After nearly four difficult yet fulfilling years in high school, Senior David Deutsch has risen to valedictorian status. This accomplishment is not for the faint of heart, however, and his lasting work and dedication to academics has only helped him achieve his status as the top-performing student in his graduating class.
Deutsch shared the exciting experience of finding out he had the highest scores in his grade. “I didn’t expect to be valedictorian, and the confusion wasn’t because I wasn’t sure I was good enough, it was that I know that there are many people at this school who consistently get A’s in difficult courses. With all that in mind, it doesn’t really change anything for me. I know I’ve always been a good student. I always knew I could get good grades if I put my mind to it,” Deutsch explained. His humble acceptance of his award underscores the massive amount of hard work it took to get to this point, and additionally, Deutsch offered some reasons as to why he continued to strive for his outstanding grades.
He partially attributes this award to his parents, as well as his experiences in elementary school. “My parents made me stay [in study hall] after school, and sort of the goal they set for me was ‘You have to come home and have no homework. You’re in first grade, you don’t have much homework, your goal is you have forty-five minutes, and you can do your homework for that day or even that week in 45 minutes. Learn that discipline.’” That really helped me in two ways. The first one was, I learned how to get a lot done in a short amount of time, kind of to set a schedule for myself, and the other one wass, because I was never doing homework at home, I had time to play my piano, and do math and computer science. I had that time to study ahead, and that’s what made the difference,” said Deutsch. This commitment to academic excellence has allowed him to excel in the nine AP courses, nine college courses, and numerous electives he has taken over the years, which have collectively garnered an astonishing weighted GPA of 4.9.
Academics isn’t his only interest, however. According to Deutsch, his interests include chess, playing the piano, being a member of the school’s Academic League Team, and mathematics, even participating in math competitions. Aside from his grades and hobbies, Deutsch also takes pride in the impact he has made within the school community, “I feel like I have had more than just academic accomplishments at this school, because I am part of all these communities and clubs now. The Chess Club was kind of dying when I joined it. The last president graduated, and it felt like there wasn’t much of a chess community, and now we have quite a few people who play. I’m planning to organize a tournament at some point before the year ends. We had one last year and it was pretty fun, so in that way I think I can help some like-minded people,” said Deutsch. His commitment to the chess community is almost as rigorous as his commitment to his own future, which he has looked at in detail.
A chess tournament isn’t the only thing he’s planning. “Since I was eight years old I have wanted to study neuroscience research. I was watching a Neil deGrasse Tyson clip about supernovas, and it just occurred to me that we understand how these supernovas work and yet we don’t understand our own brains, and I took that as a challenge,” said Deutsch. He also expressed interest in Stanford as a place of study, and has praised the college’s focus on research, as well as the tight-knit community of diverse scientists on campus.
Deutsch issued some advice to the underclassmen, even for those not following his academic path. “Don’t let anybody else, any person, any societal expectation, any peer pressure decide how you spend your time here. [So] take the courses you want to take, take the courses that you think will challenge you or will help you grow. Don’t let some silly goal determine how you’re going to spend four years of your life, because it’s not worth the waste,” said Deutsch. Even though his academic actions harshly juxtapose with his overall message of ‘take the courses that will make you happy,’ he stressed the importance of enjoying your high school experience.
Deutch’s tenacity for academic advancement may well be the defining factor in his status as valedictorian, but even amid his many accomplishments, he emphasized his appreciation for all of his teachers, friends, and associates that have helped him along the way.