After an all-school Mass last month, St. Pius X announced the valedictorian, salutatorian, and STAR student for the Class of 2023. Catie Schwartz was named valedictorian, Grace Tran salutatorian, and Carson Dubay STAR Student, who is the senior in the top 10% of their class with the highest SAT score. 

Schwartz and Tran said they were surprised when they heard their names get called. 

“I know a lot of other people are really smart, especially a lot of my friends are really smart. So I thought that they would have higher GPAs and I was definitely surprised when they called my name,” said Schwartz.

As for Dubay, he knew about his recognition a month before. 

“[Dean of Academics] Mr. Eaglen just pulled me out of class one day. I thought I was in trouble,” said Dubay. 

Tran’s mom also thought something was wrong when she got a call from Mr. Eaglen a few days before. 

“My parents were also really shocked because when Mr. Eaglen called them, my mom immediately thought I got into a car crash,” said Tran.

Dubay picked math teacher Ms. Lesley Bowman as his STAR Teacher. This is the second year in a row she’s been picked as the STAR Teacher. He explained that her intelligence and help were factors in making this decision. 

“She’s the smartest person I think I’ve met at the school. She’s helped me a lot in her math class. I’ve learned so much in that class, more than probably any other class I’ve taken at Pius,” said Dubay. 

Schwartz credited her parents and teachers for her success. 

“My parents have been super supportive and helpful. They’re definitely putting emphasis on how school isn’t always the most important thing, which is kind of different, but also certain teachers definitely Ms. Bowman and Ms. Kramer have been mentors for me,” said Schwartz.

Tran noted that her teachers as well as her friends have gotten her to where she is today. 

“I’ve had a lot of good teachers, like the ones Catie mentioned, and friends who helped me get through the classes who were also going through the same things,” said Tran. 

Schwartz also gave some advice for any students working towards academic success. 

“Think about your goals, and you’re probably going to have to make some type of sacrifice to get it. So just kind of have what you want in mind and go about your life, making sacrifices as needed,” said Schwartz

While excelling in the academic area, these students have participated in numerous extracurricular activities throughout their four years at St. Pius. Schwartz swims at Dynamo, is in the Spanish Honor Society, NHS, and is the president of the Health and Science Club. Tran is president of the Art Association and Green Club, and Dubay plays soccer year-round. 

In the fall, Schwartz plans on attending Emory to study biology, Tran plans on going into medicine but is waiting for decisions to come back, and Dubay’s top two schools are Notre Dame and Duke, where he would like to pursue a business field major.