family, she will also be busy interning four days a week at LIMRA, a financial planning company in Windsor.

For now, though, Rachel is focusing on graduation, which is just days away. She is honing her speech and enjoying her success in being named valedictorian.

“I’m not sure that I’ll have one profound message, but I’ll touch upon what we’ll be leaving behind and what’s ahead of us—it’s very exciting,” says Rachel. “This is a great honor, but I try not to dwell on it too much because to a certain extent, it’s just a title. My family has been very supportive and this wouldn’t have been possible without them.”