The class of 2024 Valedictorian, Angela Grachev, has shown her dedication throughout the school, as shown in the vast range of clubs and activities she takes part in. Through these clubs she has reached out into many different fields and areas including healthcare, STEM, and traditional arts, using those experiences to “Open up new opportunities”. Outside of school, Grachev has shown her commitment to the community by working and volunteering. Her post-high school plans are also fueled by her ambition, as she hopes to further expand her horizons.
Grachev is heavily involved in many after-school activities and clubs, including HOSA [Future Health Professionals] leadership, DECA [Distributive Education Clubs of America] leadership, STEM leadership, varsity girls tennis, and key club. She says that “HOSA brought the most attention to me, in terms of what I want to do post high school. Before I joined HOSA I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I was interested in Biotech but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with that, but then right after I joined HOSA, maybe a year after, I got more experience with the healthcare field, and I was really drawn to it.” The opportunities that HOSA opened up for her to speak to professionals and get to know their work let her see that she wanted to follow a similar path. Making it to HOSA nationals her junior year was also a sign that she could thrive in a healthcare job.
Although Grachev was in band for middle school and her freshman year, she ended up quitting due to COVID, but has kept on playing the alto saxophone through private lessons. Now she plays small gigs intermittently, but still regrets not staying in the school band. She says she wishes she had continued pursuing band in school, but didn’t end up having the time in her schedule. In her junior year she volunteered at PAWS from March to June, and even though she had to leave because of cat allergies, she still said, “I’m allergic to cats, and I was working with them for months, but it was so cute and so fun!” Despite having to leave PAWS, Grachev has continued to volunteer, even helping out at the school STEM summer camp, being a counselor for a biotech activity. She also volunteered at another summer camp that was organized by the Lucky Pen organization in Redmond, which focused on teaching Ukrainian students about anatomy. Despite all of their activities, they still have made enough time in their schedule for a job at Starbucks.
When she finishes the final few weeks of high school, Grachev will be attending the University of Washington Seattle campus. She is planning on taking a pre-med pathway, which will lead to graduate school. Currently she is leaning towards majoring in biology, but is considering switching to public health, as it seems like that will better align with the healthcare based path that she wants to take. One of her current goals is to try to take on some internships. While Grachev does not have a lot of experience with internships, she thinks her high school experiences will help her adjust to them quickly.
Grachev’s ability to be involved in many different subjects has ultimately given her insight into the career path she wishes to follow.
Not only that, but her experience in high school has opened many doors for her in the future. With the experience of her volunteer work, she is already able to see what her future career might entail. Throughout high school she has worked on reaching out to new people and becoming more involved in the community, and she wants to continue to even further improve upon those skills as she enters college as a Husky.
