(Seguin) – If there is anything that the top students of this year’s Seguin High School graduating class can teach us, it’s perseverance. Not ever taking his eyes off the ultimate prize is this year’s 2023 Valedictorian is Kaden Legore. Legore is the son of Dave and Judge Kirsten Legore. Legore says earning the top spot is a plan he set in motion way before entering high school.
“It was the culmination of really years of work and that really goes beyond high school of building up the work ethic to get to this point. It’s the culmination of a lot of sacrifices that I made to get to this point and I couldn’t be happier to be awarded this. It really is a great honor to be among the other people that are on the Hall of Fame Wall over there – my past friends, my own brother – my older brother was valedictorian a couple of years ago. So, it’s really great to be in their company,” said Legore.
Legore says he plans to attend school in Iowa to pursue a degree in politics and already has his mind set on one day attending law school.
Legore says with so many challenges before all students, his message to them is simple.
“I think if there’s any one message to the next couple of classes is to not let anything get in your way of your own success, to put yourself first,” said Legore.
Sharing the spotlight with Legore is this year’s 2023 Salutatorian Anastasiia Berezovska. The senior is the daughter of James and Marianna Nolte. For this senior, learning that she’d be leading her class was more than she ever imagined. Much of that surprise was based on the fact that she had just arrived from the Ukraine to the U.S. in 2018.
“I couldn’t believe it. It was one of the most unexpected things I heard and until the last minute, I didn’t expect myself to be second student in school and it was one of the biggest things that happened to me because English is not my first language and I work extremely hard trying my best to learn and spent all my time reading the books – reading the chapters almost five times every single time trying to memorize new words, trying to understand. For me knowing that I was selected number two is an extremely valuable and the most wonderful achievement and wonderful thing to happen to me this year especially after the COVID-19 happened and all of the schoolwork had stopped. It was so challenging to come back and get that education and relearn all things that were forgotten before and I’m so grateful to my school and my teachers, my counselors, my parents, my friends for their support and longtime encouragement even after the most challenging times happened,” said Berezovska.
During these past short years, working her hardest was not so easy. Not only was it about being successful in school but just simply going about her everyday life. When she arrived in the U.S., the senior says she couldn’t speak English or understand people. She says she often had to speak to people 10 times before they could fully understand what she was saying.
Now, although she always doubted herself, she says she always tried her best and appreciates those who have helped her along this journey.
“I remember trying to do my United States history homework and we were watching this CNN video and I couldn’t understand any of the words and my teacher was very kind so he turned in the transcripts to the captions so I could understand the words and I remember thinking that I wouldn’t be able to understand it and that’s there’s no way for me to understand that much words and I was doubting that I would be able to learn English at any other time. I couldn’t even believe that it was possible for me because it was so hard for me at that time,” said Berezovska.
She too looks to attend college but will be staying much closer to home than Legore. Her plans are to attend the University of Texas in Austin where she plans to study computer science pursue a graduate degree in cyber security.
The students will lead this year’s graduation class set to walk the stage this Friday at 8 p.m. at Seguin High School’s Matador Stadium.