Saint Mary's valedictorian, senior Courtney Parry, said she is very grateful to her professors and the faculty who have helped her throughout her four years on campus.
"I owe a great deal of gratitude to the professors and faculty I have learned from over the past four years," Parry said. "My professors have inspired me to want to learn more about their discipline, and have excited me about my own ability to make a difference in the world."
Parry, a mathematics and economics double major with a 3.99 GPA according to a press release, was not planning on becoming valedictorian.
"I was not working toward this goal specifically, and was very surprised when I first learned about the designation. I had honestly given my class rank very little thought prior to learning about my status," she said.
Parry has also been involved in many other organizations on campus. She is the student member of the Board of Trustees and is currently administrative resident advisor for Holy Cross Hall after two years of being a resident advisor in the same building, the press release said.
Parry has been a member of the math honor society, Pi Mu Epsilon, since her sophomore year and is now president of the Saint Mary's chapter.
She said she enjoyed her math classes and fellow math students.
"I would certainly say that, in general, I have enjoyed the tight-knit math department," Parry said. "Math majors can frequently be found in the math resource room working in small groups, trying different problem-solving techniques."
She also recognized that her four years here have gone by very quickly.
"Though it sounds a bit cliché, I would certainly advise upcoming students to make the most of every minute of their time as a student," Parry said. "Four years goes by so quickly."
Parry said her fondest memories were not necessarily found in the classroom.
One of her favorite college memories "was presenting a paper at an economics conference at
Bowling Green State University in early April," Parry said.
After graduation, Parry plans to participate in the Engineering, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship Excellence Masters (ESTEEM) at Notre Dame, which is a joint program between the College of Science, the College of Engineering and the Mendoza Business School, she said.
"I would encourage upcoming students to always try their hardest and work to make each day better than the day that came before," Parry said.
Most of all, she said she "will miss working with such inspiring students and dedicated faculty."
Parry will be graduating on May 16 at noon on the LeMans Green.
