Top of her class

This article was published on 10.24.19

Emily Hernandez Medina was valedictorian of the 2019 North Valleys High School class but was not allowed to give her commencement speech. She gave it on Oct. 19 at the 74th Annual Freedom Fund awards banquet hosted by the Reno-Sparks NAACP. This is how it ended: “I was told I couldn’t be valedictorian. I was criticized for being an art dork. I was disparaged constantly for being a first-generation Latina. Being valedictorian means nothing, but what I’ve done as an individual shines through. I’m more than a 5.3 GPA. I’m more than nine AP classes. I’m more than the number only recognizes me for—and so are you, class of 2019.”

Emily Hernandez Medina was valedictorian of the 2019 North Valleys High School class but was not allowed to give her commencement speech. She gave it on Oct. 19 at the 74th Annual Freedom Fund awards banquet hosted by the Reno-Sparks NAACP. This is how it ended: “I was told I couldn’t be valedictorian. I was criticized for being an art dork. I was disparaged constantly for being a first-generation Latina. Being valedictorian means nothing, but what I’ve done as an individual shines through. I’m more than a 5.3 GPA. I’m more than nine AP classes. I’m more than the number only recognizes me for—and so are you, class of 2019.”

PHOTO/JERI DAVIS

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