Meredith Kovac

Meredith Kovac poses for the camera in a field. The peaceful energy they show comes from their calm and collected energy that has helped them get through high school and graduate as Valedictorian.

As the third Kovac to attend Oviedo High School, Senior Meredith Kovac stepped through the campus doors in 2020. This was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when everyone’s lives were suddenly turned around. This didn’t stop Kovac from excelling in academics and extracurriculars. Now, four years later, this chapter of their life is coming to an end, and a new college-based chapter begins.

After a challenging four years, Kovac finishes high school with an impressive title, valedictorian. They started high school not aiming for the Top 10, however their strong work ethic led them to the achievement regardless.

“I was very shocked and very surprised, but I just had an A streak that I kept up and I didn’t set out for it but last year I found out I was in the Top 10 and that was an opportunity and I added more APs and hoped for the best,” Kovac said.

The senior has spent a majority of their high school career taking science-based classes and excelling. Their passion for the subject encouraged them to continue pursuing it in college.

“I want to go to UCF, but I haven’t committed yet,” Kovac said. “I want to double major in engineering and biomedical sciences.”

Their strong determination, work ethic, and motivation to succeed has helped them excel in difficult classes such as physics. 

“She always asked questions, especially if she wasn’t sure about what I was explaining to her,” AP Physics II teacher Chris  Capp said.

Kovac started EMT school to start the long road towards their goals. This path may be a long one, but the early start will help them later in life. 

“This semester, I’m in EMT school,” Kovac said. “I wanted to gain medical exposure and get potential hospital hours or volunteer hours to go to medical school, if I decide to go to medical school.”

Outside of academics, Kovac enjoys tennis, band, and spending time with their family. Balancing this and their classwork helped them learn the best ways to effectively manage their time. Whether it be doing homework even at family events or finding the best balance between school and their personal life.

“It taught me time management because I had to learn how to study efficiently and not just go on my phone,” Kovac said. Time management is an important skill that will help Kovac all throughout their life. The skill can help in both work and college.

There are struggles with being a top student. One of these is constantly having to work on homework, even during family events. 

“I was definitely doing homework all the time,” Kovac said. “At every major family event – Thanksgiving – I was doing homework.” 

Throughout all four years of high school, even in the toughest of times, they kept their determination to succeed. Their hard work has clearly paid off, because Meredith Kovac will be accepting their diploma as the valedictorian.