Alberni District Secondary School valedictorian Mya Ralla is spending the final days of her high school career looking back at the good memories.
Ralla was selected by her peers as the Class of 2024 valedictorian and will be sharing her speech on stage three times over three different graduating ceremonies on June 27 and 28.
Ralla says it's "an honour" to be selected by her peers as the class valedictorian.
"I've always dreamed about it," she said. "I knew I could make a good speech, and I thought our grad class deserved someone who was really going to care and put the time into it. This was also a way for me to put myself out there for my last year of high school."
In order to be selected, Ralla had to make a speech in front of her graduating class to convince them she would make a good valedictorian. It was her first real public speaking experience.
"I didn't know I would be that jittery until I got up there," she laughed. "But the crowd was good, which was definitely reassuring as I was going along."
In her valedictorian speech, Ralla says she plans to talk about the accomplishments and resilience of the graduating class. She says the Class of 2024 is a close-knit one.
"There are so many different types of people," she said. "Some of us are in dance or basketball, and I also have a couple of friends who will be travelling out of province for university. There are a lot of different personalities, but we meshed really well this year. I made a lot of friends I didn't expect to make this year.
"I think I'm an extrovert," she added with a laugh. "I love making friends."
Her favourite memories from her high school years come from the annual Totem basketball tournament.
"Ever since Grade 8, it's been the highlight of the year," she said. "That's definitely one thing that connects the whole school together. No matter who your friends are, you're always going to be screaming when someone hits that three-pointer."
While Ralla was not on any of the sports teams, she helped her friend (and graduating class MC) Jaymi Hocking with her Totem Spirit campaign this year. She also put on the costume of "Pete the Pirate," the ADSS mascot, for this year's basketball games.
"It's so hot in there," she laughed.
Her favourite teacher at ADSS was Monica Pearson. Ralla was a teaching assistant (TA) for Pearson's Math 8 class this year.
"We definitely formed a bond," said Ralla. "She's been my No. 1 supporter and I'm definitely going to stay in touch with her."
After graduation, Ralla says she will be headed to the University of Victoria where she will be studying general sciences for her first year.
"I'm not sure what I want to do yet," she said.
While Ralla spent most of her Grade 12 year focused on her academic classes, she learned to maintain a balance between homework and having fun. That's her advice for younger students.
"Studying is really important, but at the end of the day you should go out and make memories," she said.