~ The Advocate Asks ~

Saugus High School Class of 2024 Valedictorian Sarah Dorielan says the School District needs to make two years of a foreign language mandatory for students

  Editor’s Note: For this week’s column, we sat down with Sarah Dorielan, the Valedictorian – the top ranked student – of the Saugus High School Class of 2024. Her 4.69 grade point average was tops among the 178 students who received diplomas during the school’s 153rd Commencement Exercises last month. Sarah’s address was historic, as she is believed to be the first African American female valedictorian. We offered to interview Sarah in a local coffee shop. But she preferred to reflect on the highlights of her High School career in the Saugus Public Library – one of her favorite spots in town. She volunteered at the library for a year as an organizational consultant. Sarah, 17, a voracious reader, plans to attend Tufts University in the fall to study Biopsychology. She received the Excellence in English Award selected by the English Department. Her extracurricular activities and societies included the following: Peer Mediation Advocate, Drama Club Secretary & Stage Manager, Young Feminist Secretary, Acapella Soloist, volleyball. She was also a member of Students in Action, which focuses on racial diversity and community service. Her notable classes included AP Psychology, AP English Literature & Composition, AP Statistics, AP English Language & Composition and AP Environmental Science.

  She was born in 2006 in Cambridge. Her father – Frantz Dorielan – and mother – Guerlande Aristil – were both in their early 20s when they immigrated to the United States, and they eventually made Saugus their home. Sarah has a brother, Oliver, 21, who is a 2021 Saugus High graduate. He attends Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, where he’s studying health technology and expects to graduate next year.

  Highlights of this week’s interview follow.

Q: What do you want to be when you graduate from college?

A: I’m hoping to become a psychiatrist. I really find the mental health field to be interesting. I would love to get into the intricacies of that.

Q: What kind of psychiatry would you want to focus on?

A: I specifically want to work with teenagers because there’s a lack of adults that have a healthy communicative relationship with children.

Q: Have you always been a smart kid, right from the first grade on?

A: I think I was a very perfectionist child. I was a very nerdy child.

Q: So you spent a lot of time in the Saugus Public Library and loved reading?

A: Yes. I would always leave with a stack of books taller than me. I still have my first library card with me. I keep renewing it.

Q: Have you done volunteer work at the library?

A: I volunteered here the summer after my sophomore year. I would put books on the shelves.

Q: As you look back on your 12 years in Saugus Public Schools, is there any one area where you think the education system could improve?

A: I feel we don’t foster a sense of caring about culture enough. I feel like introducing different languages into the curriculum would help.

Q: What’s the best thing you can say about Saugus Public Schools?

A: I personally really liked my English teachers this year. I felt like there were things about Saugus they could illuminate in their teaching. David Jones is one of the teachers that has a passion for what they’re doing. Every year, I feel like I have a teacher that has a passion for teaching the kids. The fact is the kids can really tell which teachers are interested in what they’re doing to build a relationship with them.

Q: What was your favorite subject?

A: I think my favorite subject was English because I was naturally good at it. I also like calculus because of the teacher. And I loved my biology and anatomy class because of the teacher and I also liked the subject matter.

Q: Were you a straight-A student all the way through school?

A: Yes. I’ve been a grade-A student all along, except for physics. I got a B one time: Mr. Fox gave me a B for one semester. I wound up getting an A for the class.

Q: What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

A: That’s a difficult question. I read at least 50 books a year. I definitely read more when I was younger. In AP Literature, I read eight books a year. I always loved reading. I loved fiction when I was younger. I really like psychological thrillers right now. I have a lot of favorite books. I love “Ace of Spades,” a social thriller about two students who go to a boarding school. And I really like “All About Love,” By Bell Hooks, a psychological self-help book.

Q: What does it feel like to be the top student in your graduating class, particularly to become what is believed to be the first African American Valedictorian in the history of Saugus High School?

A: Surreal! It feels good to know that there’s somebody out there in the future that has the sense of representation from looking at my accomplishment and seeing that they can achieve it, too. I think it’s another generation of students who will appreciate it.

Q: You mentioned in your Valedictorian Address that you are one of the first if not the first black female Valedictorian. How did you find out?

A: I emailed my guidance counselor and talked to some teachers. There’s no record of that, so I mentioned I’m one of the first if not the first black female Valedictorians at Saugus High School.

Q: It’s certainly an accomplishment to be proud of. And certainly, you are an inspiration for students of color in the Saugus Public Schools. Well, you have gone through 12 years of the town’s public school system. I know some folks aren’t comfortable talking about it, but do you think things have improved a lot for students of color in the school system?

A: I can’t speak for every student of color, but I think things have gotten better. I can remember being the only black student in the class in elementary school. There have been incidents that happen where you don’t feel comfortable, but compared to when I was younger, things have definitely improved. There’s always a way to improve culture and diversity. But I believe positive strides are being taken by the school system. We can always make some improvements.

Q: And as far as the students?

A: I think there’s an Asian American Pacific Island Club in school. And there are students trying to form a black and brown student union. And there should be.

I think we’re all trying to make a change. It’s hard to get people to change. But I think the student body is definitely okay with addressing the challenges. I think it’s up to the adults in the community to address situations that are not okay or make them feel uncomfortable. I think there should be more conversation about the changes we make in the community.

Q: From your perspective, as the top academically ranked student in this year’s graduating class, what are the changes that need to be made to make Saugus Public Schools a better school system?

A: I think there needs to be more open conversation about what the students need. I think the faculty could be more attentive to what each child really needs.

I also think that the people in the education system are underappreciated and overworked. They’ve given me what I’ve had for the past 12 years. All of the teachers have helped to make me the student I am.

Q: What would be your major criticism of the school system in Saugus?

A: That’s a very difficult question to answer, but I feel like making foreign languages an optional part of the curriculum needs to change. I believe that at least two years of studying a foreign language should be mandatory – not optional. I feel like making it optional is a disservice to the students.

Q: Saugus High doesn’t provide many options for students to study a foreign language.

A: Right now, it’s just Spanish and Latin. It’s difficult to have a plethora of options because of a shortage of schoolteachers. But I feel that adding more foreign languages would increase the level of interest among students.

Q: All things considered, what’s the best thing that Saugus Public Schools has done for you?

A: Saugus Public Schools has definitely brought me people that made me better as a student and as a person. It’s put me in touch with students who have made my character better and teachers that have cared for me and my interests. I have a few teachers each year that I love. Saugus High challenges and living in the community have made me who I am. I can’t regret the time I spent here.

Q: Anything else that you would like to share about yourself or about Saugus Public Schools?

A: I’m very grateful for the opportunities that Saugus High School has given me and I’m very excited about the opportunities ahead.

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