Denisha West has always done well academically, but says the honor of being named valedictorian of Westbury High School came as a surprise.
“There’s a lot of people who have done well and participated in sports. It was very competitive in our class,” West said. “You didn’t know who was going to be number one or two. I was very surprised and happy with how my ranking came.”
Not only is West a star student, but she was recently crowned the state champion for triple jump. She’s also the president of the National Honor Society, treasurer of the Spanish Honor Society and member of the track team and chorus. She was also the middle school salutatorian.
Two summers ago, West worked in a hospital and took part in a science, technology, engineering program (STEP), where she did research. During a STEP conference in Albany, she served as a student ambassador, helping to make sure the event went smoothly. West shared her experience with Westbury’s youngest students by teaming up with other National Honor Society students and teaching Park Avenue students character education, where she spoke on the importance of communication, respect and teamwork.
“I liked that we could connect back to the new kids who are growing up now and give them hope and insight into what it’s like as a high school student. They can aspire to be anything,” West said. “It gave me a new outlook when I went to teach them. I realized everything I have is so special. When you teach others you realize how important what you have is, and you might not know the advantages until it is gone.”
West said the biggest challenge she’s faced over the last four years is not only understanding the course material of her advanced classes, but being able to apply it to the real world. She said AP physics, AP chemistry, AP biology and calculus were the most challenging classes she’s taken throughout high school.
“The trickiest and hardest thing when it comes to academics is understanding the concept and making sure I understand how it applies to the real world,” West said. “To apply it to the real world, I had to think in depth and see how it applies to helping someone feel better, or building a bridge.”
Though high school had its challenging moments, West said determination was the key to making it through.
“I have a mindset that if I have a goal, or realize I could do better, I will do better,” she said. “And it’s not for anyone else, I do it for myself. If I have the willpower and knowledge, anything can be achieved.”
That determination hasn’t gone unnoticed. West has been honored by the Village of Westbury and Town of North Hempstead for her achievements both in and out of the classroom.
“I was so amazed people took notice of me and how proud everyone was of my accomplishments,” West said. “When I did those things, I didn’t feel that it meant something to that degree of importance. To see people cheering me on, I know the community is so proud of everything people in the community do.”
In the fall, West heads to Marshall University in West Virginia to pursue a career in biology or health sciences. She said she’ll continue running track on the side. West said she’ll miss the people and connections, as well as academic opportunities at Westbury.
“I think the thing that stuck with me most about high school is never giving up,” West said. “And you can rely on others in the process, it doesn’t always have to be on your own. You can have help.”
